Ana Mendieta, Silueta, Works in Mexico, 1973-1977. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Color photograph, 19 3/8 X 26 9/16. Purchased with grant provided by the Judith Rothchild Foundation.Ana Mendieta’s, Silueta Works in Mexico, illustrates an image, a silhouette, of her body which also offers the illusion of a sword stained with blood. Mendieta sought closure regarding her homeland Cuba as she was being exposed to a whole new world in the USA. The two were apparent in how individuals experienced life as portrayed in this piece of art.
Now exposed to “freedom” without boundary and repression, the picture demonstrates how Mendieta fought with a form of guilt and disenchantment. The title illustrates a defining moment for Mendieta—Silueta/Silhouette: a likeness cut from dark material and mounted on light ground. This picture displays such canning symbolism expressed by the artist. Cuba as the “dark material”, Mendieta, herself and/or a representation of all the refugees as the “silueta”, “mounded on light ground” the orphanage in Iowa.
Mendieta, as a refugee, had been “cut” from a land which lacked providence and placed in a land of promise and security. The image in the picture appears to be divided by the Silueta. On one side there is a display of a possible barren land. The land is indicated by crevices and cracks. It is colorless, lifeless and without beautification. This side of the pictures is shown as absorbing the red stain which is a symbol of blood shed from the oppression and genocide granted. The opposite side of the picture is without any staining from the “blood”. The land here appears to be inviting and bearing life. The figure in between the two sides clearly symbolizes a rift between the past and the present in Mendieta’s heart and mind.
Mendieta’s Silueta offers a sense of aesthetic for not only those who may have experienced the Communist Revolution of Fidel Castro but for those who can identify with such a traumatic event in their lives. A depiction of the beauty of survival and coming to understand purpose is felt in this form of artistic expression.
The sword with blood is high metaphoric meaning. Emotion, speech are showed by colorful picture. The red color is salient on the ground which we can feel fear, Ana Mendieta passed through. Thanks for explanation to help me understand more about this picture.
ReplyDeleteIt is very sad when a person loses their home and has to rebuild a new start from devestation or circumstance. Art, in this image was used as an outlet to express those emotions ane can be appreciated by those who can relate.
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