Judithe Hernandez and the Chicana Artistic Voice

Judithe Hernandez’s art career began in Los Angeles during the socially and politically turbulent 1960s. While enrolled as a graduate student at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, Hernandez met fellow student Carlos Almaraz, one of the founding 1 members of the Chicano artist collective known as “Los Four.” At Almaraz’s request, Hernandez joined “Los Four” as its fifth, and only female, member. Hernandez became well known for her work with this revolutionary group of artists, who are credited with   2 authorizing Chicano art as its own distinctive school of (US) American art. 3 Less known but equally important, however, is the role Hernandez played in providing a female voice within what was at that time a predominantly male Chicano art movement.

Chicano art began as an outgrowth of the more general Chicano Civil Rights 4 Movement; a sociopolitical initiative that began in the 1960s to promote social progress and change for Mexican-Americans. 5 Chicano artists sought to mirror the challenges faced by Mexican- Americans, often by challenging the xenophobic stereotypes of Mexican-Americans in American culture. However, since the vast majority of Chicano artists were men, much of the Chicano artwork of the 1960s and early 1970s represented the experiences of Mexican-American men, failing to represent some of the unique struggles faced by their female counterparts.

 6 During her time with “Los Four,” Hernandez developed a distinct visual style as she incorporated indigenous images along with figurative portrayals of Hispanic women, often restrained by elements such as vines or thorns. The significance of her contributions to the Chicano art movement 7 were recognized as early as 1981, when Hernandez was commissioned by the Los Angeles Bicentennial Committee to produce a mural in celebration of the city’s 200th anniversary. 8 The mural portrays La Reina de Los Angeles (the patroness of the city) engaging with images of the past and present. In it, Hernandez juxtaposes images of male and female farmers with more opulent depictions of modern Los Angeles,  9 but underscoring the invaluable work of Mexican-American men and women in the construction of the city.

Since the 1970s, Hernandez has exhibited additional forms of visual art beyond the mural work that characterized much of her early career. In her recent pastel- on-paper series entitled “Adam and Eve,” Hernandez uses iconic religious images to highlight the 10 unequal, gender relations in Chicano culture. Through works such as these, Hernandez continues to provide a voice for Chicano 11 women. Highlighting the unique challenges that they face in America every day.