Mexican Art and Literature

Art in Mexico

Art is a integral part of society in Mexico. Mexico is known worldwide mostly for its folk art traditions, primarily derived from a combination of the indigenous and Spanish crafts. Mexican arts are multi-layered and many faceted, reflecting the influences of the ancient and the modern, of its colonial and revolutionary past, and of its many ethnic and indigenous identities. Notable handicrafts are the clay pottery made in the valley of Oaxaca and the bird and animal figures made in the village of Tonalá. Colorfully hand embroidered cotton garments, cotton or wool shawls and outer garments, and colorful baskets and rugs are seen everywhere. After the Mexican Revolution, new generations of Mexican artists led a vibrant national movement that incorporated political, historic, and folk themes in their work. A few examples of world class artist include, the painters Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros with their world famous and grand scale murals, often displaying clear social messages, Rufino Tamayo and Frida Kahlo produced more personal works with abstract elements and Mexican art photography fostered by the work of Manuel Álvarez Bravo.

Literature in Mexico

Much of Mexican literature originated from the concepts of the Amerindian and Spanish settlements of Mesoamerica. Two very outstanding colonial writers and poets include Juan Ruiz de Alarcón and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. However, Mexican literature has been shaped in big part by the emotional Mexican history including its extremely political past. The history of literature in Mexico dates back to the Mesoamerica times of the continent, starting by the writing of indingenous people. Recently there has been a big resurgence in Mexican literature. Notable writers include: Carlos Fuentes, Martin Luis Guzman, Juan Ruflo, Octavio Paz, and Fernando del Paso among many others.

Mexican Cinematographers

Mexican cinematographers are catching the attention of many world renowed directors, because of Mexican's nature eye to catch beauty and moments that catch the human soul. Some very notable Mexican cinematographers include;

Guillermo Navarro who won an Oscar in 2007 for Pan Labyrinth. Other very well known and must see films include Jackie Brown, From Dusk till Dawan featuring Salma Hayek, Desparado with Antonio Banderas, fantasy film Pacific Rim and finally Hell Boy.

Emmanuel Lubezi known as "El Chivo" who won 2 Oscars and has also won over 120 other awards and over 30 nominations. Notable films include Gravity, Like Water for Chocolate, The Tree of Life, Sleep Hallow and "Y Tu Mama Tambien" and most recently the award smashing "Birdman."

Gabriel Beristein is another cinematographer that has caught headlines. Gabriel is most known Blade II with Wesley Snipes, SWAT and Blade Trinity. He has won 1 award and been nominated for 2 others.

Rodrigo Prieto is also well known for his work in Argo, Brokeback Mountain, 8Mile and Amores Perros including The Wolf on WallStreet. All these films required that the characters not be lost in tough scenes and maybe characters that might not otherwise be taken seriously. Rodrigo has been nominated for an Oscar and has 17 other wins and over 20 nominations for other films.

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