Figure 1.--This portrait of an indigenous Mayan youth, Margarita de Bonampak, is an Álvarez Bravo masterwork. We know nothing more about her except that the portrait was taken in 1949. Based on how she is dressed, she may not yet have been fully assimilated in Mexico's Spanish speaking national culture. Bonampak is a Mayan city site in eastern Chiapas (southern Mexico). Bonampak was not discovered by non-Mayans until 1946. Its engraved and sculpted stelae and spectacular tomb murals detail the ritual life, war practices, and political dynamics of the Mayan elite during the Late Classic Mayan era (c600–900 AD). The discovery was the beginning of dismantling the myth that the Maya wee placid, peaceful agriculturists.

Manuel Álvarez Bravo was born in Mexico City (1902) He grew up there in an artistically oriented family. His father was a teacher, but actively pursued painting and music and producing several plays. He pursued photography as an art. Alvarez Bravo became one of the most important figures in Latin American photography, surely one of the most creative. He studied art at the Academy of San Carlos. He decided, however, to pursue art through photography. He had an advantage in that his grandfather operated a photographic studio taking portraits, giving Manuel an early exposure to the medium. He learned the basics of photography from his grandfather, but the artistic aspects were self-taught. Because of his age, his career began after the Mexican Revolution (1910-20). He was 8-years old when the Revolution began. He remembers hearing gunfire and came across bodies in the street. This must have impacted his artistic vision. His career in photography began (late-1920s). His artistic peak was (1920s-50s), although he was active into the 1990s. He broke away from the popular stereotypes. He notably said, "The countryside, the daily life of the street is so much richer than doing portraits, than doing nudes." His genius was to capture images of the ordinary people, often in a ironic or Surrealistic moment. Alvarez Bravo at first showed a European influence, but seems have to be transformed by the Mexican muralist movement which was part of the overall Mexican cultural movement following the Revolution to embrace Mexico's mestizo heritage. He rejected the picturesque which is a hallmark of photography. A friendship with a childhood friend, Dolores Concepción Martínez de Anda.,blossomed into romance and they married (1925). Lola showed an interest of her own in photography and Álvarez taught her the basics. For a decade she worked as his assistant. Eventually she decided to explore her own creativity and interests. The two shared some major interests, but apparently personal matters prevented them from working togethr. They separated (1934). Lola developed her own unique career and her photographs are today also seen as fine art. Alvarez before and after his marriage held numerous exhibitions, was active in the Mexican cinema, and founded the Fondo Editorial de la Plástica Mexicana publishing house. He began receiving international recognition (1970s). UNESCO added him to the Memory of the World registry (2017).

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Created: 4:32 AM 11/28/2024
Last updated: 4:33 AM 11/28/2024