Art&Identity
AlbertoGironella.QueenRiqui1974Mxico,F.D.(D.F.)
122x102cmOilpaintoncanvas
QueenRiqui
MakingareferencetoQueenMarianaofspanishartistDiegoVelzquez,thismexican
artistmadeseveralreinterpretationsofthatimage.
TheartistwasborninMexicoCity,
hisfatherwasspaniard.Healso
namedthispaintingafterhisex
wife,whichheusedtocallRiqui.
Theframealsoremainsofpopular
mexicanartobjects.
QueenMariana.1652
DetailofQueenMarianaof
Spain, Mariana of Austria.
DiegoVelzquez.Spain
This work is a metaphor of Mexico, its colonial past, its conformation as a country and
current times situation and problems. I think the painting here resembles his country
becausehefoundsthatitstillhassomeissuesenvolvingitsidentity.Itconfersasenseof
despairandanxiety,afeelingthatcanbeabouturgenesstofoundwhoweareasanation
orasanindividual.
He always tried to develop a latin american artistic identity of its own, original and
independent. The conquest and colonization unavoidable spanish legacy was often a
concernforhim.
Stillitenclosessomekindofmisteryandintriguing.Histhemesoftentalkaboutthedeath,
thecorruptionandthedegeneration.
His ironic representations of ancient europeanmasters paintings are testimonials of the
ambivalencefeelingshekepttowardthisartisticheritage.Apowerfuldepiction,wherethe
queenisreducedtomessylinesandsmearedbrushstrokes,seektodefinearebelliousnew
codeofart.
Ithinkthispaintingisabouttryingtodefinewhoyouare,youridentity.Alsobythetimehe
madehisworks,TheMexicanSchoolofPaintingestablishedtheartisticthemes,rulesand
standardsthatseemtooconstrictedtohim.Hewasoneofthegreatestexponentsofthe
Rupturewhichisamovementthatwasinpursuitofitsownartisticdemeanors.
Herewecanobserveanartistwhosepaintingsareahuntforidentity.Allofhispaintingsof
QueenMarianarevealaclashofemotions,thefeelingshehadabouthisnationalidentity,
hisspanishheritage,hisstruggleforseparatingofbutgoingbacktoitatthesametime,his
aimingofconstructingsomethingofhisown.
IchosethisparticularartistbecausesometimesIhavefoundmyselfinthesamesituation,
tryingtodefinewhoIamasapersonandasamemberofacountry,inthiscaseMexico.
Mexicocarrieswithseveralstigmaasaresultofcolonization,whichseemstoupsetthe
artist,too.
Myfirstimpressionofthepaintingandtitlewastolaughalittlebecauseitwasamock,and
whenthatsgone,Ifeltbittersweet.Itwasareminiscence,itwasahomagebutitwasnot
atthesametime.Ithinktheartistwastryingimpatientlytodefinehimselformaybeall
mexicans.
Sometimesyoufeellikeyoudontbelongandyoutrytocreateyourownlanguage,onethat
adjuststoyourbeliefsandaspirations.
Ithinkthesituationcomesbackandwefoundourselvesdeterminingwhowearetimeafter
time.Justtobesureweexistandthereforehaverights,evensomeonesaysyouareinvalid.
ListofPictureSources
1.QueenRiqui.
Fotos.Imgenes.DiapasndePalabras.(2017).FotosImgenes.[online]Availableat:
https://diapasondepalabras.wordpress.com/fotosimagenes[Accessed26Mar.2017].
2.QueenMarianaofSpain.
Diegovelazquez.webcindario.com.(2017).MarianadeAustria1652.[online]Availableat:
http://diegovelazquez.webcindario.com/mariana.htm[Accessed26Mar.2017].
3.DetailofQueenMarianaofSpain.
MartnezPrez,Felipe.(marapr2014)PeinadosentiempodeFelipeIV.RevistadeArtes.YearXI,
No.43[online]Availableat:http://www.revistadeartes.com.ar/revistadeartes43/lit_elpeinadof
martinezperez.html[Accessed26Mar.2017].
Bibliography
ElABCdelArtedelSigloXX.1.Ed.enespaol.1999PhaidonPressLimited.London.
QueenRiqui1974AlbertoGironella.MuseumofModernArt.MexicoCity.
