"Echoes of Impressionism"

Abstract

The impressionist-engaged artists listed above remain marginal figures in the wider canon of Mexican art; the European influence on their work led them to be sidelined as the focus of the Mexican art world shifted to native and nationalist art traditions in the first half of the twentieth century. By the 1920s, works like these were increasingly denigrated for their foreign influence and empty content. Mexican art was focused on the unique aspects of Mexican national identity and on the promotion of a collective agenda of progress and social justice. The acidic orange sands are divided from a red sky by a thin line of blue-green ocean and white surf. The organizers of the exhibition claimed to have selected artists who they felt would have a significant impact on Mexican art, in this case praising Clausell for his ability, in their opinion, to co-opt impressionism’s ‘rebellious techniques’ for the purpose of shaping the direction of Mexican painting.