CRP - EMOTIONS FEELINGS VALUES

REPRESENTATION OF EMOTIONS, FEELINGS AND

VALUES:

A DIARY FROM THE HEART

A Graduate Research Project

By:

CLAUDIA ADRIANA RENDÓN-GARDUÑO

Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies Texas A&M University-Kingsville

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of:

MASTER OF SCIENCE

May 2001

Major Subject: Art

ABSTRACT

The artist Claudia Rendón searches to explain the emotions, feelings and values that are revealed in a series of art objects. Six acrylics begin the exploration by depicting life, the learning process, intensely fortified, respect, conflict and imbalance, and finally life triumphing against complete destruction. The cycle of life is completed in the artwork.

Following these symbols, delicate movements of the face and/or body express real life emotions, feelings and values. Different color selection as well as technique used by many artists has diverse impact on the creator. The viewer feels a variety or emotions, feelings and values as a reaction when the art object is encountered. Claudia Rendón is attempting to penetrate into the viewer mind and heart and inject the seed of balanced emotions, feelings and values. The series of portraits from the heart is validated by research into the lives of great artists as well as the artist’s personal experiences.

(Note: This graduate research project is translated in Spanish)

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

From remote times, man has been represented in diverse

situations of daily life. The principle and aim of these manifestations is to communicate with the beings of the same species and with divinities as well. Within the forms of communication two great areas, the verbal and the nonverbal exist. In the verbal are found the diverse languages pronounced through the spoken word. The nonverbal area communication occurs through many more elements than included in speech. Often the nonverbal language supports verbal language by means of signs, face gestures, corporal positions, colors and forms.

In nonverbal language expression is found in the fine arts. Within these, painting, sculpture, engraving, etc., are essential for communication. Through these arts the human being is represented physically along with representations of thoughts, feelings, emotions and the entire legacy of, culture. Through generations human kind has found that values, as much individual as social, usually become attached to the original culture.

Through personal experiences Claudia Rendón learned to perceive emotions, feelings and values that appear, as if magically, in the artistic work of most cultures. By observing and perceiving with sensibility other artists work, Claudia Rendón identifies with certain values and a connection is found with personal experiences. This connection a strongly influences the artwork of Claudia Rendón.

Certain symbols stand out as important in order to represent concepts such as the “Cycle of Life”, in Claudia’s artwork. Life is considered to be a seed that is affected by water, sun and earth. Hands approach the seed to represent knowledge from past generations that needs to be learned. Upon becoming a tree, life achieves a strong and fortified form, because all the elements are available, including water, sun, earth and wind. Also deep and strong roots are represented. Communication with all that is outside of the tree of life occurs when one feels as strong as the trees roots, as in the Aztec symbols that inspire the artist. When abuse of power occurs the delicate balance between life and the individual is lost, therefore the destruction begins, represented by a cloudy sky. The cycle concludes when the apparently destroyed tree grows strong roots; emotions, feelings and values are alive and capable of generating new seed, in other words, new life.

The artist finds through instinct that the portrait allows seeing the representation of emotions, feelings and values that the personages have experienced, this was observed in the people that are around the artist’s heart.

Claudia Rendón has observed, that the way to represent emotions, values and feelings in art, makes the difference in the way people can perceive the actual message the artist wants to communicate. The artist thinks that in real life, a delicate movement of the face or of the body can express any emotion, value or feeling and become a symbol. When these symbols are successful, no verbal explanation is needed. Observation and interpretation that uses a clear, easy, and elegant way, of these expressions is what Claudia Rendón admires.

From age three the artist’s father taught visual representation. Many hours were spent in museum and galleries. The artist was sensible and learned how to interpret emotions, feelings and values from the art objects of other artists, regardless of the time or style of those artists.

In those museum’s experiences, courses and from books, Claudia learned about colors, shapes, composition, volume, and design. All this together, in addition of experiences in daily life with sculptor

father, art historian mother and folkloric ballerina sister, made a fantastic artistic environment for Claudia.

The art objects that most influenced Rendón’s work where those that had a deep and clear representation of the ecology, the ethnical roots and the hard work that antiques of any civilization represent or express. Survival and friendship between two different peoples (countries, religions, or cities, etc.), family union and values, justice, serenity of the soul, and on the other hand, injustice and abuse of power, hate, destruction of nature balance, were powerful visual as well as conceptual influences.

Along with the above concepts, the artist searches to match initial idea and final result reached by the composition, design of the shapes, forms or volumes and utilization of colors and materials. For Claudia Rendón, the final and professional presentation of the completed work is also very important. Many artists have influenced Claudia’s work, particularly those that deal with social, nature or human matters. And also have deep expression penetrating the mind and the soul of the viewer.

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

In this chapter, the artist Claudia Rendón will review the artists that have been most influential and appreciated through the course of study and the journey of life. These are broken down into four distinct time periods; artists that are labeled “historical” by art historians, artists that are generally grouped with the Modern and Contemporary styles, artists from Mexico, and artists that Claudia has been directly or indirectly associated with throughout life.

HISTORICAL ARTISTS

Art that has been influential to Claudia Rendón are the Prehispanic art of Mexico, and the Italian Renaissance. Artistic activity was not only highly respected and important in Prehispanic life, but it was also essential to the functioning of society. In this society there was no written language and the visual arts had a major role in communicating and preserving cultural traditions. Many aspects of religious ritual, and of social and ethnic distinctions, were meaningless unless expressed visually in works of art. Because the

major function of art was to communicate and preserve information, the Prehispanic cultures placed much emphasis on symbolic representation. “Prehispanic art is, in a general way and even constantly, of a religious origin, this does not mean that this is always so, nor that is should always be seen by us as an art that expresses a determinate belief, myth or figure.” (Xirau, Ramón, p.3) All objects in Prehispanic art, even those associated with high religious and military status, such as sacrificial knives, warriors’ costumes, and divine images, were made in fulfillment of specific uses. The material of which an object was made may be as important as the function, for both practical and symbolic reasons. Among different materials there are major differences in style and iconography. This is partly the result of guild and workshop specialization, for different guilds evidently carved the major stone monuments in Tenochtitlan and the smaller stone sculptures throughout the rest of the Valley of Mexico.

In Prehispanic art, the units of meaning are actual glyphs, individual symbols, composite emblems, deities, and figures in action. These units can be compared with dates, personal names and place names (glyphs), nouns and adjectives (symbols), complex concepts (emblems and deities), and verbs (figures in action). (Pasztory, Esther. p. 72)

As the Nahuatl and many other native languages, are richer in nouns than in verb inflections, Prehispanic art is richer in emblems than in actions. The Prehispanic civilizations fundamental religious belief centered on the eternal return of all things. A world that is born, dies and is reborn, a double sign of the morning and twilight stars, a constant change and death that give life, beginning with the last fire and the last embers. All ancient art of Mexico possesses, even though originated from different cultures and forms of expression, characteristics that are common as they are fundamentals:

It is a religious-magical art that expresses “the essential dualism of the precortesian world” and the concept of a cyclical world made of life-death-life, creation-destruction-creation. It is –as is Egyptian art or European art of the XIII century- a collective art that surpasses the forces of the individual: collective constructions, collective ritual sacrifices, collective worship that demands collective work. Sacred and collective universe;

It is an art presided by the spirit –the god, the gods-by a spirituality that tends to express the terrible, the sublime. (Galarza, Joaquin. p.24)

Paul Westhiem writes: “The art of old Mexico is the attempt to give plastic expression to the concept of the divine, up to where human condition permits. (Ancient Mexican Art, 2nd ed. Era, 1972) In Prehispanic arts, codices, drums, ball games, axes, anthropomorphic or not, childbirth, procreations, skulls, men and women squatting, painted figures from Nayarit, masks that are faces and masks that hide faces, urns like jaguars, serpents, lights, suns (also temples, paintings, statues and statuettes) are, very frequently, signs and symbols of beliefs, myths, expressions of another world that are also in this world. These have tremendous influences upon the artwork of Claudia Rendón. In Prehispanic art, a synthetic expression of large concepts is found. It is difficult to find the exact symbol to represent a signal or movement that characterizes an item, animal or human being, nevertheless Prehispanic cultures where experts in utilizing observation of nature and finding a precise synthesis to represent those individual characteristics. Another common feeling that Claudia Rendón found represented in Prehispanic art was the pride of belonging to a specific place or group. Pride is represented with strong and strait angles between one shape and another. In addition, the colors used by the Prehispanic cultures meant a joy for life, as is also the case in the artwork of Claudia Rendón.

