Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge

I am insanely jealous of Cheech Marin's art collection, or at least those pieces that are featured in this book. A true artist is one who can make the ugly beautiful, or at least make you look at it with a different perspective, such as David Botello's "Alone and Together Under the Freeway" Frank Romero's "Arrest of the Paleteros" is tragic and funny at the same time, with the hapless ice cream sellers lined against a wall in front of robot-like cops. Adan Hernandez' "Sin Titulo II", while not owned by Marin, is included in this book, and gives a peeping-Tom's eye view of a family's living room-it is stunningly beautiful and menacing at the same time. Other works in this book are excellent, and it is inspiring for any artist in a rut, who needs a fresh look at some unusual talents.

Some of the most innovative and brilliant art in America is being done by those in the Chicano art movement; the range of styles and techniques is vast, but they all share a vibrancy and vigor that is hard to find elsewhere in the art world. Cheech Marin has accumulated a fabulous collection, and must be commended for bringing this art to fifteen cities the U.S. in the travelling exhibit, and to the world with this marvelous book. Marin also writes the insightful introduction, and there are excellent and informative essays by Max Benavidez, Constance Cortez, and Tere Romero, as well as mini bios of the 26 artists represented in the volume. Among the highlights for me are the 4 pictures by George Yepes, that include his "La Pistola y el Corazon," which was the cover for the Los Lobos CD of the same title (pg. 144), the 10 pages of the glorious, impressionistic work of Carlos Almaraz, especially "Southwest Song," with its horse and rider and splashy moonlit sky (pg. 53), and Leo Limon, starting with his "Frida and Palomas" through his complex symbolic storytelling in "Los Muertos" (93-99). I recently had the opportunity to view Frank Romero's work at the Icaro Gallery in Long Beach, California, and was thrilled by his rich use of color, and his sense of humor, both aspects which are well illustrated on pages 108 through 117. The layout of the this book is excellent, and the color reproduction superb; on thick glossy pages, the work comes alive, excites and inspires, and will not be forgotten. This is work that will stand the test of time, and as Marin writes, the viewer is "...transported to a place both timeless and immediate, that provides the ultimate validation for this new movement in art."

Rebeccasreads recommends CHICANO VISIONS as a glorious feast for the eyes, containing the inevitable hair-raising violence, pulsing cityscapes & sun bleached field labors, as well as the beauty that is before us. There are ethereal visions of heaven & hell, of blood hot nights as well as rich family life.There are visions wrought in "primitive" styles, in sleek "photorealism" & in vibrant complex iconography -- giving us insights into the Chicano experience, both female & male.We can spend hours discussing the merits of each painting: their composition, impact & style, whether they are "good art", however, as Cheech Marin writes in his Introduction "...it is the lone art lover standing in front of a great painting with his jaw dropped, transported to a place both timeless and immediate, that provides the ultimate validation..."Worth every cent of the price of admission.

Though not as extensive as "Contemporary Chicana and Chicano Art" from Bilingual Press, Cheech Marin's "Chicano Visions" is a vibrant, lusty and masterful introduction to Chicano art. If you're Chicano, you might recognize many of the faces and images represented here by such fine artists as John Valadez, Frank Romero, Ester Hernandez, and many others. If you're not a member of the Chicano community, you will nonetheless be dazzled by the powerful images and colors of the culture. The introductory essays by Max Benavidez, Constance Cortez and Tere Romo assist us in contextualizing the art that is often, but not always, steeped in the socio-political rumblings of el movimiento. Hats off to Cheech Marin for sharing these fine works with the world.

Hats off to Cheech Marin for curating from his own collection, as well as museum and private and the artists' collections, a body of work that is one of the most interesting and challenging definitions of Chicano Art in the USA today. Not only is the book well designed and lavishly illlustrated with superb paintings, the accompanying essays by Marin, Max Benevidez, Constance Cortez, and Tere Romo are enlightening, thought provoking, and serve to answer many of the questions as to why Chicano art is so unique a contribution to the art world, not only here in Los Angeles but across the country. The paintings by such luminaries as Frank Romero, John Valadez, Margaret Garcia, Gronk, Eloy Torrez, and the late and much missed Carlos Almaraz only hint at what treasures are in store for the aficionado as well as the novice. The quality of color reproductions is good and the placement of the works in context with brief statements about the artist or the subject makes turning each page an adventure.Chicano Art is recognized by the knowledgeable art critics as probably the most important single school of art to blossom in Los Angeles in the past 50 years. These artists express the heritage of the Hispanic (if that word may be used...) population - the struggle of the dream of El Norte, the magical realism of folklore, the passionate use of color and light, the incomparably complex compositions that layer not only images but experiential feelings on a single canvas, the joy for living, the response to music. Whether in the hands of photorealist John Valadez or the explosive expressionism of Carlos Almaraz or the grand scale and imagination of Frank Romero (whether dealing with his much collected Still Lifes or his panoramas of East LA past and present), these paintings leap of the page, involve us and demand attention. This is an excellent homage to this excitingly rich art movement. It deserves to be in the collection of everyone who longs for validation of life as a reason for making and collecting art. Bravo to all concerned!