Felipa Irene Lugo
September 11, 2009 - Terminal Report
Stone Center Summer Field Research Grant 2009
Title of Project:
Early Modernism in the Arts at the End of the Porfriato
As per my grant proposal, I used my summer field research grant to conduct
archival research in Mexico City on a project to investigate the promotion and reception
of early modern art in Mexico City. The subjects of my research were the individual
exhibitions that were organized by the National School of Fine Arts during the 1910-1911
academic year. These exhibitions were in response to the national festivities marking the
centennial of the inception of Mexico’s independence. The Porfirian government
organized an exhibition featuring Spanish and Japanese art, however the official program
did not include Mexican artists. Despite the exclusion, the community within the National
School responded with two major artistic events: the Society of Painters and Sculptors
was formed and organized an exhibition of Mexican artists, and the National School of
Fine Arts reinstated student individual exhibitions—a practice that was eliminated in
1899. Due to the lack of research regarding the individual exhibitions, I sought to
investigate the selection of artists featured and their work in order to identify
controversial and general affects of reception, as well as distinguishing key examples of
artistic efforts to advance art in Mexico.
After travel restrictions to Mexico were lifted due to the H1N1 influenza, I
adjusted my research dates to June 9 – July 10, 2009 and remained located in Mexico
City the entire period. I originally proposed to begin with the Centro Nacional de
Investigación, Documentacíon e Información de las Artes Plásticas (CENIDIAP), the
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Archivo General de la Nación, the Hemeroteca Nacional and finally the Museo Nacional
de Arte (MUNAL). Preparatory research before traveling helped me discover that the
Ciudad Universitaria (CU) of the UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México),
where the Hemeroteca Nacional is located, was closing the third of July. Therefore, I
began my research at the Hemeroteca Nacional’s special collections where newspapers,
magazines, and specialized journals from 1910 are housed. I was able to gather plenty of
material regarding the individual exhibitions that were reviewed in the media. Most
reviews expressed an appreciation for the artists and their work, while a select few
satirized and severely critiqued the academy for promoting European ideals.
My aim to investigate the National School’s policy in the selection and
organization of the individual exhibitions was not as successful but nonetheless valuable.
I learned about the complex history of the National School of Fine Arts and the current
state of its archives. Instead of going to the CENIDIAP, I opted for visiting the National
School in the historic district where a few un-catalogued archives remain and the
Department of Architecture on the CU campus where the bulk of the archives can be
found. I discovered the majority of the academy’s documentation is catalogued from its
inception up to 1910, but the crucial year is not complete. Unfortunately, by the time I
had access to these archives, I was not able to spend much time there since the campus
was closing for the summer break. Although I was not able to find documents regarding
the individual exhibitions, I was able to record material relevant to the period and the
artists involved.
I spent most of the weekends visiting the MUNAL and the Museum of San
Carlos, primarily because they are free to the public on Sundays. I arranged visits to their
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libraries where I found catalogues and monographs on the artists I was investigating.
Unfortunately, many of these artists’ works dated from this period are part of private
collections and therefore difficult to access. During my last week, I visited the Archivo
General de la Nación where I sought the archives of the Secretary of Public Education
and Fine Arts. In this collection I was able to find some details concerning the
exhibitions, such as titles of works displayed and their going cost, however the
information I was able to glean from these documents was limited.
In light of these limitations in the archival research, I continued to investigate this
historical period by researching the context of the exhibition of Mexican artists,
organized by the artists themselves, in relation to the Spanish and Japanese exhibition
that was sponsored by the Mexican government. Inspired by the attention given to the
Bicentennial, I could not help but reconsider the artistic context of the first centennial and
how I may approach an evaluation of the historiography of this event. Therefore, despite
the lack of information accessible at the time for my initial investigation, I was able to
record a lot of interesting documents and images that have prompted new questions for
me to consider. The contacts I made through this experience will serve me in the future as
I continue in my studies. In navigating through the various systems in place and
discussing my project within these institutions, I have gained invaluable experience and
professional growth.
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