The Mexican Museum in San Francisco is full of various kinds of art from Mexican/Chicano artists. Looking through the website, I was intrigued by the many beautiful works of art they featured, but one work that caught my eye was called Órgano (Organ Pipe Cactus) by Antonio Turok. The work is a low-angle shot of a group of organ pipe cactus. The sun is visible in the top left corner, and the picture itself appears to be grainy somewhat like a still from an old movie. Taken in 2018, it would be safe to assume that Antonio Turok's picture was taken in a desert. Though it is tough to tell which desert it is based on the type of cactus alone.
Antonio Turok was born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1955. In the JSTOR journal article "Eikoh Hosoe on Antonio Turok" Hosoe recalls a time in 1974 when Turok stated that he feels he no longer "need to stay in the U.S." and that he would "return to Mexico, to find [his] own subject there"(Hosoe 44). This could explain why a lot of his other photographs are taken in Mexico or Central America. Though he moved to the United States, Antonio Turok moved back to his home in Mexico because that is where he felt that he could make his best work. The fact that most of his pictures are in black and white could simply be described as his style, and could be a result of him moving back to Central America. Maybe this inspired him to make black and white his style. Color is a very effective way for artists to establish either a setting or mood which is what I think Antonio Turok does in his photographs.Conclusion
Antonio Turok
Like I said before, I think Antonio Turok's art style in his photographs stem from the experience in the JSTOR journal article. Being back at home could have inspired him to create the works of art that we see in museums today. I have never taken a virtual tour of a museum, but because of the pandemic, I am glad to have had the opportunity. Though I feel that I would have a more enjoyable experience had I gone in person, taking a virtual tour has certainly got my hopes up. Overall, this experience has connected to my humanities semester theme of environment because of the beautiful pictures that Antonio Turok takes. Turok's pictures could be seen as works of art that highlight the positive aspects of how humans have affected the environment.
An interview of Antonio Turok conducted in March 2009 by Tracy Grimm of Institute for Latino Studies
Works Cited
“EIKOH HOSOE on ANTONIO TUROK.” Aperture, no. 151, [Princeton University Art Museum,
Aperture Foundation, Inc.], 1998, pp. 44–53, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24472637.
Latino Studies ND. "Antonio Turok." Youtube, 19 Aug. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?
2021 Books I did not do a whole lot of reading this year. Most of the things I read were required readings from classes. I do plan to read more books following the pandemic when it is safer to go out and check some out for the library or buy from a book store. Christenson, Allen J. Popol Vuh: The Sacred Book of the Maya . University of Oklahoma, 2007. A translation and interpretation of the original story of the Maya. Explains how people were created from maize as well as what the world was like before people. It is both informative and exciting. Coontz, Stephanie. The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap . Basic Books, 1992. Author Stephanie Coontz talks about the bad history of family structure that families of today's era consider the "good ol' days." I have not finished the book, but the author does talk about how people glorify the families of the past when in reality those families were no better than those of today....
I listened to "Cross-Border Abortion Care" from Latino USA. The program was hosted by Maria Hinojosa and featured co-host Jamilah King. This segment also featured Lina-Maria Murillo, an assistant professor in Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies and History at the University of Iowa, and Veronica Martinez, a journalist covering gender and immigration. This program aired on September 28, 2021 but I am listening to it on October 25, 2021. While listening to this program I learned about the policies on abortion that were made in Texas as well as how Americans and Mexicans are reacting. Some things I liked about the program were that the women in this podcast did not really hold back how they felt about the injustices that they face as a result of these laws. They exercised their right to free speech to speak on a controversial topic. One thing I did not like about the program was the part where they said that "Anti-abortion laws are increas...
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