More Covarrubias

Here's more artwork by Miguel Covarrubias from the exhibit at Iturbide's Palace...

Covarrubias was commissioned to do a series of map murals for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco which celebrated the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge.  These murals were painted on Masonite panels, and the subject of all of them was the Pacific Ocean. They are similar to the map murals of Mexico that he did later in some of Mexico City's museums, the works with which I had always associated the name of Covarrubias.

Two of the original, large-scale murals are on display in the exhibit.

"Flora and Fauna of the Pacific" 1939

"Peoples of the Pacific" 1939

Small reproductions of the other Pacific murals are on display.

"Art Forms of the Pacific Area" 1938

"Economy of the Pacific" 1938

"Native Dwellings of the Pacific Area"  1938

"Native Means of Transportation in the Pacific Area"  1938

Covarrubias also had a deep interest in Mexican archaeology, particularly the Olmec civilization.  He did many detailed drawings of pre-Hispanic artifacts.

Studies of figures from Tlatico

Olmec yokes and axes

Olmec head

Covarrubias did illustrations for a book called "The History of the Mexican People" in 1950.

Miguel HIdalgo, the father of Mexican independence

José María Morelos

another hero of the War for Independence

Agustín Iturbide

was proclaimed Emperor shortly after the nation gained its independence.

The colonial mansion where this exhibit is being held was his royal residence during his short reign.

Benito Juárez

Mexico's most revered President

Porfirio Díaz and his advisors

the dictator who was overthrown by the Mexican Revolution

Some portraits of famous contemporaries of Covarrubias

The Prince of Wales

(later Edward VIII of England, the King who abdicated for the woman he loved)

Emperor Hirohito of Japan

in 1930, before World War II

Josef Stalin

actress Dolores del Río

artist Frida Kahlo

"Self Portrait"  1946

The show was excellent.  I now know a lot more about the artist.   There was so much more to his career than his "map murals".  The exhibit will run through September.

A Multi-faceted Artist

I have written many, many times about exhibits at Iturbide's Palace, an 18th century mansion in the heart of the "Centro Histórico".  Since 1972 the building has been the headquarters of the cultural foundation of the National Bank of Mexico ("Banamex").  Each year there are several free exhibits at the palace.  They are usually very good, and I always look forward to the opening of a new show there.  The latest one is devoted to the art of Miguel Covarrubias (1904 - 1957).

Photograph of Covarrubias as a young man

My familiarity with Covarrubias was mainly through the murals he did for some of Mexico City's museums.  These murals portray an enormous map of Mexico covered with pictures depicting ancient civilizations, regional handicrafts, or ethnic groups.

At this exhibit I learned a lot more about the artist, and found out that he was also a caricaturist and illustrator.  He traveled the world, and had a keen interest in geography, ethnography, history, theater, dance, and archaeology.

The large exhibit is divided into themes.

It begins with works depicting Mexican people and scenes...

 

"Lake Pátzcuaro" 1929

"The Flower Vendor" 1945

"Woman from Yucatán" 1945

"Little Girl with a Cat"  1945

"The Bone" 1940

This is one of his most famous satirical pieces.

The subject is a fellow probably from small rural town who is a loyal follower of the ruling political party.  (Notice the pin he wears on his lapel.)  The government has thrown him a bone probably in the form of some minor bureaucratic position.

In 1923 Covarrubias moved to New York City where he immersed himself in the jazz clubs of the Harlem Renaissance.  He produced many works based on his experiences and friendships there.

"Jazz Orchestra" 1923

"Black Woman in a Blue Hat and Dress"  1927

"Vaudeville Team"  1925

"Carmen Jones" 1944

"Carmen Jones" was a 1943 Broadway musical (later made into a movie) that reimagined the opera "Carmen" with an all black cast set in the U.S. during World War II.

While in New York, Covarrubias did many cover illustrations for magazines such as "Vanity Fair", "Vogue" and the "New Yorker".

"Babe Ruth"

"Greta Garbo"

"Herbert Hoover"

"Mussolini"

Other scenes of life in the U.S.

"Switchboard"  1930

"A Summer Afternoon at Coney Island: Native Fauna Observed by Covarrubias"  1929

"California or Bust"

A depiction of migrants escaping the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression

This painting from 1942 is called "United Nations".  It shows the Allied leaders during World War II.

