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Marta Sánchez (born 1959) [1] is a Chicana painter known for her retablos paintings, works on paper such as serigraphs and monotypes, and cascarones. [2] She currently teaches at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, St. Joseph's University, and the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. [3]

Early life and education

Marta Sánchez was born in San Antonio, Texas. [4] As a child, she lived in poverty and faced discrimination for her Chicana heritage. [4] As a result, she turned to art as a defense against what she faced. [4] Ultimately, Sánchez used art as a means of social activism. [4] She later went on to acquire a BFA in art education at the University of Texas at Austin. [4] Motivated by the opportunity to study abroad in Italy, Sánchez joined the MFA program at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. [4]

At UT Austin, Sánchez met Santa Barraza, a fellow artist who familiarized Sánchez with the Chicano Movement. [4] Sánchez was heavily inspired by the Mexican religious retablos paintings she saw in Italy. [4] Retablos, or ex-votos, are small tin paintings that pay respect to different saints of the Catholic Church, symbolizing a positive future and spiritual journey in the Mexican experience. [4] The message of looking towards the future and finding one's spiritual self greatly inspired Sánchez to want to discover her own personal, religious journey through art. [4] She saw retablos as a form of self and religious discovery, social activism, and a connection with her Mexican heritage. Today, Sánchez is known mainly for her retablos paintings. [4]

Social activism

The Philadelphia Folklore Project highlights Sánchez's role as a social activist in that she uses her love for art as a means of social awareness around HIV/AIDS. [3] In 1992, Sánchez founded "Cascarones Por La Vida Art Fund", a Philadelphia based organization that promotes the well-being of young individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. [3] Incorporating her love for arts with her passion for social activism, Sánchez recruits different artists and young people in Philadelphia to come together and create colorful confetti-filled eggs called cascarones, to which they sell and donate the proceeds towards fighting HIV/AIDS. [3] Sánchez notes that she started this organization as a way of spreading unconditional love and warmth to everyone, just as they do in her Hispanic heritage. [3]

Art

  • La Danza (1994)
    • Sánchez's art piece La Danza, reflects elements of retablo, while also reflecting stories of Sánchez's happy childhood memories. [4] The art piece depicts Sánchez as a ghost posed like a Madonna-and-child portrait, with images of retablo surrounding her. [4] Also surrounding Sánchez are various memories from her childhood such as her home, family, and trains. [4] The painting incorporates elements of nature such as green leaves and flowers that outline Sánchez 's ghostly body, reflecting the bright future of retablo. [4] Reflecting her struggle against poverty, the distorted vegetation in the background of the piece is silenced by her happy childhood memories. [4]
    • When describing "La Danza," Sánchez notes that traditionally, the piece is a type of badge for her ability to overcome poverty, while at the same time functions as a tribute to her family, rather than a Catholic saint. [4] Like many other Chicana artists, Sánchez turns to art as a platform for "reclaiming the religious world and transforming it into contemporary spirituality" while also, "creat[ing] artistic spaces that unify personal healing with cultural resistance" (Romo 30). [4]
  • Train Yards
    • Recently, Sánchez produced a series of paintings depicting the significance and importance of trains during the Mexican Migration experience. [5] Her admiration for trains has dated back to when she was a child, as she lived near the San Antonio train yards and would admire the trains as they passed. [5] [2]
  • Carpas Series
    • In her Carpas series of paintings, Sánchez pays tribute to her great-grandfather who was a lion trainer during the Carpas era. [3] He would travel all over Mexico with a circus, until he died from a lion attack. [3]
  • Cascarones Inspired Paintings
    • Currently, Sánchez is working on a recipes series, specifically one focused on cooking eggs, in reflection of her love for cascarones. [5] The series will be an artistic expression of her Chicana heritage. [5]

Partnered with actor and comedian Cheech Marin, Sánchez's work has been part of the "Chicano Visions: American Artist on the Verge" traveling show. [1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Marta Sanchez - Biography". askART. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  2. ^ a b "Marta Sanchez". Woodmere Art Museum. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "PhillyFolk Artists – Marta Sanchez – Mexican Painter and Craft Artist". Philadelphia Folklore Project. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Cheech Marin (2002). Chicano visions: American painters on the verge. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. ISBN  0-8212-2806-4. OCLC  50609903.
  5. ^ a b c d "Marta Sanchez: Art Formed by Culture, Tradition, and Memory". La Prensa Texas. 2019-10-20. Retrieved 2022-11-30.

External links

6. Sanchez, Marta. "The Art of Marta Sanchez ." Artedemarta.com, WordPress.com, https://artedemarta.com/

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