Blog Six- Artists!

I loves me some art. I mean, really- where would we be without it? Art is a way for people throughout the ages to express ideas, opinions, and thoughts in a "language" that we can all understand. I (being an artsy kind of person) was quite happy to see that this week's topic was about famous artists. I really love the work of Rufino Tamayo. He is a Zapotecan Indian painter who was born in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico, in the early 1900's. His paintings are very impressionistic, but with a clear Mexican vibe to them. In his time, most painters were very influenced by politics, and they depicted them in their work. Tamayo wanted his art to be more traditional, so he chose not to include anything political. Because of this, the Art community in Mexico disrespected him, and he felt he could not really express himself, so he moved to New York City to work. After his first (and successful) solo show, he was noted for his new technique he called, "Mixografia," a technique where the art was printed on paper but had lots of texture and depth to it. Soon Tamayo moved to Paris where he was widely acclaimed and accepted by the artists. He had had a very successful career when he retired back to Mexico, where he died in 1991. Shown above is Tamayo's "Trovador." I chose this piece to represent Latin America because it is very colorful and bright. It shows dress, architecture, music, and people all in one painting!