Michelangelo affects the artist by representing emotions, feelings and values, in all work. The masterpieces endure through the passage of time. People identify with what is seen and feeling touches feeling. The master puts gesture in the work and from the gesture emotions arise.

Most of Michelangelo’s art was made for religious purposes and have passion. Control allowed style to bypass the thematic. The mastery of the piece places the viewer in a position where admiration of the subject allows feeling to be engraved when looking at the artwork.

The artist of this research paper admires the “David” because there is a concentrated and accurate portrayal of emotion found in the glance or look of the face. The right hand is in a position to give accurate direction to the stone missile. There is balance with the outside axis slightly tilted, in challenging attitude worthy of representing the important biblical personage.

In children, carved and painted by Michelangelo, suitable proportions to reality are followed to insure complete identity, yet have stylistic intensity. For the purpose of causing an immediate feeling of

tenderness and innocence the children project the need for adult affection. These children characteristics are both the subject and the composition to Michelangelo. Vasari, the great art historian of the Renaissance, states:

“It would be impossible for any craftsman or sculptor no matter how brilliant ever to surpass the grace or design of this work, or try to cut and polish the marble with the skill that Michelangelo displayed.” (www.michelangelo.com/buon/bio-early.html)

There is about as much anguish and frustration the art of Michelangelo as there is in the real life of any human being. The sculptures quickly make contact with the emotions and feelings of the viewer. Often, in the unfinished state, there is greater visual impact than in the finished one. Claudia Rendón believes that a state in between the finished and unfinished is the most vigorous in all of Michelangelo’s work. Bringing life from the stone, a theory espoused by many artists, is spoken of by Vasari:

“It is certainly a miracle that a formless block of stone could ever have been reduced to a perfection that nature is scarcely able to create in the flesh.” (www.michelangelo.com/buon/bio-early.html)

“La Pieta” is simply the purest representation of tenderness and love that exists between mother and son. The strength that this work achieves reaches the depth that the subject implies. A delicate woman holds the weight of a dead man, without expressing any kind of effort.

Michelangelo was an expert in observing and representing by using diverse techniques and endless details of the human emotions, feelings and values. The artist hopes to transmit these same directions in personal work.

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS Modern and contemporary artists that influence Claudia Rendón are August Rodin, Edvard Munch, Piet Mondrian, Constantin Brancusi, Rene Magritte, M.C. Escher and Alexander Calder. In August Rodin’s artwork Rendón found nature to be strong and real. There was study and observation in the strokes taken with the clay knife. Every art, every hand and even every finger was an individual item.

Rodin’s method of working, writes Paul Gsell, was singular. He had in his studio a number of nude models, men and women, in movement or reposing. Rodin paid them to supply him constantly with the picture of nudity in various attitudes and with all the liberty of ordinary life. He was constantly looking at them, and this was always familiar with the spectacle of muscles in movement. Thus the nude which to-day people rarely see, and which even sculptors only see during the short periods of the pose, was for Rodin an ordinary spectacle. Thus he acquired that knowledge of the human body unclothed which was common to the Greeks through constant exercise in sports and games, and learned to read the expression of feeling in all parts of the body. The face is usually regarded as the only mirror of the soul, and mobility of features in supposed to be the only exteriorization of spiritual life. But in reality there is not a muscle of the body which does not reveal thoughts an feeling. (Ludwing Goldsheider. p.16)

By looking at the details, Rodin’s audience is able to see the feelings and passions of the faces and hands found in the work. Rodin cuts the hollows of the face deeply to assure strong shadows, and textured surfaces catch the subtle variations of light and heighten the sense of life and movement.

Rodin was the first sculptor to make sculptures of body sections as a finished piece. This influenced many movements in modern sculpture and affects Rendón positively.

In the strong emotions perceived from people, Rodin gains the look of determination. Aggressive textures and expressions are found in the work. As with Claudia Rendón, the important thing is to transmit a specific idea, emotion or feeling through the artwork. The technique allowed Rodin to eliminate all that might counteract or draw attention from the important subject. “As to polishing nails or ringlets of hair, that has no interest for me, It detracts attention from the leading lines and the soul which I wish to interpret.” (Ludwing Goldsheider. p.17)

“The Thinker”, is one of Claudia Rendón’s favorites. The piece shows that it is possible to represent an inner feeling in art. In other words, the “Thinker” is not trying to communicate or express something to the self, not to the world outside.

“The Thinker” also was part of the original conception of ‘The Gate of Hell’, of which it might be said that it constitutes the soul. Moreover, Rodin at first wanted his statue to be called ‘The Poet’. In the artist view, the poet was that Dante whose work he loved so passionately and whence he had drawn so many wonderful designs. But this Dante met

the same fate as the ‘Balzac’ at a later date. Rodin went beyond his first conception and widened the theme he had thus first chosen until it became a universal symbol. (Summerville, Ludwig Goldsheider. p.117)

“Nijinsky”, a sculpture by Rodin of a ballerina is expressive because of dynamic position. “The Eternal Idol”, on the other hand, is heavenly because of the calm in the disposition of the face. It is a perfect example of how to render emotion. There is also a symbolic attitude that can mean many things.

A young woman is half seated half kneeling, with her head bending forward and a dreamy look in her face, while a man, kneeling before her, restraining his desire, his arms are behind his back, softly bends his head and plants a kiss under the left breast, over the heart. He has a restrained fervor that is at once mystical and amorous. She has a reserved sphinx-like expression. Is she, too awakening to the current of love, or is she wondering at man’s passion, which is unfathomable, for the beauty, which he as yet hardly knows? The originality of the pose is unique in sculpture, rendering it one of the loveliest commentaries on the relations between man and woman that exist in art. (Summerville, Ludwig Goldsheider. p.121)

Edvard Münch’s artwork draws Claudia Rendón’s attention. When Münch made an artwork, it was done for touch more than sight. The deep thing of the spirit is felt by more than one sense.

The Expressionist’s art, like that of Münch, was one of spiritual pain. Their works were acts of self-liberation, outlets for souls and minds stirred by events and conditions that eventually led to the near global conflagration known as World War I. But whereas the majority of the Expressionists were politically oriented, manifested anti-establishment attitudes, yearned for critical examination of all conventions and strove for an exposure of social evils, Munch was the great introvert who joined no group, had no preference for any party program, political or aesthetic. The Swiss psychiatrist Oskar Pfister could have had him in mind when, about 1922, he characterized the Expressionist as one who “creates out or the depth of things, because he knows himself to be in those depths. (Werner, Alfred. p. VI)

In “The Scream”, the viewer can appreciate inarticulate sound. The expressive force is in the techniques of the great master. The sinuous lines resonate in Claudia Rendón’s mind. This artist thinks that art is just like the effects of “The Scream”. Good art does not need greater explanation to be felt and understood. When the viewer identifies

with the artwork through similar emotions, feelings or values there is a great result, a coming together of earth and space. Münch explains:

All in all, art results from man’s desire to communicate with his fellows. All methods are equally effective. Both in literature and in painting the technique varies according to the aims of the artist. Nature is a means to an end, not an end in itself. If it is possible to produce the desired effect by changing nature, then it should be done. A landscape will alter according to the mood of the person who sees it, and in order to represent that particular scene the artist will produce a picture that expresses his own personal feelings. It is these feelings, which are crucial: nature is merely the means of conveying them. Whether the picture resembles nature or not is irrelevant, as a picture cannot be explained’ the reason for its being painted in the first place was that the artist could find no other means of expressing what he saw. The finished work can only give a hint of what was in the artist’s mind. (Stang, Ragna. p. 15)

The work of Münch is a description of a psychological situation that supposes a new conception of the value founded in the function of the symbol. There is a meaning attached to something that does not have a clear terminus. Claudia Rendón also uses symbols in this manner.

