JosŽ VasconcelosÕ Brief
Memoir of the Mexican Pictorial Renaissance
Written for Jean Charlot
edited by John Charlot
JosŽ Vasconcelos (1882–1959) had long been one of the most
important intellectuals of Mexico when President çlvaro Obreg—n appointed him
to create the Ministry of Education in 1921. From that position, Vasconcelos initiated an educational and
cultural movement of unprecedented breadth and achievement (Fell 1989). Jean Charlot (1898–1979) called
Vasconcelos the deus ex machina of the
Mexican Mural Renaissance, which he launched and patronized as part of his
general program. He invited
artists to paint on the public walls he provided, gave them the necessary
artistic freedom, and protected them from the attacks of politicians, critics,
journalists, students, and much of the bourgeois public. When Vasconcelos resigned in July 1924,
the first, heady, idealistic phase of the Mural Renaissance was over. Charlot and other artists lost their
positions and left for other pursuits and even for other countries. VasconcelosÕ attempts to establish a
political opposition resulted in his suffering long periods of exile until he
returned to Mexico in 1940.
Charlot himself returned to Mexico from 1945 to 1947 to do
research on his book, The Mexican Mural Renaissance, 1920–1925 (1963, 1967).
There he reestablished contacts with his friends and colleagues. In an unpublished section of his book,
he describes his encounter with his old patron.
While writing this book, it is not without diffidence that I revisited
the men and the buildings that are described here as I knew them in the early
nineteen-twenties. Much of the
paper research concerned with the Vasconcelos era was made in the National
Library, whose director happened to be white-haired JosŽ Vasconcelos. The swarm of employees, the court of
artists he commanded as Secretary of Education, was pared down to one buxom,
amiable typist; the piles of documents that overflowed the giant desk that he
liked––carved from hard zapote
wood with the signs of the Zodiac––to a few memo sheets on a
table.
Charlot was anxious to do justice to Vasconcelos, whose
crucial role in the Renaissance had almost been forgotten. He asked
Vasconcelos––as he asked many of his old colleagues––to
provide him with his recollections of the period. Vasconcelos sketched a memoir on October 17, 1945,[1]
which is published here for the first time in its entirety. Charlot discussed the memoir with
Vasconcelos and quoted it in his book.
The manuscript––now in the Jean Charlot Collection,
University of Hawai`i––is transcribed here with minimal notes. Due to the difficulty of VasconcelosÕ
handwriting, some passages remain uncertain. I have depended on the typed transcription of Jean Charlot,
but depart from it in several places.
I thank Gustavo V‡zquez very much for his essential help in deciphering
the manuscript. After his
transcription, Charlot added notes from his conversation with Vasconcelos.
------------------------------------------------------
JOSE
VASCONCELOS
SERAPIO
RENDON No. 76
MEXICO.
D. F.
A fines de
20, Montenegro me acompa–— con Fern‡ndez Ledesma (Gabriel) a Manzanillo
En
Manzanillo Montenegro y Ledesma hicieron unas acuarelas de tipos
mexicanos.
DespuŽs
fueron Montenegro y Ledesma a Oaxaca p« ense–ar y orientar a los fabricantes de
loza––cambiandoles, moderniz‡ndoles sus sistemas de
decoraci—n. De entonces arranca el
auge de la loza oaxaque–a que hoy tiene mercado en Nueva York.
Los primeros
ensayos de pintura al fresco los hizo Montenegro en el grupo de San Pedro y San
Pablo, con baba de maguey. Tal
templo lo redecoraron Montenegro y Enciso y Fern‡ndez Ledesma.
Enciso hizo
la decoraci—n mural en flores y gui[rnald]as estilo colonial.
Montenegro
hizo el mural central y los vitrales.
Inici— Montenegro de esta suerte tambiŽn el vitral.
Fern‡ndez
Ledesma hizo el lambr’n de mosaicos, haciendo los mosaicos en Aguascalientes
donde renov— una vieja f‡brica de este material.
