BERKELEYBERKELEY REVIEW REVIEW OF OF LatLatinin AmAmericanerican StudStudiesies UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY SPRING 2007 BoteroBotero atat BerkeleyBerkeley Chile Under Bachelet – page 6 TheThe Latino Latino Voter Voter – page 10 Chile Under Bachelet Science, Sustainability and the South – page 15 Table of Contents BERKELEY REVIEW OF LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES SPRING 2007 Chair Contents Harley Shaiken Commentary: Art in a Time of Violence Harley Shaiken 1 Vice Chair Sara Lamson Managing Editor Botero at Berkeley Jean Spencer Fernando Botero A Conversation With the Artist 2 Design and Layout and Robert Hass Greg Louden Bringing Botero to Berkeley Jean Spencer 24 Contributing Writers Selections From Daniel Coronell Fernando Botero: Abu Ghraib 25 the Exhibit Christian DiCanio Maria Echaveste Art and Violence Sarah Moody 31 Robert Hass Veronica Herrera Torture in a Time of Terrorism Veronica Herrera 34 Joshua Jelly Schapiro Karen Levy Sarah Moody Figures in Light and Shadow Daniel Coronell 38 Francisca Ortega Meredith Perry Myrna Santiago Kirsten Sehnbruch The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Kirsten Sehnbruch 6 Wendy Muse Sinek Who Is the Latino Voter? Maria Echaveste 10 Photography Anna Alsina Science, Sustainability and the South Karen Levy 15 Melanie Bateman Christian DiCanio Gabriel Ebensperger El Comandante Returns Francisca Ortega 18 Eva Harris Sarah Jaffe Black Rain: Veracruz 1900–1938 Myrna Santiago 42 David R. León Lara Gary Moogk The Persistence of Peronism Veronica Herrera 45 Tamara Sancy Myrna Santiago Jan Sturmann Labor’s Love Lost? Wendy Muse Sinek 48 TrinityTestSite My Life in the Clouds Christian DiCanio 50 The Berkeley Review of Latin American Studies is Stealing From the People or Stealing People? Joshua Jelly Shapiro 52 published by the Center for Latin American Studies, Locating Lost City Radio Meredith Perry 55 2334 Bowditch Street, Berkeley, CA, 94720. Measure Robert Hass 57 BERKELEY REVIEW OF LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES Spring 2007 1 COMMENTARY Art in a Time of Violence here were no official remembrances of the Spanish the issues raised by the Abu Ghraib paintings. We were Civil War on the op/ed page of the Los Angeles Times very pleased to welcome Fernando Botero and Sophia Vari, Tthis year. Yet, there was an opinion piece on Guernica, a critically acclaimed artist and the wife of Mr. Botero, to the small town in the Basque region where German planes Berkeley to open the exhibit. pioneered the bombing of a civilian population. We began the program with “A Conversation With the We remember Guernica so vividly and with such emotion Artist,” in which Robert Hass, a poet and Berkeley professor in large part because of Pablo Picasso’s remarkable painting. of English, spoke with Fernando Botero about these paintings As Fernando Botero, Latin America’s most celebrated living in the context of his life and art. The second discussion, “Art artist, put it, “art is a permanent accusation.” and Violence,” examined the intersection of aesthetic issues This semester the Center for Latin American Studies and political questions and the third event engaged themes organized a display of Botero’s “Abu Ghraib” paintings and of “Torture, Human Rights and Terrorism.” drawings. The New York Times has referred to the exhibit The exhibit could not have taken place without as “among Mr. Botero’s best work” and points out that “it considerable support. When museums proved unavailable, is moving to encounter these large, unnerving images and the art was displayed in the main library of the university. Tom austere compositions on Leonard, the University American soil.” Librarian, and Beth The reviews do not Dupuis, the Director of fully prepare the viewer the Doe/Moffitt Library, for encountering these through their energy and paintings in person. commitment reminded They are passionate, us why great libraries are intense, involving, central to democratic sensual and deeply societies. Christopher disturbing. Their visual Edley, the dean of Boalt richness leaves us no Hall School of Law, choice but to confront was a vital part of the the demonic acts they project, demonstrating . portray. As Isabelle once again his belief in turmann Allende wrote in the S civil liberties, openness guestbook on opening and engaging the central night, “Thank you, Jan Photo by moral and political maestro, for putting a Sophia Vari, Harley Shaiken and Fernando Botero outside the exhibit. issues of the day. As Dean mirror before our eyes.” Edley has commented, Isn’t Abu Ghraib a bit distant from Latin America? In a the paintings depict what happens when the rule of law highly integrated, globalized world, it is all too close. Botero, is absent. a Colombian, has offered the first