Syncretic Spirituality at the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands: The Art of Richard Armendariz

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dc.contributor.advisorEckmann, Teresa
dc.contributor.authorKarr, Christopher
dc.contributor.committeeMemberSherer, Scott
dc.contributor.committeeMemberTóth, Edit
dc.date.accessioned2024-03-26T22:51:14Z
dc.date.available2024-03-26T22:51:14Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.abstractTexas-based Chicano artist Richard Armendariz (b. 1969, El Paso) draws from cross-cultural sources in his artwork to define his Chicano identity played out in his visual narratives as shamanic and anthropomorphic characters who contest border violence and reposition the Chicano underdog as hero/trickster/protector. Armendariz interweaves expressive landscapes and the cosmos with code-switching text in the form of Spanish dichos (everyday sayings) and song lyrics to address power and cultural dynamics of the Chicano experience. His carved paintings and woodcut prints feature curanderos as border-crossers who confront and evade current mobilization by the United States Border Patrol. Armendariz introduces animals in his artwork as transformative figures with manifold identities. Birds such as crows and owls function as spirit guides for the healers; at times, Armendariz anthropomorphizes the animals as border-crossers in dialogue with ancient indigenous Mexican folklore, and Greek and Roman deities. This thesis identifies cultural syncretism as key to how Armendariz defines his Chicano subjectivity in his artwork spanning 2009-2023 that is informed by Mexican American cultural history, the artist's life experiences, and spiritual practice.
dc.description.departmentArt and Art History
dc.format.extent1 electronic resource (95 pages)
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.isbn9798381180855
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12588/6297
dc.languageeng
dc.subjectBorder Art
dc.subjectChicano Art
dc.subjectcuranderos
dc.subjectEl Paso
dc.subjectMexican American
dc.subjectRichard Armendariz
dc.subject.classificationArt history
dc.subject.classificationLatin American studies
dc.subject.classificationArt criticism
dc.titleSyncretic Spirituality at the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands: The Art of Richard Armendariz
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.dcmiText
thesis.degree.departmentArt and Art History
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Texas at San Antonio
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts

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