Un a–o
despuŽs de comenzado el renacimiento pict—rico por Montenegro, Enciso, Ledesma,
Diego Rivera me escribi— de Europa por conducto de Alfonso Reyes y de Pani. Al
llegar me pidi— trabajo. Le tuve
prevenci—n porque pintaba cubismo y este no era[2]
adaptable a mi juicio para obras del Estado. Tra’a en la cabeza a Picasso–– Lo puse a estudiar un mural de tema
universal––en la Preparatoria––en el
Anfiteatro–– Esto fue
por Diciembre. En ese mes me
acompa–— a un viaje a Yucat‡n, junto con Best. Escuch— Diego las conferencias
de Best sobre arte Mexicano. Esto
lo inspir— quiz‡s lo decidi— al tema nacional–– Para fomentarle esta inclinaci—n, le
aconsejŽ y le di facilidades para un viaje a Tehuantepec.
Antes de
este viaje se hab’a inaugurado su mural del Anfiteatro que no gust—. La prensa toda nos critic— a los
dos. Se invent— la palabra fe’smo
y todo el mundo estaba contra Diego.
Para salvarlo le insist’ en que la
decoraci—n del Ministerio acabado de inaugurar tuviese temas nacionales y le di
los temas. El trabajo del sal—n de
recibir y de la escalera lo ofrec’ originalmente a Best–– pero este
no present— bocetos, entonces le di el sal—n a Montenegro y la escalera a
Rivera, dandole como tema el ascenso de la costa, al altiplano. Fue esto la primera obra de Diego de
inspiraci—n mexicana. El plafond
lo complet— Montenegro con un vitral que representa segœn tema que le di ÒEl
flechador del cielo.Ó
-----------------------------
Como tema
para los patios di a Diego los trabajos y las fiestas.
Al fin de 22
lleg— Siqueiros por su cuenta.
Por encargo
de Diego le di la oportunidad como pintor desconocido––la escalera
del patio chico de la Preparatoria.
Pasaron los a–os y nunca hizo nada–– Su obra de pintor es sin duda posterior
a mi gesti—n en la Secretar’a.
––––––––––––––––––----
En la
Preparatoria, independentemiente de Diego y por recomendaci—n de Julio Torri
empez— a pintar Orozco––tambiŽn con poco Žxito La reputaci—n de este pintor se hizo en
los E. U. independentemiente de mi labor en la Secretar’a–– Pint— en Preparatoria en 23.
Al mismo
tiempo pint— por encargo m’o con temas que le di por la escalera del patio
principal Fernando Leal; me le recomend— Ramos Mart’nez–– El otro lado de la escalera lo pint—
Jean Charlot a quien me recomend— Diego–– DespuŽs Charlot hizo el precioso fresco del volant’n en la
Secretar’a.
Conoc’ a Atl
hace a–os pero entr— a trabajar por la Secretar’a cuando estuvo a mi
cargo––por junio de 1923–– Hizo labor independiente en
el Anexo de la Preparatoria. –– El cre— sus temas.
---------------------------
Spoken:
El œnico que
hac’a lo que dec’a era Diego.
Por el
cari–o que le ten’a a la escuela.
Me ped’a
Best mucho dinero y en ese tiempo no pude d‡rselo.
6 nietos
tengo. Todo lo que hago despuŽs
del trabajo es jugar con los ni–os.
Torri says
Clemente illustrated ÒDanteÓ for the Govt.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
JOSE
VASCONCELOS
SERAPIO
RENDON No. 76
MEXICO.
D. F.
Toward the end of 1920, Montenegro[3]
accompanied me with Fern‡ndez Ledesma (Gabriel)[4]
to Manzanillo.
In Manzanillo Montenegro and Ledesma painted some watercolors of
Mexican types.
Afterwards Montenegro and Ledesma went to Oaxaca to teach and
orient the makers of pottery––changing them, modernizing their
systems of decoration. From that
point starts the high point of the pottery of Oaxaca, which today has a market
in New York.
The first essays in fresco painting were done by Montenegro in
the group of San Pedro and Pablo, with maguey sap.[5] That church was redecorated by
Montenegro, Enciso,[6] and
Fern‡ndez Ledesma.
