Cristina Cardenas (born 1957) is a painter, printmaker, and lithographer known for paying tribute to Mexican culture. It has been suggested the imagery of her paintings is "meant to empower women".[1]

Cristina Cardenas
Born1957
Alma materUniversity of Arizona

Early life and education

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Cristina Cardenas was born in Guadalajara in 1957.[2] She moved to the United States and settled in Tucson, Arizona.[3] Cardenas earned a Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from the University of Arizona in 1990.[1]

Career

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Cardenas engages in several forms of art including paintings, lithographs, prints, and murals.[1] She also teaches at Pima Community College and works with children at a nearby charter school.[1]

Notable works include Malinche, Coatlicue, y Virgen de los Remedios (1991), a mixed media painting that was part of the Counter Colon-ialismo exhibition.[3] The painting depicts Malintzin in front of Coatlicue, surrounded by La Virgen de los Remedios.[3] The text within the painting reads "Malintzin, India noble, mujer inteligente" which translates to "Malintzin, noble and intelligent Indigenous women."[3] According to Cardenas, this work highlights Coatlicue’s influence on Malintzin, as well as the religion imposed on her.[3]

Also the work titled, La Nina de los Espejos (2005) which is a lithograph at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.[4] This lithograph is a part of the “Unapologetic: All Women, All Year” exhibition.[4] It features a girl with long, black flowing hair, and explores the theme of women’s strength.[4]

Her 2004 print Graciela is part of the Self-Help Graphics & Art collection at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center.[5]

Her work is held in the permanent collections of the National Museum of Mexican Art,[6] the McNay Art Museum, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art,[4]and the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center collection,[5] among others.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Star, Gerald M. Gay Arizona Daily. "Her culture comes alive". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  2. ^ "Cristina Cardenas (American, b.1957)". McNay Art Museum. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e Traitor, survivor, icon : the legacy of La Malinche. Victoria I. Lyall, Terecita Romo, Denver Art Museum, Albuquerque Museum, San Antonio Museum of Art. [Denver, Colorado]. 2022. ISBN 978-0-300-25898-1. OCLC 1262190353.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ a b c d "La Nina de los Espejos [The Young Girl of the Mirrors]". Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  5. ^ a b UCLA_CSRC (2013-10-14), Cardenas, Cristina - Graciela 2004, retrieved 2022-12-01
  6. ^ "Making History: : The Art of Collecting". National Museum of Mexican Art. Retrieved 5 December 2022.