At any rate, what he created between about 1884 and 1909 is sufficient to secure him a chapter in the history of modern art, as a major transitional figure from late nineteenth-century Naturalism and Impressionism to the core of twentieth-century Expressionism and Symbolism. (Werner, Alfred. p. viii)

The type of synthesis that Claudia appreciates in Münch is found in panels like “Melancholy”, “Sunset” or “Inger in the Beach”. These works have bent lines and chromatic surfaces that dominate. The robust texture found here moves away from the Realism that had been reigning in art throughout the previous century.

Though this may not be evident at a quick glance, Münch’s best work amalgamates the finest qualities of “abstract” art with the “realistic” message that makes a work or art spontaneously accessible to the beholder. He did not sacrifice form to idea, but condensed, synthesized and simplified shapes, and suppressed details of faces and landscapes. In his paintings he chose certain colors, such as bloody and mystical blues, mainly for their emotional, symbolic qualities’ like many an artist of the 1950’s, he also allowed paint to drip, to splash, unconcerned whether

these accidental effects might mar the “beauty” of the surface in the traditional sense of the word. (Werner, Alfred. p. viii)

Piet Mondrian is a constant influence in Claudia Rendón’s artwork. In Mondrian’s artwork the raw material was white surfaces, straight lines and rectangles colored in vibrant tones of red, yellow, blue, white, black and gray. With such tools Mondrian tried synthetically to do a balanced art that represented harmonious universe, humanity and nature. Becoming thus the main exponent of a new abstract painting class called Neo-Plasticism, Mondrian was influencing not only to the contemporary plastic artists, but to the architecture and the industrial design.

Mondrian's concept of 'pure plasticity' consisted partly in the simplification of the means of expression to the bare essentials. He not only banished representation and three-dimensional picture-space but also the curved line, sensuous qualities of texture and surface, and the sensuous appeal of colour. This restrictedness he regarded as a sort of mystical pursuit of the Absolute, which he justified in terms of his theosophical beliefs. His extensive influence was not limited to artists whose style had direct affinities with his own. He also had a profound influence on much industrial, decorative, and advertisement art from the 1930s onwards. His influence was spread by his writings as well as his paintings. (http://www.xrefer.com/entry/144732)

For Claudia Rendón, Mondrian’s work presents spiritual values. Mondrian preferred to firmly maintain an ideology that was different from that which was accepted at the time. This philosophy is related to the art of Rendón, in that Mondrian’s incessant search for equilibrium, introducing a new concept in the restlessness that to Rendón is a powerful dynamic.

The positive and the negative are the causes of all action ... The positive and the negative break up oneness; they are the cause of all unhappiness. The union of the positive and the negative is happiness.' The palpable oneness of the solitary flower or tower, being subject to time and change, had to give way to the subliminal oneness of a vivid equilibrium...important task of all art is to destroy the static balance and to establish a dynamic one ". (http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/mondrian.html)

Constantine Brancusi is often is considered a pioneer of abstraction going further than others trying to condense an idea or action, even something ethereal, like emotions, feelings or values. To reach his objective, Brancusi gives to his artwork a visual elegance with

an excellent and clean synthesis of the form and also has a sensitive use of materials. Brancusi reflects this way:

When you see a fish you don’t think of its scales, do you? You think of its speed, its floating, flashing body seen through water. Well, I have tried to express just that. If I made fins and eyes and scales, I would arrest its movement; give a pattern or shape of reality. I want just the flash of its spirit. (Jianou, Ionel. p.13, 14)

Brancusi tries to get the spirit behind appearances. Believing in equilibrium the ordering of value in good things, Brancusi presents bad things in equal quantity. It was important to emphasize the respect that must exist between individuals. It was also important to have the right attitude in solving situations in art and in life. In order to have strong spirit, strong roots must exist.

He would place groups of sculptures in close spatial relationship, thus indicating the importance of the empty space between them…. In the monument for the Romanian heroes at Targu Jiv took the ethnological point of view, where the monuments are the cosmical representation of the human life, started at birth symbolized by the Silence Table, and closed with the death, symbolized by the Endless Column. The distance between them which represents the time given to a human life, is interrupted by the Kiss Gate, the symbol of marriage and of the start of a new vital cycle. (http://cpcug.org/user/stefan/brancus.html)

In the art of René Magritte, Claudia Rendón discovered that the people do not realize the complicated way everyone lives life. To Rendón an uncertainty feeling and fear appears when one confronts a stranger. Inflexibility is seen in the people when no routine situations appear. There is little interest in learning new ways to solve those situations as well. Magritte explains:

To equate my painting with symbolism, conscious or unconscious, is to ignore its thru nature.... People are quite willing to use objects without looking for any symbolic intention in then, but when they look at paintings, they cannot find any use for them. So they hunt around for a meaning to get themselves out of the quandary, and because they do not understand what they are supposed to think when they confront the painting...They want something to lean on, so they can be comfortable. They want something secure to hang on to, so they can save themselves from the void. (Gablik, Suzi. p. 1970)

Magritte gives the opportunity to revalue ordinary or very usual objects when these elements are put in an unusual environment. The

important objects are given a new meaning than allowed in normal, everyday situations. Absence becomes evident, like a human value, or an emotion of life, or a pleasant feeling. These can be equated with a good friend, a kiss when waking up or a shining blue sky. Magritte says:

The images must be seen such as they are. Moreover, my painting implies no supremacy of the invisible over the visible. (The letter hidden in the envelope is not visible; neither is the sun when it is hidden by a curtain of trees.) The mind loves the unknown. It loves images whose meaning is unknown, since the meaning of the mind itself is unknown. (Gablik, Suzi. p.12)

The optical illusions of M.C. Escher are admired by Rendón. Escher patterns a complex mathematical structure called tessellations that are seen by Claudia Rendón as an excellent representation of the respect that must exist about the space between individuals in society. Everything sees changes as the space changes. To discover the tensions between spaces is a big part of both Escher’s and Rendón’s art. All Escher work is based on mathematical study and was recognized by eminent scientists and crystallographers, acquiring a particular mastery in representing three dimensions in two dimensions. Where additions were introduced unusual vanishing points force the objects to obey. Diverse points of view in the same image are found. The spectator is always going to find different datum points from up/down, and right/left, that cause apparent confusion, but at the same time are always ordered. Claudia Rendón interprets this effect in M.C. Escher’s artwork as the explanation for life without chance. There is a rhythm and cycle, and when this order is broken by any imbalance, then the chaos and the lack of understanding are imminent. As Escher explains it:

I try in my prints to testify that we live in a beautiful and orderly world, not in a chaos without norms, even though that is how it sometimes appears. My subjects are also often playful: I cannot refrain from demonstrating the nonsensicalness of some of what we take to be irrefutable certainties. It is, for example, a pleasure to deliberately mix together objects of two and of three dimensions, surface and spatial relationships, and to make fun of gravity. (Locher, J.L. p.19)

Alexander Calder revolutionized art by introducing of the concepts of mobile and stabile. There’s an inescapably relationship between the elements of time, movement and space, in mobiles and stabiles. The interaction between the art of Calder and the spectator is

direct, because in addition to being able to appreciate the finished work, it is possible to penetrate the internal spirit. For Claudia Rendón, these concepts are important, because sometimes in life it is necessary to be flexible and mobile. Firmness or stability is necessary for the same reason. Calder is not attracted to themes verified. On the contrary, interest and challenges are food for Calder’s ideas. In a series of figures within a circus context, Calder manages to have movement associate with the logic of balance.

Calder quickly discovered the leaders of the radical Avant-Grade, the Abstaction-Création Group. Under their influence, Calder soon began to explore the theories of Boccini and Maholy-Nagy, imagining the sculpture of the future, a sculpture in motion. Calder motorized some of his creations, but eventually abandoned this approach in order to define a sculpture capable of engendering itself through the sophisticated play of equilibriums and disequilibriums, using weights and counterweights. (Lemaire, Gérard-Georges. p.10)

Claudia Rendón also tries to transmit this idea in art. Things do not work alone. There is a measurement of equilibrium and disequilibrium. There is always a constant balance with good and bad things.

