VERY SINCERELY |

The Art of Alfred Ramos Martinez

efore there were Diego, Kahlo, Orozco, and Siqueiros, there was Alfred Ramos Martinez - whose art remained focused on the daily lives of his people and the traditions from their rich heritage. Martinez would be among the few academic artists to defy the trends against the native traditions of Mexican art, and consequently move away from the European modernist movements. His motives were not as blatantly political as Rivera or Orozco, but he did share a similar desire with them to institute his ethnic and cultural heritage within modern Mexican artistic production.

Alfred Ramos Martinez was born in Monterey, Mexico in 1871. He began his artistic studies from 1884 -1892 at the Academia Nacional de Belles Artes, Mexico City. He attracted the attention of Phoebe Hearst, the mother of William Randolph Hearst, who provided financial support and arranged for him to leave his native country and study in Paris. Hearst supported him for almost four years, until 1906 when his painting Les Printemps was prize winner at the famous Salon d'Automne. From then on Martinez was able to support himself. He returned to Mexico in 1907 and within three years was appointed Director of Mexico City's School of Fine Arts.

Over the next twenty years he would continue to accept commissions for murals and other paintings. He was married in 1928, and only a year later, following the birth of his daughter, left Mexico behind to settle in Los Angeles where his daughter could receive the best medical care for a life-threatening congenital disease. He left Mexico an educated artist of great repute, only to be received in California with the fleeting enthusiasm of Hollywood socialites that perceived him as no more than the artistic version of Carmen Miranda.

However, Martinez's "fame" was enough to gain him entry into the Los Angeles art community where he painted frescoes in the patios of famous Hollywood celebrities and other important socialites, in hotels, chapels, and more. Although the commissions he received in the U.S were not as esteemed as his last (the Mexican Government had commissioned him to paint Las Flores Mexicanas as a wedding present for Charles and Ann Morrow Lindbergh) he was able to maintain an active artistic life to support his family. Martinez had one-man shows at the Los Angeles County museum, the San Diego Art Gallery, the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, as well as various private and public galleries throughout California.

In 1937, Martinez was commissioned to work on a fresco at the Chapel of Mary, Star of the Sea in La Jolla. While in La Jolla, he befriended Father McNamara, the priest at Mary, Star of the Sea. The original fresco was highly damaged by its proximity to the sea and it has since been replaced by an unsuccessful mosaic replicating Martinez's work. The Madonna and Child, pictured here and for sale, was a gift to the kindly priest and is dedicated: "To Father McNamara. Very Sincerely, Ramos Martinez."

Prior to painting the Madonna and Child, Martinez had long past shed the layers of European modernism and re-adopted the simplicity that traditionally characterized the arts of Mexico and the muralist tradition. This work still incorporates a sense of his cultural roots that unifies his works in style and subject. There is also the inevitable mix of indigenous religious customs and mysticism of Catholicism brought over by the Spanish conquistadors. Although he paints what may seem to be a traditional icon of western significance, it is directly in line with his commitment to portraying his cultural roots and folk customs. He softens the monumentalism that is a direct reference to the pre-Columbian history of Mexico. The long, slender fingers of the Madonna that caress her child, are reminiscent of Late Renaissance Mannerism and (even earlier) Byzantine art that he studied in Europe.

The monochromatic palette is also reminiscent of Byzantium and late Medieval altar pieces of the same subject. The gold overlay he uses was a common convention in the works of Cimabue and even Giotto. His portrait of maternal love is reverent, serene, and holds a mystical and majestic quality which is enhanced by his choice of mixed media. Although Martinez westernizes the work, the figures are dark-skinned and retain a definite ethnic identity which is consistent with the people in his murals. The contrast between gold and charcoal, light and dark, is poignant, simple, and beautifully expresses the relationship between holy mother and child. It is a warm, affectionate and awe-inspiring work.

The Madonna and Child also draws the line between Martinez and younger artists like Rivera. Art of the Mexican revolution, of which Rivera was a part, focused on Marxist ideology. The core of this movement was the depiction of anti-religious subject matter filtered through the lense of communism. When Martinez left Mexico, he chose between his allegiance to his country and his commitment to his family. He abandoned the Mexican revolutionary manifestos and chose instead to work in a more acceptable genre. This work speaks strongly of that choice in its religious significance and of the difficult times this prestigious Mexican artist endured for the sake of his daughter whom he loved so much he left his home and career behind.

The early 20th Century truly marks the renaissance of Mexican Art. This primarily cultural, political and artistic movement has placed Latin American artists like Ramos Martinez and Diego Rivera among the chosen masters of our century. The way that art is viewed has evolved from a predominantly western achievement to a universal form of self-expression, communication, and overall aesthetic. The art world has learned to embrace other cultural forms of art apart from the token exoticism that typically attracted European and American buyers in the recent past.

When Alfred Ramos Martinez died in 1946, he had completed only two panels out of a nine panel mural entitled, The Flower of Vendors" at the Margaret Fowler Memorial Garden at Scripps College in Clairmont, California. In 1994, the J. Paul Getty Museum and a private consevator, Aneta Zeballa, worked together to conserve this 100 foot masterpiece. They restored the nine-foot mural in the quaint gardens as well as implemented a plan to prevent its further deterioration. These murals reaffirm the integrity of Martinez's work. Like his Madonna and Child, they allude to his dedication to his family, his culture, and his country.