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1 G r a c ie la Itu rb id e. E L R A P T O ( T H E A B D U C T I O N ) . Ju ch it an , O a x a c a, 1986. P h ot ograp h . W it h p e rm ission o f th e artist. In th is issue, W e st e rn A m e r ic an L it e rat u re featu res th e w ork o f in t er n atio n ally ce le b r at ed p h o t o gr ap h e r G r acie la Itu rb ide. R aise d as an u pp er-m id d le-class, b o u rgeois w om an , sh e re in v e n te d h e r se lf after th e su d d e n d e at h o f h e r six-yearo ld d au gh ter, ap p r en ticin g h e r se lf t o th e great M e x ic an p h o t o gr ap h e r M an u e l A lv ar ez Br av o . C o m b in in g th e str an ge an d th e fam iliar, h er p h ot ograp h s exp lo r e h e r d re am lik e en co u n t er s w ith p rim arily ru ral w om en , sp eak in g o f “th e tran sfigu ration o f d e at h in t o so m et h in g t an gib le — in t o in tim acy , in t o w it n ess,” as R o b e r t o T e jad a ob serves. Ly rical an d su rreal, th e im ages n ev ert h eless are p o lit ic al state m en ts. A s T e jad a w rites, o n e o f Itu r b id e’s m ajo r co n ce r n s “h as b e e n to exp lore an d ar ticu late t h e w ays in w h ich a v o cab le su ch as ‘M e x ic o ’ is m ean in gfu l on ly w h en u n d e r st oo d as an in tr icate co m b in at io n o f h isto ries an d p r act ice s.” A t t e st in g t o th e o n go in g p ow er o f p r e- H isp an ic m yth ology, in fu sed w ith an in d igen ou s v isu al vo cab u lary an d w ith C h r ist ian im agery, th e p h o t o ­ gr ap h s cap tu re M e x ic o ’s h istory o f v io len ce an d grace in im age s o f everyday life, r e v ealin g th e p ow er o f tr ad it io n w it h in a v ib r an t eve r-ch an gin g cu ltu re. Fo r m ore in for m ation , se e I m ag e s o f th e S p irit : P h o t o grap h s b y G r ac i e la It u rb id e , w it h a p reface b y p o e t an d cr it ic R o b e r to T ejad a. ...

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