MEXICAN ARTISTS Mexican artists revealing the spirit of Mexico that are included in this research are José Guadalupe Posada, José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros. José Guadalupe Posada uses popular subjects with full movement compositions in which the intention of the engraved lines has force. The master manages a synthesis of personages to give a personality to the images, creating coarse and vigorous scenes.

Posada had no place in the official circles of Mexican art, and he was unconcerned about immortality, though he has achieved it where more respected artist of his time have gained and are now forgotten. He knew as much about form and movement as any man I have ever met. It was he who revealed to me the inherent beauty in the Mexican people, their struggle and aspirations. And it was he who taught me that supreme lesson of all art, that nothing can be expressed except through the force of felling, that the soul of every masterpiece is powerful emotion. (Diego Rivera. p. 18)

Posada popularized the skulls or “calaveras” as well as multiple images on the abuses of the government of Porfirio Diaz and intrigue policies of the time. Today these constitute a chronicle of the society and the policy of the times. For Rendón it is very important to leave a graphic registry of “modus vivendi” that characterizes different societies. Jose Guadalupe Posada is considered a “popular” artist that represents the reality of the Mexican people. In like manner Claudia Rendón attempts to get the public to identify with emotions, feelings and values that conform to a human being. In the Mexican muralist movement, José Clemente Orozco used subjects of social and political content in post-revolutionary Mexico. A radical position was identified. The subjects in murals were between the fraternity, the universal revolution, the human slavery, work, arts, sciences, migrations, human values, but mainly, the values of Mexican people. Dr. Stacy May, comments:

Orozco’s work has many of the qualities that we like to associate with the College. It is completely masculine. It is forthright and unmannered and contemporary. It is democratic and deeply concerned with social values. It would be ridiculous, certainly, for us to claim kinship with this Mexican painter in a parochial sense, but to the larger plane of American life Orozco is as autochthonous as New Hampshire granite, or the Mississippi River, or Samson Occom himself. To the latter worthy the art of José Clemente Orozco would have been far more intelligible than any of the works that have come out of Concord. It is important, too, that Orozco’s painting is sufficiently abstract and sufficiently universal in theme to give promise of wearing well over the years to come. (Reed, Alma. p.6)

Such interests are represented in diverse murals, using a technique that Rendón admires and uses in artwork. There is free brush work and strong contrast of color in “El Hombre de Fuego” (The man in fire). Claudia Rendón wants the spectator to see the impact the message. In each artwork like in the artwork of Orozco, the human being is apparently a unique subject to represent. That is why the architecture, the instruments of work and the landscape, appear reduced to simple elements. Diego Rivera paints a diversity of images that go from vanguardism to nationalism, using techniques from oil to watercolor to fresco. This great Mexican artist painted the portrait, the landscape and representations of Mexican history. The most influential work to Claudia Rendón was the representation of children, including the circumstances that affect children within daily life.

Children and the world inspired and made Rivera realize the appreciation of Mexican reality and representation of social and political restlessness. Rivera allowed emotions, feelings and values to reach a society that was waiting for inspiration. Claudia Rendón admires the sensitivity that the master had toward infantile characteristics and gestures. These traits express emotions, feelings and values, many of which are respected and favored by the adult world. It is evident that Rivera had strong and defined expressivity. The art is illustrative, ample and specific, real, clear and objective. The children of Diego Rivera represent children from everywhere.

The master Rivera had liked one of its permanent subjects to the children but not only to the Mexican indigenous children that represented repeatedly in the murals, but the universal boy, beyond its ethnic characteristics and of their social and cultural circumstances. Thus, it painted to childhood like one of the stages of the human development that needs to be object of attention, care, respect and protection. (Miguel Rojo Limón. p. 9)

The moral that David Alfaro Siqueiros leaves Claudia Rendón, is to “Have the technology to the service of the art, being the man master, not slaved of the technology”, (http://www.siqueiros.inba.gob.mx), when accruing new techniques, modern materials and tools and incorporating other elements. The result was an expressive and energetic art capable of transmitting the message appropriately. Activism and strong social and political commitment was reflected.

“Sunrise of Mexico” is a paean of joy painted on the spur of the moment, the moment when the Mexican oil fields were taken away from English and American interest and were returned to the nation. It is one of the rare pictures by Siqueiros in which the mood is not at all tragic. The change of scale from head to arms and hands, the sculpturesque modeling of some parts and the willful lack of definition in others (as if the artist’s eye could not distinctly see a model in swift motion), illustrate Siqueiros’ theory of painting not in terms of ecstatic vision by rather in the composite image of a motion picture. (Virginia Stewart. p.59)

Siqueiros contrasts color, and uses fluid line loaded of emotion in compositions in which the geometry is structural and hidden. Impeccable quality is the result and all pictorial effects lead inevitably to deep emotion of the spectator. Claudia Rendón makes artwork with the intention to arrive at all type of public, without mattering if they are expert or lovers of the art.

For Rendón like for Siqueiros the important thing is to transmit the message to the people in general.

In his mural conceptions, Siqueiros assumes that the man-in-the street who enters a public building decorated with murals will view the work neither as professional art critic nor as art lover. Nevertheless, Siqueiros respects this hypothetical man and plans his pictures in such a way that a sidewise glimpse will prove satisfying to anyone who hurries through the building on his everyday affairs. (Virginia Stewart. p.59)

PERSONAL INFLUENCES

Other artists influential to Claudia Rendón’s artwork and the spirit of this paper are Gabriel Vargas Bernal, Alberto Uderzo, Joaquín Salvador Lavado “Quino”, Carmen Lomas Garza and Mario Rendón Lozano. The values that Gabriel Vargas represents in the “Burrón Family” are of optimism, tenacity, integrity, dignity and the greatness of the Mexican people. These are deeply rooted values in spite of the socioeconomic situation that is of concern.

Borola: With enthusiasm, the deficiencies are smaller; one can laugh of the hardships and from which it comes to us above.

Regino: Doubt does not fit that the Mexicans are endure ness, we resist all without complaint. (La Familia Burrón. Segunda Época. No. 336. p. 5)

Gabriel Vargas knew to observe the Mexican people with sensitivity. The two dimensions of art were filled with emotions, feelings and values of a whole nation. Claudia Rendón has learned of the old and new Mexico from the work of Vargas. The circumstances of the Mexican people seemed to be the same through every year of the Burrón Family existence and times have not changed the Mexican problem.

The humorist Leon Ferrari (who made in Mexico a version of the Cuban comic strip Anita de Montemar) bet 10 thousand pesos to him arguing that the sketcher could not create a feminine personage with the characteristics of the main personage of Superlocos. Vargas accepted the challenge and left to cross the streets of the city, in search of inspiration. He visited vicinities, cabarets, markets, bars and pulque bars. Thus the Burrón Family created, formed by a honest and working barber (exact copy of a friend of the author), a willful and inserted woman who, in spite of living in the poverty, she tried to act like aristocrat (personage inspired by the mother of another friend), and 2 adolescent children who suffer the own restlessness of their age and social

condition (based on own experiences of the young sketcher). The first number came to the light in 1948. (http://www.eureka.com.mx/ecsa/ga/vargas/vargas.htm)

The formal merits of the “Burrón Family” do not depend on the masters, but on the perfect integration of the drawing, the language, the technique, and message. Claudia Rendón found essential values in the everyday life represented in the work of Alberto Uderzo. The artist has incorporated the thematic elements of Uderzo in personal work. The personages inhabiting the Gallic village of Uderzo were brave and significantly able to overcome the adversities that abound in the world. When one sees the diverse situations that may arise, when respecting and helping fellow man become more needed, just then can the correct sanctions be placed upon abuse? When friends are not left in necessity and the place of living defended against all invasions, then the emotions are open to brave soldiers. Rendón translates these values into personal art. If the art serves to communicate the message then it is important to Claudia to have portrayed the full significance of chance to the subject. By differentiating chance Claudia will approach value, the final result and the ultimate value. As Alberto Uderzo explains it:

First and foremost, it is the story that is most important, other than what one might think. I can't imagine how you could draw without a good story! I was often asked this question because people thought that I drew and that Goscinny added the dialogs afterwards. No, that's not the way it's done. Just like for shows, movies or plays, there's an author who writes, and who gives directions so the decorators build the right sets, and the director works with the actors around the text. It's exactly the same thing for a comic. So, now I'm writing a text that will only be converted into drawings at the very end. (http://www.asterix.tm.fr/english/index.htm)

