Cesar Chavez: Portrait of La Causa
Artwork
Description:
Portrait of man surrounded by skulls and crosses. Collage of tiny images to create larger image.
Historical Context:
Cesar Chavez was a Mexican American farm worker and civil rights activist. He co-founded the National Farm Workers Association which later became United Farm Workers (UFW). His work lead to many improvements for union laborers. The artist of the piece that inspired this poster, Octavio Ocampo, is one of Mexico's most prolific artists and is known for his sometimes wryly sardonic, sometimes evocative paintings, in which detailed images are intricately woven together to create larger images. The optical illusions fading back into the horizon, and, stepping forward as you study the pieces, notice the details, and finally recognize the large scale intention. This is what Ocampo terms his "metamorphic" style.