FDR, Churchill, and Stalin are very recognizable in the front row.

"Disney's Light-Hearted Ark, Afloat in a Wild World"  1937

"William Shakespeare & Metro Goldwyn Mayer"  1936

The Bard is portrayed as a Hollywood director.  Behind him are movie stars Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard who had the lead roles in the 1936 film version of "Romeo and Juliet".

In the 1930s Covarrubias and his wife took two trips to the Indonesian island of Bali.  He was enchanted by Bali, and those journeys inspired in him what was to become a life-long interest in ethnography... the study of other cultures.  He recorded the people, landscapes and traditions of Bali in his artwork.

"Balinese Choristers"  1934

"Landscape in Bali" 1935

"Portrait of Ayu Ktut"  1935

"Javanese Dancers"  1935

"Balinese Woman"

There is more to come from this extensive exhibit...

Snowy Mexico

I wrote earlier this week that it seemed that the rainy season is upon us.  Last night, Alejandro and I went out to eat.  According to the hourly weather forecast, it was not supposed to rain until later that night.  So, we didn't take umbrellas with us.  Wouldn't you know, while we were in the restaurant it began raining.  Fortunately, by the time we were done eating, the rain was so light that we scarcely got wet as we walked the few blocks back to the apartment.  Later, in the middle of the night, I woke up and it was raining heavily.  Alejandro said that when he took his sister to work this morning there were several spots where the roads were flooded.

I took a look at the webcams of the nearby volcano, Popcatépetl, and, sure enough, at over 17,000 feet above sea level, the precipitation had fallen as snow.  The mountain peak was covered in white.

Music Beneath My Window

It's not uncommon for musicians to play on the street by my apartment building hoping for a few coins.  In some cases, the word "musician" is charitable.  I don't give any coins to the trumpet players blaring out of tune.  I do, however, enjoy the marimba players who occasionally show up on my street.  I have posted videos of them a couple times.  This week there was someone new serenading the neighborhood... a violinist.

He had a loudspeaker playing background accompaniment, and there was a microphone on his violin to amplify the music.  He was pretty good, and I took some coins and put them in a plastic baggie.  In between tunes, I threw it down to him.  I thought that with the coins in the bag, it would plummet to the sidewalk.  But in the breeze the baggie floated lazily to the ground.  The musician retrieved it and thanked me.  The neighbor below me also threw him some money from her window.

"Where to Go on a Saturday Night?"

You would think that in a world-class culinary capital like Mexico City, a city with every kind of restaurant imaginable, finding a place to eat would be a snap.  But last Saturday night it was an odyssey to find a place to eat.

We had a very big breakfast that morning, so we weren't getting hungry until around 7:30 that evening.  Surprisingly, in this vibrant metropolis, there are many restaurants that close early, even on a Saturday night.  I realize that the main meal of the day is served in the mid-afternoon, but, come on, it's Saturday night!  El Cardenal, one of our favorites, closes at 6:30, a nearby Yucatecan restaurant that we like closes at 8:00, as does an Argentinian restaurant that we have been meaning to try.

I was on Google Maps looking for someplace new.  I found a burger place a few blocks away that had recently opened.  All of the reviews were excellent.  So we decided to give it a try.  We got there only to find a big "Suspensión de Actividades" sign posted at the entrance.  It had been closed down temporarily by the city for some infraction.  We went around the corner to a pizzeria that we like, and it was already closed!  We walked over to Insurgentes Avenue where there was a recently-opened rooftop steakhouse.  At the street level entrance, we asked to look at the menu.  The prices were high, but what really put us off was that the music was so loud that we could hear it blaring from where we were.

At the next corner there is a hotel, Hotel Novit.  We have had the breakfast buffet there a couple of times, and it was quite good.  So we went inside and asked at the desk if the restaurant, which is called Aktuel, was still open.  The receptionist said it was open until 11:00.  We went in, and we were the only ones there.  Hmm, not a good sign, but we looked over the menu and ordered.

We started with soup.  I had French onion soup which was good.  For a main course, we both ordered salmon in "maracuyá" (passion fruit) sauce.  That was excellent.

Our bill was a bit on the pricey side... the equivalent of 70 U.S. dollars... but we were happy with our meal.