Claudia Rendón admires also, Joaquín Salvador Lavado “Quino”, neatness of line, the synthetic drawing, without text, with a direct message, as well as the elegance of the figure form, the harmony in the proportion and the expression in the human beings. Before beginning to draw, Claudia, like Quino, considers it important to document the event in order to cut down the errors in the scene. When the historical moment is used Quino presents work that can be respected by all observers. Quino expresses:

But this is accompanied by a discipline: that of knowing a subject very well before drawing. He also instilled a work ethic in me that included having respect for the profession, for the reader and for oneself. Also to consider

each drawing, as insignificant as that drawing may seem at the time, as if I were decorating the Sistine Chapel. This is where I get the obsession for knowing a subject well before I draw it. (http://www.quino.com.ar/english/maestros.html)

Quino is an observer of one who appreciates true hearts, wanting to share with the world. The subjects always are effective because there is deep human and social sensitivity:

For example, an ideal political situation is the one that appears in the restaurants, the client whom it loves to eat is the town and the young man who depends on maître, and this one of the humor of the cook, is those that exert the power. Therefore no handling real personages but situations referred to the reality that is an advantage. It is an a temporal social humor that allows us to resort to ancient sources to inspire to us by a present problematic. Nothing better than to approach to the Old Testament to verify that the corruption, the treason, the ambition of being able, the fear to the death, the love, the familiar relation, etc. accompany to us from always and are acquiring different forms. (http://www.clubcultura.com/humor/quino/reportaje/13.htm)

From Quino, Claudia Rendón learned that a good drawing can give force to a good idea. If is not a good drawing, the idea is destroyed completely. Just like Carmen Lomas Garza, Claudia Rendón identifies with the moments lived with the family during childhood. Decisive moments for the formation character are shaped in both Garza’s and Rendón’s work. Fundamental importance is attached to the moments that led to the representation of cultural origin in the family relationships.

The pictures in this book are all painted from my memories of growing up in Kingsville, Texas, near the border with Mexico. From the time I was a young girl I always dreamed of becoming an artist. I practiced drawing every day; I studied art in school; and I finally did become an artist. My family has inspired an encouraged me for all these years. This is my book of family pictures. (Carmen Lomas Garza. p. 3)

The scenes that represent Lomas Garza, of the families’ daily life, especially the Mexican American family, in which basic characteristics are similar to the life in Mexico, touch Claudia Rendón deeply. Each individual in the paintings of Garza is indispensable for the design of work and family function. Although the scenes are simple and daily, and could seem almost insignificant, there is nevertheless a relationship to moments that are in memory and give a sense of life, as in

Garza’s painting “Beds for Dreaming”, long and brotherly conversations, concerning the distance, time or place, with sister Isolda.

My sister and I used to go up on the roof on summer nights and just stay there and talk about the stars and the constellations. We also talked about the future. I knew since I was 13 years old that I wanted to be an artist. And all those things that I dreamed on doing as an artist, I’m finally doing now. My mother was the one who inspired me to be an artist. She made up our meds to sleep in and have regular dreams, but she also laid out the bed for our dreams of the future. (Carmen Lomas Garza. p. 30)

Mario Rendón Lozano, is doubtless, influenced the artwork and the personality of Claudia Rendón. It is through Mario Rendón’s concepts and explanations that Claudia not only understands the artwork of all the other artists written about here. It is Mario Rendón’s artwork where Claudia finds the references that will govern both artwork and life.

During many years, I took like object for my plastic work vegetables, mainly the xerophyte plants and the seeds. There I found the suitable forms to represent the subjects that then interested to me, mainly the one of the family. (Mario Rendón Lozano. Catalog: Mi Encuentro / Mi Historia. p. 1)

Observing the daily life of Mario Rendón, and the artistic trajectory, makes Claudia realize the importance of moral principles governing the individual and the world. These moral principles will allow response to the actions that sustain the ideals of each person, and will be reflected in the fruit of all work.

Later, I initiated a new stage looking for expressive possibilities in the human figure, but a series of alterations in my daily life happened and a trip to the foreigner coincided so that my sculpture task underwent a drastic change of course. (Mario Rendón Lozano. Catalog: Mi Encuentro / Mi Historia. p. 1)

The themes and techniques of Mario Rendón allow Claudia to have a perception of the world beyond that understood by the ordinary soul. When the master makes series of sculptures that are simply sketches, have aggressive textures and impressive expressions, Claudia is able to understand and empathize with the feelings contained in the work regarding the socio-economic situation in Mexico. The social significance is written off by Mario as follows:

If at the present moment, the being woman still represents a series of additional problems to which commonly we as men have in our daily life, product of the religious dogmas and a partial and deficient education, we nevertheless found, that these cruel problems concentrate and worsen in the mazahuas women who come to the great city in search of the sustenance for themselves and their children, facing the fact of fighting dramatically to the most adverse conditions, unprotected, humiliated and in many occasions persecuted. (Mario Rendón Lozano. p.34)

The daily coexistence with the concepts, sculpture and pictorial work of the master, combined with several national and international trips, allowed Claudia to learned and value the culture of Mexico. When Mario Rendón began to use the representations, images and symbols of old pre-Columbian civilizations, and used the images to express nationalist ideas, Claudia found personal emotion, feeling and value.

The necessity of express now of different way, to look for more suitable forms for new feelings, my indigenous blood and my distance with Mexico took me towards to this sensational and unique encounter with the thought and the plastic world which today we know like Mesoamerica. (Mario Rendón Lozano. Catalog: Mi Encuentro / Mi Historia. p. 1)

Mario Rendón understands that having self-knowledge allows expression of moral principles based on good human values. Adversity must be faced, including some that is devastating, because far from being destroyed; this type of individual will be able to transmit emotions, feelings and values to future generations; as a result creating a cycle of life.

The Aztec Warrior has been able to rebuild himself and flourish even though he seemed to be destroyed. He reconstructs himself and grows because the original seed of his self and has most profound feeling and roots continue to live within him and his blood. (Mario Rendón Lozano. p.75)

Claudia also admires Mario Rendón for restlessness in the investigation of new materials and techniques. In creating the modern, the avant-garde, the new, Mario pushes the envelope to arrive at a point in time that merges the past with the present. The new materials blend with the ideas that have existed for centuries.

I began the sculptures using the concept of the solid block. This allows me to achieve a series of carvings directly on the concrete. I work with a contemporary architectural material from the point of view of a sculptor and have developed a new technique, which I call ‘Rendocreto’. I have applied

some texture and color in the way of the sculptors of ancient Mexico. (Mario Rendón Lozano. p.76)

With an even-tempered and disciplined temper, Mario Rendón is able to solve any challenge in daily life. In the process artistic challenges, through the dominion of the technique, capacity of synthesis, sensitivity to human matters and a mastery of diverse materials, are carried out professionally in artwork.

Is the sculptor of the group, his natural is reposed, observant, very laborious and imaginative. Discreet and pulchritude, does not fight controversy nor verbal battles, but in the plasma of his creations: clay, limestone, iron, polyester, Carlit stone, weld and stony materials. …In all his work, there is a doubtless reference to the man. The beings which surge of his hands... seem to talk about to reduction of the human program, but more like a future synthesis than like a regression towards the past. (Lic. Miguel Álvarez Acosta. Catalog: Formas, Concreto, Amor. p. 1. Junio 1970)

CHAPTER 3

ARTISTIC WORK OF CLAUDIA RENDÓN THE CREATIVE PROCESS

In this chapter, the creative process of Claudia Rendón

represents emotions, feelings and values. The artist feels it important to stress the need of having access to the necessary elements that allow the analysis of circumstances emitting just judgments regarding life episodes.

The art work created at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, is literally a “Diary from the Heart”, hoping that through these images a message can be transmitted to the viewer. It is important to have knowledge of the different points of view, the good one, and the bad one. People can have all the elements that complement one another, and in that way, reach equilibrium. In other words, the fact of knowing something bad makes the human mind realize the existence of the good and vice versa. Both concepts must be in equal quantity. Otherwise, if everything is good at all times, the concept of what is wrong begins to be forgotten, and the ambition of getting something better appears. What used to be good is not good any longer, and stars becoming something bad, and vice versa. That’s the case of the extremes, and the extremes are not good for healthy relationship with others. This is why equilibrium is so important to Claudia Rendón.

