Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Quiroz, Alfred J. |
Title |
El Azteca Practicando para Sufuturo de Modelo para Calendareo |
Date |
1992 |
Medium |
charcoal |
Culture |
American |
School |
Tucson Artist |
Object ID |
1993.28 |
Collection |
Contemporary Latin American Art |
Object Name |
Drawing |
Credit line |
Virginia Johnson Fund |
Didactic Information |
Tucson artist Alfred J. Quiroz creates satirical paintings and drawings that sensationalize moments in history to shed light on cultural and racial stereotypes and the comic nature of political figures. In El Azteca Practicando para Su futuro de Modelo para Calendarios de Tortillerias (Aztec Practicing for his Future Role as a Model for Tortilleria Factories), Quiroz satirizes Mexican calendars that illustrate Aztec warriors of mythic Mexico. He depicts himself in a feathered headdress, metal arm bracelet, and jaguar robe. Standing before the Sun Stone calendar, he pulls back his lips to bare his teeth and brazenly sticks out his tongue at the sun god Tonatiuh. According to Quiroz, "As a kid I always thought that those restaurant/ tortilleria calendars were real depictions of actual Aztecs and all the Aztec women wore flimsy white slips. Later I learned it was a myth in regard to the twin peaks (Ixtacihuatl and Popcatepetl) of the volcano in the Mexico City area." (Feb 2017) |