Mexican Art

A comprehensive history of the evolution of Mexican art has not yet been written, and it might not be necessary to to write one now. The Mexican artists themselves had none: they knew Mexican art not so much as history but as art that had always existed about them in the cathedrals, the museums, and among the ancient ruins. From this point of view, any attempt at an historical survey of past forms of expression seems artificial and unnecessary. They exist as living traditions, as vital today as they were in the past; there may be a special emphasis on one or another of these forces by the modern artist, or his understanding of the ancient culture may be deepened by modern archeological research, but the basic character of the tradition itself does not change. The intention here, therefore, is to give an interpretation of these traditions as nearly as possible in the way modern artists have understood them: ancient, colonial, and popular arts as well as political caricature and products of the academy.

Since the program of the revolutionary government called for a reinstatement of the masses of the people into the social and economic structure of Mexico, and since the masses in Mexico are predominantly of Indian blood, some recognition of the peculiar psychology of the Indian was necessary-his simplicity, his religious fervor, and his capacity for artistic expression-values which had already been powerful influences in the welding and consolidation of a Mexican culture. Hence ancient art, being most purely Indian, was looked to as the natural and most vital source of inspiration.

Our knowledge of ancient Mexican art, aside from the descriptions of the early colonial chroniclers, is limited to the architectural ruins and sculptural fragments that have been excavated and restored and the various codices or manuscripts that are scattered about in Mexican and European museums. Two clearly defined tendencies are revealed: one an almost Cubistic impressiveness seen in the monumental architecture and sculpture, the other a strangely oriental sense for decorative effects.

The popular arts form a tradition of Mexican art history as old as the Indian himself, and exist as another strong influence upon the Modern Art movement. A detailed description would require several volumes, for the style varies from one village, tribe, and state to another, and has as many forms as do the Indian dialects themselves. Countless outside influences have changed local artistic idiom, as, for instance, the Moorish-Spanish designs taught the Indians by the bishops of Puebla and used in Puebla pottery, or the Chinese designs brought over by traders and used by the Indians about Cholula . In the same way today the Indians are being taught designs that have been found on ancient Aztec monuments, an idea begun by Jorge Enciso in his class of decorative art at the Academy and continued as part of the educational policy of the new government.

The history of caricature forms one of the most significant traditions in Mexican art. Its significance lies first of all in the fact that it again is a medium revealing a distinctly Mexican psychology and mode of expression: its content deals largely with problems of politics and the popular mind, while the peculiar artistic form in which this content is presented reflects characteristics already existent in the colonial and popular-art traditions. Of even more importance, however, is the fact that the tradition of caricature gradually develops into the driving force through which the monumental painting of the modern movement takes a definite artistic form.