Focus on Women in Art

The National Museum of San Carlos is a museum devoted to European art.  While its collection certainly cannot compare to the great museums of Europe, or even the United States, there are often some interesting special exhibits, and I have visited the museum a number of times.  My latest visit was last Wednesday to see an exhibit of paintings done by Mexican women.

The museum is housed in a neo-classical 18th century palace with a distinctive circular courtyard.

Throughout the centuries men have dominated the art world, and women painters have been largely ignored.  In Mexico young upper-class women were taught how to paint along with skills such as needlework or playing the piano... skills that a proper young lady should have.  Some women had true talent for painting.  However, art schools did not allow women, and their works were largely ignored in a male-dominated field.  It wasn't until the second half of the 19th century that women were admitted to art academies or have their works exhibited along with men.  By the 20th century women started to make a name for themselves in the art world.  This exhibit has a large collection of works by female artists from the 18th century into the 20th.  It shows that there were many women, largely unrecognized, who were producing pieces of art there were just as good as those of their male counterparts.  Here are some of their paintings...

"Woman with a Tambourine" 

by María Guadalupe de Moncada y Berrio, the Marquise of San Román

circa 1793

"Self Portrait with Family"

by Guadalupe Carpio y Barruecos

1865

The artist portrays herself at the easel painting a portrait of her husband.

"Studio of an Artist"

by Josefa Sanromán Castillo

circa 1848

In Spanish, "una artista", a female artist, with her own studio no less!

"Landscape" 

by María E. Ibarrola

1896

The work reminds me of and compares very favorably with the paintings of the great landscape painter José María Velasco.

"Portrait of Emperor Agustín Iturbide"

by Angela Icaza

1855

Iturbide reigned as Emperor of Mexico for less than a year after Mexico won its independence from Spain.  This was painted many years after his death in 1824,

"Portrait of an Alienated Woman"

by Angela Icaza

second half of the 19th century

A far superior work than her portrait of Iturbide

This work was attributed to a male artist for many years.

"Beggar Woman"

by Pilar de la Hidalgo García

circa 1870

 

"David"

by Luz Osorio

circa 1885

"A Villager in the Countryside"

by Lorenza Bermejillo

circa 1890

"Willows on the Bank of the Colima River"

by Merced Zamora

1898

"The Magdalena Mountains"

by Guadalupe Velasco

circa 1898

I was not able to find out if she was related to the famous landscape painter José María Velasco.  Her style looks similar to his.

"Lake Texcoco Seen from La Villa"

by Otilia Rodríguez

1905

"Self Portrait in a Blue Dress"

by Pilar Calvo

1930

"Boy"

by Pilar Calvo

1935

"Mexican Woman"

by Pilar Calvo

circa 1935

"Untitled"

by Rosario Cabrera

circa 1921

"Friday of Sorrows"

by María Izquierdo

1944-1945

Izquierdo is the only painter in this exhibit with whom I was familiar.  She was the first female artist from Mexico to have her work displayed in the United States.  We have reached the point in time where women artists were recognized.  However, she too was passed over because of her gender.  She lost a commission for a major series of mural paintings because Diego Rivera said that she lacked the talent to complete such a large project.

"My Nieces"

by María Izquierdo

1940

"Self Portrait"

by María Izquierdo

1940

 

Success in the Kitchen

On Mondays I am usually at Alejandro's family's house, and I prepare something for dinner to give Alejandro and his sister a break from cooking.  Last Monday, I made something that I myself had not had in decades.  In fact, although it was a very popular dish when I was growing up, I doubt if the younger generations have ever heard of it.  I haven't seen it on restaurant menus for ages.  So, what did I make?  Chicken a la king.

For those of you who don't remember it, chicken a la king consists of cubed or shredded chicken and vegetables (I used peas, onions, mushrooms and red pimento) with a white sauce and served over rice.  It's not a low-calorie dish... the sauce is made with butter, heavy cream and chicken broth.

How would Alejandro and his family like this exotic dish from 1950's USA?

Everyone liked it!  I thought there might be enough leftovers for the next day, but they had second helpings and scarfed it all up.  Even Alejandro's dad, who doesn't eat that much, asked for seconds.  When I cook something new, I always ask Alejandro's nephew Ezra if I should make it again.  He emphatically answered "Sí", and everyone was in agreement.

A kitchen success!

January Morning

I have shown you a number of photos of sunsets here in Mexico City.  Now here are some pictures of dawn.

I was at Alejandro's family's house on Monday.  He had just returned from taking his sister to work when he told me to go up to the roof.  I climbed the spiral staircase up to the "azotea", the flat roof of the house.

The sun was just about to rise over the mountains.

 

The two volcanoes, Iztaccíhuatl (left) and Popocatépetl (right) were clearly outlined against the morning sky.

