Description
Book SynopsisShares interests in the intersection of art and ideas. This book takes thirteen pieces of Latino art, each reproduced in color, as occasions for thematic discussions.
Trade Review"While there are moments at which the writers arrive at a fresh viewing, they more often use the art as a platform to speak broadly of human life, preferring the wide aperture of much philosophic writing that can lend itself to generalizations. Usefully, the sweeping nature of many statements is offset by the dialogic mode, with both writers as comfortable disagreeing as they are bolstering each other’s insights. While there are moments that lag, there are also moments that shine, especially when Stavans and Gracia draw on their own lived experiences, twining narrative with philosophy." * Publishers Weekly *
“These multidisciplinary musings aimed at scholars of art, language, and identity will be enjoyed by those who are content to ponder, wander, and disagree alongside the authors.” -- Lindsay King * Library Journal *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii
Thirteen 1
1. The Labyrinth of History: Einar and Jamex de la Torre,
La reconquista 17
2. The Impostor's Mask: María Brito,
Conversation 35
3. On Desecration: Andres Serrano,
Piss Christ 49
4. The Death Game: Francisco Oller,
El velorio 61
5. A Girl's Innocence: Marian Yampolsky,
Elva 75
6. The Thereafter: Carmen Lomas Garza,
Heaven and Hell 93
7. The Street as Art: BEAR_TCK,
Chicano Graffiti 107
8. Desperate Escape: José Bedia,
Siguiendo su instinto 123
9. The Horrors of War: Luis Cruz Azaceta,
Slaughter 139
10. The Ambiguity of Madness: Martín Ramírez,
No. 111, Untitled (Train and Tunnel) 153
11. I Laugh in Your Race!
Jean-Michel Basquiat,
Untitled (Skull) 167
12. American America: María Magdalena Campos-Pons,
Above All Things 181
13. Twisted Tongue: Adál,
La Spanglish Sandwich Bodega Bag 195
Thirteen Plus One 209
The Artists219
Index 227