ART WORK # 1 / OBRA # 1

“LIFE – VIDA”

Acrylic on wood – Acrílico sobre madera

16” x 23” – 41 cm x 58 cm Kingsville, TX, 1999

Birth, the first event that happens to people when they enter the world, is wonderful. In order to born, to have life, co participation of two essences is required. In this painting, life is represented by a seed in the process of germination, all promoted by water, sun and earth. El primer suceso que ocurre a todo mundo, es maravilloso. El hecho de nacer, de tener vida, requiere de la cooparticipación de dos escencias. En éste caso la vida es representada con una semilla, la cual necesita agua, sol y tierra para germinar.


“THIS IS IT – ESTO ES TODO”

Acrylic on wood – Acrílico sobre madera 20” x 16” – 50 cm x 41 cm

Kingsville, TX, 1999

Essential things that help in transmitting life can only be seen in the eyes of the heart. What is going to nourish an individual being? This question is answered by the concept of positive values. Here in painting “This is it – Esto es todo”, a pair of hands brings to the small plant the nourishment of value. The reception of values by the plant promotes growth that leads the individual to feel with the heart. Lo esencial solo puede verse con los ojos del corazón. Lo que va a nutrir de una manera positiva la escencia, sera la capacidad sentir y asimilar valores positivos. En esta pintura un par de manos ofrecen los valores fundamenteles para fortificar. El hecho de que sean asimilados correctamente, dependerá de la sensibilidad de cada individuo.


“WITH ALL THE ELEMENTS – CON TODOS LOS

ELEMENTOS”



The life of each individual can be intensely fortified if all the elements are available. The little plant now became a tree, which trunk is hard and healthy thanks that this tree can perceive and assimilate all balanced elements in a harmonious form. La vida de cada individuo puede ser fortuita, plena, intensamente fortificada, si se cuenta con todos los elementos a favor. La plantita se ha convertido en árbol, cuyo tronco es fuerte y saludable, gracias a que puede asimilar todos los elementos equilibrados, en una forma armoniosa.


“COMMUNICATION – COMUNICACIÓN”



Once the individual is self confident, exterior communication with other individuals occurs. Communication is represented by the Aztec symbol, which is located up in between all other elements, without disturbing vital space, which is important in order to have a good communication. Una vez que el individuo, el árbol, se encuentra bien consigo mismo, se puede llevar a cabo la comunicación hacia el exterior, es decir, con sus semejantes. Es representada por el símbolo azteca, la cual se encuentra ubicada enmedio de todos los elementos, sin irrumpir en el espacio vital de ningún otro elemento, guardando de ésta forma, respeto por los mismos, elemento necesario para lograr una buena comunicación.


“ABUSE OF POWER – PREPOTENCIA”



Conflict occurs when abuse of power is used by one element over the others. In this painting, abuse of power is represented by black clouds invading vital space of others elements. When interrupting communication between individuals delicate natural equilibrium is broken El conflicto que genera la prepotencia de alguno de los elementos, sobre el resto de ellos. Queda representado en esta pintura con nubes negras invadiendo el espacio vital del resto de los elementos, interrumpiendo la comunicación entre individuos y rompiendo de ésta forma el delicado equilibrio natural.


“LIFE AGAINST THE TREASON – VIDA SOBRE LA

TRAICIÓN”



The result of abuse of power is represented by all the beneficial elements from the origin, now against the individual, the tree. This destruction is the consequence of broken natural balance. Nevertheless, the roots and trunk where already fortified and healthy. Now more life can be generated by this reconstituted tree and the cycle of life perpetuated. El resultado destructivo del abuso de poder, queda representado con todos los elementos originalmente benéficos, tornados en perjudiciales para el individuo, para el árbol. Dicha aparente destrucción es consecuencia de la ruptura del sagrado equilibrio natural. Sin embargo, debido a que en un origen las raíces y el tronco crecieron fuertes y saludables, combaten a la destrucción, sin dejar que ésta de fin a la vida del individuo, sino muy por el contrario, éste es capáz de renacer e inclusive de generar otra vida, dando así continuidad al Ciclo de la Vida.


“HELLO FROM MEXICO! – HOLA DESDE MÉXICO!”

Silk screen print – Serigrafía 12½” x 16” – 32 cm x 41 cm


The artist and sister are in the homeland, called Xochimilco, flowers place, in Mexico City. This was home while the parents attended school in Italy and France, creating huge sculptures and marble pottery. While separated, the children tried to hold on to the memory of parents in the heart. La artista y su hermana se encuentran en casa, en Xochimilco, lugar de flores, en la ciudad de México. Permanecieron ahi durante el período en que los padres atendieron cursos en Italia y Francia, donde crearon grandes esculturas y vasijas de mármol. Durante la separación las niñas se aferraban al recuerdo de sus padres, en el corazón.


“MY HOME – MI CASA”

Silk screen print – Serigrafía 13” x 17” – 33 cm x 43 cm


Claudia’s fifteen years of life were spent in this home. Originally the home was owned by Claudia’s grandparents and used as an automotive workshop where the grandfather worked on cars. After the grandfather died the workshop was divided in half, one half for the mechanic son and one for the sculptor son, Claudia’s father. The grandmother still lives in the higher house and is represented by the walking figure. Others in the family are depicted as cars. Claudia pasó quince años viviendo en ésta casa, la cual originalmente perteneció a su abuelo quien era mecánico. Después de su muerte, el taller quedó dividido en dos; una mitad para el hijo mecánico y la otra mitad para el hijo escultor, el padre de Claudia. La abuela todavía vive en la casa de arriba, representada caminando. Los otros miembros de la familia son representados por sus automóviles.


“OUR MAGIC – NUESTRA MAGIA”

Watercolor on paper – Acuarela sobre papel 22” x 16” – 56 cm x 41 cm


Claudia had a son, Darío. Mother and son love is shown here by the touch of nose and eye contact. The electricity and magic of mother-son love radiates throughout this watercolor. Claudia tiene un hijo, Darío. El amor entre madre e hijo es representado por el toque de narices y la Mirada profunda. La electricidad y magia de este cariño es irradiado a través de esta acuarela.


“AGAINST THE FLOW, BUT SMILING! – CONTRA

CORRIENTE, PERO SONRIENTE!”

India Ink – Tinta china 22” x 15” – 56 cm x 38 cm


The strong daily flow against the artist and son is represented by dense horizontal lines. Though the daily fight for life responsibilities are carried on the shoulders, as are joy and happiness. These are the power of the motor that generates energy. La fortaleza de la inevitable contracorriente a la que la artista se enfrenta todos los días junto con su hijo, es representada por densas líneas horizontales. No obstante, que hay que luchar con las responsabilidades y los problemas a cuestas, tambien se van cargando muchas alegrías, las cuales finalmente son el combustible del motor que genera la energía.


“FREEDOM – LIBRE”

Watercolor on paper – Acuarela sobre papel 14” x 11½” – 35.5 cm x 29 cm


Claudia Rendón, the artist, at age ten, with an optimistic attitude, open arms and heart, is ready to receive the best of life, and to let go of the past, represented by black birds. Claudia Rendón, la artista, a la edad de diez años, tiene una actitud optimista, con corazón y brazos abiertos, para recibir lo major de la vida, liberando el pasado representado por aves negras.


“SILKSCREENS AT SCHOOL – PANTALLAS DE SEDA, EN LA ESCUELA”



In this self portrait, the artist represents the daily adversity of school days. There is no choice, but to face them, after all. En este autorretrato, la artista representa las adversidades con las que tropieza durante su quehacer académico. No quedando más remedio que confrontarlos de frente.


“SELF PORTRAIT – AUTORRETRATO”



A self portrait of the artist, representing the volcanic energy that is inside by the thick and free brush lines. There are no eyes drawn in this picture. Internal concentration needs to be generated in order to reach a specific objective. En este autorretrato de la artista, está representada la energía volcánica interior, a través de líneas gruesas y de trazo libre. La ausencia de ojos en el dibujo, significa la concentración a lo interno que se está generando, para alcanzar determinado objetivo.