As usual, "Popo" was fuming.

Notice the airplane taking off from Mexico City International Airport, just three miles away from the house.

New Attire for Dr. Simi

I have mentioned previously the drug-store chain "Farmacias Similares" which sells generic medications.  Its emblem, the rotund, elderly doctor known as Dr. Simi, has become a beloved character here.  Sometimes you will see employees dressed as Dr. Simi dancing in front of the stores.  Dr. Simi dolls have become popular items, and a recent trend at pop and rock concerts is to throw Dr. Simi dolls to the performer.

(image taken from the internet)

Last weekend, when Alejandro and I were downtown, we passed a "Farmacia Similar" on the edge of Chinatown.  At the entrance to the store was a large Dr. Simi figure dressed in stereotypical Chinese attire and with slit eyes.

Politically incorrect, but I could not resist taking a picture.

January Sky (3)

When Alejandro and I went downtown on Saturday we had dinner at the terrace restaurant of the Liverpool Department Store.  (By the way, neither the food nor the service was nearly as good as at the Insurgentes Avenue branch of the store where I had lunch last month.)  It was an overcast day, but as, sunset approached, the sun was still able to brighten the clouds on the western horizon.

It was not as dramatic as some of the sunsets I have photographed, but it was a nice view of downtown Mexico City.  To the right is the Torre Latinoamericana (Latin American Tower), a city landmark which, when it was completed in 1956, was the tallest skyscraper in all of Latin America.  Its innovative engineering technique of driving piles deep into the muddy soil is now standard procedure here in this earthquake prone city.  Since its construction, it has survived three major quakes without damage.

Aztec Wood

Mexico City is built upon the site of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán.  Just steps away from the Metropolitan Cathedral is the archaeological excavation of the "Templo Mayor", the main Aztec temple.  The temple was torn down by the Spanish when they conquered Mexico.  However, in 1978 the foundations of the pyramid were discovered quite by accident when a crew of utility workers were digging under a downtown street.  Thus, a full-scale excavation by archaeologists was begun.  Thirteen buildings were eventually torn down to uncover the Aztec remains that had been hidden beneath Mexico City for over four centuries.

The excavations also revealed thousands of objects that had been buried at the temple as offerings to their gods.  So, adjacent to the site, a new museum, "el Museo del Templo Mayor", was built to house those discoveries.

Last Saturday, Alejandro and I went to the Templo Mayor Museum to see a special exhibit entitled, "Insignias of the Gods, Wood in the Main Temple".

Archaeological work continues at the site to this day, and new discoveries are constantly being made.  In 2022 archaeologists found more than 2500 wooden objects that were left at the temple base as an offering.  It seems counter-intuitive, but these objects survived the centuries because they were submerged in water. (The Aztec city was built upon a lake.) Normally, these offerings would have crumbled into dust when removed, but archaeologists have developed a way to preserve them.  They are placed in an artificial sugar solution that shuts down the process of decomposition, and then they are slowly dried out in a heat chamber.  The process takes about a year.

This exhibition displays some of the wooden objects that were discovered and preserved.  Here are just a few photos...

The Aztec gods were portrayed carrying scepters, and these miniature wooden scepters were dedicated to various deities.

Wooden masks representing the rain good Tlaloc

Wooden jars representing Tlaloc.

Amazingly, some of the original paint is still visible.

Miniature canoes

A wooden mask attached to a flint knife

This spectacular Aztec war drum is not one of the discoveries from the Templo Mayor, but is on loan from a museum in Toluca, Mexico.  It has survived thanks to the fact that up until the 19th century the residents of a town in the State of Mexico continued using it in ceremonies.  The extraordinary carvings include eagles and jaguars, animals sacred to Aztec warriors.

  

Back to "Angelopolitano"

Last week when I went to pick up my mail at the Mailboxes Etc. office in Condesa, I thought to myself, I'm only a fifteen-minute walk from my favorite restaurant, Angelopolitano.  So, I decided to have my afternoon dinner there.

Over the years, Alejandro and I have eaten at the restaurant so many times, that the owner, Chef Gerardo, knows us.  Shortly after I took a seat outside, he saw me as he was leaving, and greeted me.

On this visit I ordered a couple of things from the menu that I have not had before.  To begin, I had something that Alejandro frequently orders, roasted tomato soup.

I can see why Alejandro likes it so much.  This is definitely nothing like a can of Campbell's tomato soup!

For my main course, I ordered a chicken breast in "pipián".  "Pipián" is a sauce of pre-Hispanic origin that is made with ground pumpkin seeds.

It was served with frijoles and, of course, tortillas to sop up all that delicious sauce.

Another tasty meal at Angelopolitano!