Last month I went to the National Museum of San Carlos which houses a collection of European art dating from the 14th to the early 20th centuries. The museum's permanent collection is really not very impressive compared to the great museums of Europe and the United States. However, I have made frequent visits there because they often have interesting temporary exhibits. Currently there are two exhibits which display the work of two women artists from Mexico that I had never heard of.
The first is Rosario Cabrera (1901-1975). Cabrera showed an early interest in art and in 1916 at a young age she entered the National School of Fine Arts in Mexico City to study painting. In spite of the fact that in that era women were considered "inferior" to men as artists, she has been called the first great Mexican painter of the 20th century. She made a name for herself with her landscapes, portraits and drawings. Her career was relatively short, however, because in 1928 she dropped art as a full-time career and devoted herself to teaching painting to young people.
"Woman with Maguey Plants" 1924
Yet another gifted woman relegated to near obscurity
ReplyDeleteThe art museums of Mexico City have brought to light for me a number of artists, both male and female, that I had never heard of before.
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