interpretation by a major The Center staff and a multitude of volunteers artist of a signal event in the Iraq war; the war itself and seemed to do the miraculous. Individuals and foundations Abu Ghraib in particular have weighed heavily on Latin contributed generously to make this happen. And, finally, American attitudes towards the U.S.; and, finally, two Latin the ideals, spirit and history of UC Berkeley, the place where American countries, Chile and Mexico, played a central role the Free Speech Movement was born, made this campus a on the United Nations Security Council in the lead-up to special place for the first showing of these works in a public the war. institution in the United States. The Center organized an extensive semester-long — Harley Shaiken program, reported on in this issue, to engage and discuss Class of 1930 Chair, Center for Latin American Studies CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES, UC BERKELEY 2 Botero at Berkeley: A Conversation With the Artist P hoto b y J an Sturmann . Fernando Botero (left), in conversation with Robert Hass. BOTERO AT BERKELEY A Conversation With the Artist On January 29, 2007, the Center for Latin American Studies pencil and started doing some drawings. When I got to opened the Abu Ghraib exhibit with a rare public conversation my study in Paris I kept drawing and painting. It became with Fernando Botero about his life and art. Robert Hass, a UC like an obsession. For 14 months, I was only working on Berkeley professor of English who was Poet Laureate of the this, thinking about this. At last I felt empty. I didn’t have United States from 1995–97, spoke with Mr. Botero about issues anything more to say. For some reason I was at peace with ranging from the process of painting to his life as a young man in myself. Colombia; from artistic influences on his work to how the Abu But for months I felt this desire to say something Ghraib paintings and drawings came to be; from light and shadow because I thought it was an enormous violation of human on the canvas to moral issues in the world. rights. As I said before, the United States has been a model of compassion and human rights. That this could happen Robert Hass: So, maybe we start at the beginning and ask in a prison administered by the Americans was a shock. It how these paintings came to be? caused great damage to this country. This morning I spoke with a journalist from Argentina, and she told me that only Fernando Botero: The whole world was shocked by the 6 percent of Argentines now approve of America. It was 70 revelation that the Americans were torturing Iraqis in the percent three or four years ago. Abu Ghraib Prison. I read about it in the famous New Yorker I am surprised that more artists haven’t done something article by Seymour Hersh. I was surprised, hurt and angry, about torture because it is a big issue that won’t go away. It like everybody. The more I read, the more I was motivated, has to be remembered. I wanted to create a testimony to angry and upset. what happened. Of course I know I’m not going to change A few months later I was on a plane going back to Paris, anything because I don’t have that power, but at least I can and I read about this tragedy again. I took out paper and give a testimony of what happened. I couldn’t stay silent. BERKELEY REVIEW OF LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES Spring 2007 3 RH: I saw the paintings yesterday, and I thought about FB: Of course it was not the same as when I do pleasant the American writer Flannery O’Connor talking about subjects. In art sometimes you have to make a parenthesis in the American South in the years before the Civil Rights your production to say something special about something Movement. When people asked about her art she said, “For that touches you. I am convinced that most art in history the hard of hearing you shout; for the almost blind you has been done on pleasant themes, but several times I draw large and startling pictures.” I think you can tell from have moved out of this line of thinking and done rather the audience here and from the thousand people lined up unpleasant subject matter. outside who didn’t get in how much you’ve spoken for You know for instance about the drama in my country. I those people against the kind of moral numbness that has spent two years working on paintings about the violence and set in. narcotrafficking that was so terrible in Colombia. I donated those paintings to the Colombian National Museum because FB: I tried to speak as clearly and loudly as I could. My my country will be peaceful one day, and then people will approach to art allowed me to say things in a very direct way. see these paintings and remember how terrible, how stupid I imagine that there are conceptual and abstract artists in the violence was.