“DREAMS – SUEÑOS”


Kingsville, TX., 2000

The artist is attempting to take away the dirt of the world from Darío, a concept that is the dream of any mother. La artista trata de proteger y alejar a Darío de un mundo cruel y sucio. Éste es el sueño de cualquier madre.


“MELANCHOLIA – MELANCOLÍA”

India Ink – Tinta china 22 ½” x 17 ½” – 57 cm x 44.5 cm


The weigh of melancholy, is carried in the chest, where the heart is, and where it weighs more. La carga de la melancholia, es cargada en el pecho, donde está el corazón y donde pesa más.


“MY GHOST – MI FANTASMA”

Pastel on paper – Pastel sobre papel 12” x 9” – 30.5 cm x 23 cm


The contrast of orange and yellow against the black, makes it bright and alive. This image represents the energy that deaths can remain alive in the memory, through good or bad actions. El contraste del anaranjado y amarillo contra el negro, realzan y dan vida a esta imagen que representa la energía que puede dejar un espíritu en el recuerdo de los vivos, gracias a sus acciones, ya sean buenas o malas.


“THE GHOST OF BLANCA – EL FANTASMA DE BLANCA”

Pastel on paper – Pastel sobre papel 12” x 9” – 30.5 cm x 23 cm


Colors are related with the death day of Mexico. The memory of a ghost from the artist’s childhood allows purple and hot pink to come out. Con el morado y el rosa mexicano, colores que están relacionados con el día de muertos en México, queda representada la energía que emana el recuerdo del fantasma de la infancia de la artista.


“DARÍO”



The silkscreen on the opposite page is a portrait of Darío Rendón. The background represents the personality of the artist’s son. Darío is a happy Mexican child with a strict demeanor that is almost square and aligned in Dario’s daily activities. La serigrafía de la página opuesta retrata a Darío Rendón. El diseño del fondo, representa la personalidad del hijo de la artista. Darío es un niño mexicano felíz , pero con un carácter rígido y extricto, todo tiene que estar perfectamente alineado y reticulado en sus acciones cotidianas.


“EN MI CORAZÓN – IN MY HEART”



Darío is depicted in the center of Claudia’s heart, protecting with a hand and rounding with the warmness of home, represented by the house Aztec symbol, and transferring the heritage of the country of birth. Darío se encuentra en medio del corazón de Claudia, quien lo protege con su mano, rodeándolo a su vez, con calor de hogar, representado por el símbolo para casa azteca, y heredándole la cultura de su país de orígen.


“DARÍO”

Conté pencil on paper - Lápiz conté sobre papel 22 ½” x 19” – 57 cm x 48 cm


Dario’s eyes reflecting brightness that gives the illusion and innocence of life. This portrait was drawn from the passport picture when mother and son arrived to Kingsville, TX. La alegría de Darío es reflejada a través de la inocencia de sus ojos. El retrato se sacó de la fotografía que usó en su pasaporte cuando llegaron madre e hijo a Kingsville, TX.


“LISA AND THE CHILDREN – LISA Y LOS NIÑOS”

Conté pencil on paper - Lápiz conté sobre papel 19” x 25” – 48 cm x 63.5 cm


Dario’s teacher is Lisa Turcotte from the University Nursery School, shown here with some classmates enjoying the day and learning at TAMUK’s farm. La maestra de Darío, Lisa Turcotte de la guardería de la universidad, junto con algunos compañeritos, se encuentran disfrutando del día y aprendiendo en la granja de TAMUK.


“DREAM OF A BOMB – SUEÑO DE UNA BOMBA”

Charcoal on paper – Carboncillo sobre papel 30” x 22” – 76 cm x 56 cm


Darío with a toy named Sergio, looking at all the difficulties that are waiting outside in the real world. Darío is confident because he is standing on the solid ground where fortified roots are holding all in existence. Darío junto con su muñeco Sergio, ve en el horizonte las dificultades del mundo adulto que le aguardan. Sin embargo, sabe que cuenta con raíces fuertes que le permitirán estar en pie para confrontarlas.


“GOOD MORNING, MOM! – BUEN DÍA, MAMI!”

India ink – Tinta china 56 cm x 38 cm – 22” x 15”


The simplicity and happiness of Darío when saying good morning, is represented in this image by clean and simple plot. This is an attempt to represent the transparency of the light mood when Darío is waking up. La sencillez y alegría con que da los buenos días Darío, es representada en esta imagen con trazos limpios e igualmente sencillos. Al mismo tiempo la escacés de trazos pretende dar como resultado una imagen casi transparente, que equivaldría a la ligereza del despertar de Darío.


“DARÍO-SCORPIO – DARÍO-ESCORPIÓN”

India ink – Tinta china 22 ½” x 17 ½”–57 cm x 44.5 cm


Darío looks this way when on the verge of deep anger, which is kept in the heart, represented by thick black lines for the shoulders and neck. This way the image feels heavy and rigid. Cuando Darío se enoja, carga el peso de su amargura sobre sus hombros y lo guarda en lo más profundo de su corazón. Esto es representado a base de líneas gruesas en los hombros y cuello, haciendo sentir la imagen pesada y rígida.


“YOUR TRANSPARENCY – TU TRANSPARENCIA”

Raku ceramic – Cerámica de Raku 10” x 8 ½” x 9 ½” – 25 cm x 21.5 cm x 24 cm


When somebody is talking to Darío, transparency allows tenderness and innocence of Dario’s soul. That light and happy expression is represented in this ceramic. Cuando platicas con Darío, sus ojos transparentes te dejan ver la ternura de su alma. La inocencia y alegría brotan por su mirada invadiendo la tuya. Esa expresión ligera y alegre es la que se representa en esta cerámica.


“MARIO”

Silk screen print – Serigrafía 25¼” x 20” – 64 cm x 51 cm


Mario Rendón Lozano, the artist’s father, is always content and knows how to exist among others. The foundation of Mario’s ideas exists in well researched knowledge. This is represented by harmonious color in the face and a rhombus web for knowledge. Mario Rendón Lozano, el padre de la artista, siempre está conteno y sabe como llevarse bien con los demás. Las ideas que forjan el carácter y el trabajo de Mario, son fundamentadas en el estudio. Esto está representado con colores armoniosos en la cara y una red de rombos representa sus conocimientos.


“MY TEACHER – MI MAESTRO”

Lithograph – Litografía 20” x 13” – 51 cm x 33 cm


Claudia remembers the artist father in the studio, always working, in deep thought and tranquility. Claudia recuerda a su padre en su estudio, siempre trabajando, profundamente concentrado y tranquilo.


“BLANCA”



In this silkscreen of Blanca Garduño, the artist’s mother, the influence of Magritte’s surrealism is represented. Esta serigrafía que representa a Blanca Garduño, la madre de la artista. Esta imágen está influenciada por el surrealismo de Magritte.

ART WORK # 29/ OBRA # 29

“YOUR FORTITUDE – TU FORTALEZA”

Embossed metal – Metal repujado


This artwork represents the ideas and believes of Blanca Garduño, the artist’s mother. These ideas and beliefs are Blanca’s foundation, recognition of a strong temperament, which allows Blanca to succeed in most difficult situations. Esta pieza representa las ideas y creencias en las que se fundamenta Blanca Garduño, madre de la artista. Es a su vez, un reconocimiento a su temperamento fuerte, que la ha mantenido de pie ante las adversidades que ha confrontado.


“ISOLDA”



Isolda Rendón, the artist’s sister, always tries to give the impression of being under control. Carrying the weight of the world under water is fragmenting Isolda’s soul. Isolda Rendón, la hermana de la artista, siempre trata de dar la impresión de que todo lo tiene bajo control. No importa que vaya cargando el mundo sobre sus hombros, lo cual fragmenta su alma.


