Synopses & Reviews
This engrossing book presents the photographs of four historically engaged artists and explains what they reveal about the highly dramatic revolutionary and post-revolutionary period in Mexico from 1910 to 1935. The works of these photographersand#151;American Walter H. Horne, Italian Tina Modotti, and Mexicans Agustand#237;n Vand#237;ctor Casasolaand#160; and Manuel and#193;lvarez Bravoand#151;are discussed not just as windows onto events but as artworks that offer both objective reporting and stylized expression.
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The twenty-five years covered in the book encompass some of the most convulsive developments in Mexico, from the violence and cataclysmic changes wrought by the Mexican Revolution to the immense struggles to forge a new nation and a new government. During this period, the work of the four photographersand#151;two primarily documentary,and#160; one propagandistic, and one artistic and personaland#151;enabled Mexicans to understand the forces that had brought their nation to armed conflict and social transformation.
Review
"Different from the usual stylistic approach, this is storytelling at its best. This turn is unusual in such a historical study, and it gives this work a true significance concerning intent and context. . . . Highly recommended."and#8212;Choice
Review
Chosen as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2009 by Choice Magazine
About the Author
Leonard Folgarait is professor of art history at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.