Alan Serna contra: Carlos Orozco Romero

Through his artwork Carlos Orozco Romero was able to travel and studio in various part of the world. Through this exposure other cultures, Romero work takes on an aesthetic that while familiar, is fresh. By no means is he the first mexican artist to leave the country, but Romero's influence by the world and on the world gave Mexico a little more attention in the world's view. Romero's surreal pieces follow the trend of individualization I had mentioned in a previous post. The work that he makes tends towards isolated figures and have little to no indication of distinctly Mexican culture.

It is not until Romero is in studying in the United States that he creates a surreal piece, that while not excessively cultured, alludes to architecture present in his native Jalisco. Experts speculate that this piece was born of nostalgia for his homeland, among other things, and I agree completely with that theory.

I had a similar theory about artistic trends in contemporary Mexico. Much like Romero, many mexican artists today are able to experience artwork and cultures from all over the world in the blink of an eye, and in order to be a part of this world art market, they follow the trends present in the market at any given time, detaching their work from all cultural association. Meanwhile, artists who are away from their homeland are driven by nostalgia to create works that I feel have a familiarity to them, while at the same time helps them stand out as individuals in a market that demands uniqueness.