“HOMAGE TO ISOLDA – HOMENAJE A ISOLDA”

Lithograph – Litografía


Isolda is a professional ballerina of Mexican folklore. When performing with passion the soul is revealed to the public. Some dances need masks like the one in the background. Claudia attempts to give homage to Isolda’s work with this image. Isolda es bailarina profesional de folklore mexicano. Siempre que sale al escenario, lo hace entregándose con el alma desnuda a su público. Algunos bailables utilizan máscaras como la del fondo, en el vestuario. Claudia le hace un reconocimiento a su esperado trabajo con esta imagen dedicada a su hermana.


“YAMILA”

Conté pencil on paper - Lápiz conté sobre papel 19” x 13 ¼” – 48 cm x 33.5 cm


Yamila Palacios Rendon, the artist’s nice at six months, has a face reflecting the wonder of what’s going on while discovering the world. Yamila Palacios Rendón, sobrina de la artista, tiene seis meses en este dibujo. Sus ojos reflejan la admiración al ir descubriendo las maravillas que el mundo le ofrece.


“YAMILA”

Silk screen print – Serigrafía 25 ¼” x 20” – 64 cm x 51 cm


When Yamila was one year old, laughter, happiness and talking were the menu of the day. Flowers and color in this work represent the laughs, smiles and jabber of the young child. Yamila tiene un año de edad, y los colores vivos y las flores del fondo, representan su alegría y sus ganas de platicar con todo el mundo durante el día.


“LEONOR”

Silk screen print – Serigrafía 25 ¼” x 20” – 64 cm x 51 cm


Leonor Lozano Garcia, the artist’s grandmother, transmitted the Mexican traditions of cuisine, celebration, important days and the serenity and joyful nature associated with life knowledge. Leonor Lozano García, la abuela de la artista, le transmitió las tradiciones mexicanas culinarias, así como las celebraciones y días importantes, a través de su serenidad y sus conocimientos de la vida.


“ONCE UPON THE TIME – ERASE UNA VEZ”

Silk screen print – Serigrafía 23” x 34” – 58.5 cm x 84 cm


Sometimes, the family becomes apart when the members do not have good communication and comprehension. This silkscreen print represents the daily activity of the family that existed for the artist once upon the time. La familia, en ocasiones se desintegra por falta de comunicación y comprensión entre sus miembros. Esta serigrafía representa la actividad cotidiana de la familia que alguna vez tuvo la artista.


“MONTSE”

Conté pencil on paper - Lápiz conté sobre papel 15” x 10½” – 38 cm x 27 cm


Montserrat Suarez, Dario’s friend, is a very shy girl but will show a smile. The fine trace technique applied on her hair, attempts to represent that shyness. Monserrat Suárez, amiguita de Darío, aunque es tímida, esboza una sonrisa. El trazo fino de su cabello, pretende representar esa timidez.


“ROBERTO JUAN HERRERA JR.”

Conté pencil on paper - Lápiz conté sobre papel 25” x 19” – 63.5 cm x 48 cm


Roberto Juan Herrera Jr., the son of the artist’s mail carrier, is proud of belonging to the United States Navy and wants to give back to the efforts of parents to provide an education. Roberto Juan Herrera Jr., el hijo del cartero de la artista, se nota orgulloso de pertenecer a la Marina de los Estados Unidos de América, expresando gratitud a su madre y padre por los esfuerzos hechos para lograr su educación.


“TONY & INO”

Watercolor on paper - Acuarela sobre papel 20” x 22” – 51 cm x 26 cm


Ino and Tony Alvarez are good friends of the artist. Ino, in blue, gives the appearance of being able to solve very difficult situations. Tony, in red, reflects the tranquility that allows balance and justice in any taken decision. Ino y Tony Álvarez son buenas amigas de la artista. Ino, de azul, tiene una expresión que indica la seguridad que siente para resolver situaciones difíciles. Tony, de rojo, refleja la tranquilidad ecuánime que le permite alcanzar el equilibrio para tomar decisiones justas y equitativas.


“WOMEN’S CENTER LOGO – LOGO PARA EL CENTRO

DE MUJERES”

Offset print – Impresión en Offset 17” x 11” – 43 cm x 28 cm


This logo was created for the Women’s Center of Texas A&M University-Kingsville representing women succeeding in the State of Texas. Este logo fue creado para el Centro de Mujeres de Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Representa a la mujer surgiendo victoriosa sobre el territorio texano.


“THE BALANCE OF THE FAMILY – EL EQUILIBRIO DE

LA FAMILIA”

Raku ceramic – Cerámica de Raku 2 ½” x 3 ¾” x 3 ¾” – 6.5 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm


The family balance is delicate and difficult to maintain. That is shown in this piece by a narrow base and thick body in which three of the artist families are represented. El equilibrio de la familia además de ser delicado, es difícil de mantener. Por esa razón, esta cerámica tiene una base angosta con un espesor grueso que sostener representando las tres familias que conforman la familia de la artista.


“FOR YOUR RITUALS – PARA TUS RITUALES”

Raku ceramic – Cerámica de Raku 3 ½” x 2” – 9 cm x 5 cm


All families have a ritual that needs to be done in order to preserve either the internal traditions or the ones from the original place. This ceramic represents the intimate place where prayers are offered as in Aztec tradition. Todas las familias tienen algún ritual que cumplir para preservar sus tradiciones del lugar de orígen, o a lo interno de la propia familia. Esta cerámica representa el lugar íntimo en el que se ofrece para recibir, tal como en la tradición azteca.


“A LITTLE SECRET – UN SECRETITO”

Raku ceramic – Cerámica de Raku 2 ½” x 1” – 6.5 cm x 2.5 cm


Where emotions and feelings exist, there is always a secret. This ceramic is the perfect hidden place in the soul for those significant moments of emotion, feeling and values. Con las emociones y sentimientos, siempre se guarda un pequeño secreto. Esta cerámica es el lugar en el alma donde se guardan esos significativos momentos de emoción, sentimiento o valores.


“LIFE HAS UNEVEN GROUND – LA VIDA TIENE

ALTIBAJOS”

Raku ceramic – Cerámica de Raku 2 ¼” x 3” – 6 cm x 7.5 cm


In life there is always going to exist good and bad situations but life still goes on. These difficulties are represented in this ceramic by a zigzag profile. En la vida siempre se van a encontrar situaciones buenas y malas y sin embargo, siempre sigue su continuidad. Dichas situaciones están representadas en esta cerámica por el perfil zigzagueante que tiene.


“THE HEART’S CHALICE – EL CÁLIZ DEL CORAZÓN”

Raku ceramic – Cerámica de Raku 2 ½” x 2½”– 6.5 cm x 6.5 cm


The heart’s content has been highly valued from ancient civilizations to the present. This value considers the heart to be generator of life and emotions, feelings and values. El contenido del corazón, es altamente valorado desde las antiguas civilizaciones, hasta la actualidad, como generador de vida y como generador de emociones, sentimientos y valores.


“HEAVEN’S LIGHTNING – RAYITO DE CIELO”

Raku ceramic – Cerámica de Raku 2 ½” x 2½”– 6.5 cm x 6.5 cm


When hope is lost, there is always a heaven’s lightning around that illuminates the road with renewed energy. Cuando se pierde la esperanza, siempre se encuentra de vuelta en un rayito de cielo que ilumina con energía nueva nuestro camino.


“FERTILE FLOWER – FLOR FECUNDA”

Raku ceramic – Cerámica de Raku 2 ½” x 3” – 6.5 cm x 7.5 cm


There is always uncertainty when expecting the fruit of a fertile flower. The brown color in this ceramic, represents the earth, from where all the plants and life began. Siempre existe la incertidumbre del fruto, cuando una flor se encuentra fecundada. El color café de esta cerámica representa a su vez, la tierra de donde toda planta, y por lo tanto todo ser vivo, toma los elementos escenciales.


“ATOLITO”

Raku ceramic – Cerámica de Raku 1 ¾” x 2 ¾” – 6.5 cm x 7.5 cm


A cup of white “atolito”, a typical Mexican beverage, is a tradition that is enjoyed by families on cold days or festivities. Grandmothers are experts in making this delicious beverage. La taza de atolito blanco, bebida típica mexicana, es una tradición que se disfruta en familia cuando hay días fríos o alguna celebración. Las abuelas son expertas haciendo tan deliciosa bebida.

CRP - EMOTIONS FEELINGS VALUES

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