Enciso painted the mural decoration in flowers and garlands in
colonial style.
Montenegro made the central mural and the stained-glass
windows. In this way Montenegro
initiated stained-glass windows as well.
Fern‡ndez Ledesma made the wainscoting of mosaics, making the
mosaics in Aguascalientes where he renovated an old factory of this
material.
A year after the beginning of the pictorial renaissance by
Montenegro, Enciso, and Ledesma, Diego Rivera[7]
wrote me from Europe through Alfonso Reyes[8]
and Pani.[9] When he arrived, he asked me for
work. I was cautious because he
painted cubism, and this in my judgment was not adaptable to works of the
Government. He had Picasso in his
head–– I put him to
studying a mural with a universal theme––in the
Preparatoria––in the Amphitheatre––That was around
December. In that month he
accompanied me on a trip to Yucat‡n along with Best.[10] Diego attended BestÕs lectures on
Mexican art. That inspired him,
perhaps decided him on a national subject–– To encourage this inclination, I
counseled him and gave him the means for a trip to Tehu‡ntepec.
Before this voyage, his mural in the Amphitheatre had been begun,
which did not please. All the
press criticized both of us. The
word ÒUglyismÓ was invented, and everyone was against Diego.
To save him, I insisted to him that the decoration of the
Ministry which had just been started would have national subjects, and I gave
him the subjects. The work in the
reception room and the staircase I offered originally to Best––but
he did not provide sketches. Then
I gave the reception room to Montenegro and the staircase to Rivera, giving him
as subject the ascent from the coast to the plateau of Mexico. This was DiegoÕs first work of a
Mexican inspiration. Montenegro
completed the ceiling with a stained-glass window that represented, according
to the subject that I gave him, The Archer of the Sky.
-------------------------
As subject of the courtyards, I gave Diego labors and
fiestas.
At the end of 1922, Siqueiros arrived on his own.[11]
On DiegoÕs responsibility, I gave him the opportunity as an
unknown painter––the staircase of the small court of the
Preparatoria. The years passed,
and he never did anything–– His work as a painter is without doubt
posterior to my administration in the Ministry.
-------------------------
In the Preparatoria, independently of Diego and on the
recommendation of Julio Torri,[12]
Orozco began to paint––also with little success.[13] The reputation of this painter was made
in the United States independently of my work in the
Ministry–– He painted
in the Preparatoria in 1923.
At the same time Fernando Leal painted the staircase of the main
court, on my orders and with subjects that I gave him.[14] Ramos Mart’nez recommended him to
me–– Jean Charlot,
whom Diego recommended to me, painted the other side of the
staircase–– Afterwards
Charlot made the precious fresco of the kite in the Ministry.[15]
I knew Atl[16]
for years, but he started working for the Ministry when I was in
charge––around June of 1923–– He did independent work
in the Annex of the Preparatoria. –– He created his own
subjects.
-------------------------
Spoken:
The only one who did what he said was Diego.
For the affection that he felt for the school.
Best asked me for much money, which I was not able to give him at
that time.
I have 6 grandchildren.
All I do after work is play with the children.
Torri says Clemente illustrated ÒDanteÓ for the Govt.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Charlot, Jean, 1963, 1967. The Mexican Mural
Renaissance, 1920–1925. New Haven and London: Yale University
Press.
Charlot, John, 2008. ÒPatrocinio y libertad creativa: JosŽ Vasconcelos y sus
muralistas.Ó Parteaguas,
Revista del Instituto Cultural de Aguascalientes, Year 4, Number 13, Summer, pp. 97–105.
Fell, Claude, 1989. JosŽ Vasconcelos: Los A–os del çguila (1920-1925):
Educaci—n, Cultura e Iberoamericanismo en el MŽxico Postrevolucionario.
Mexico: Universidad Nacional Aut—noma de MŽxico.
[1] This date is
given on Jean CharlotÕs transcription: "Written by Lic. Vasc. October 17,
1945."
[2] Replaces: hubiera.
[3] Roberto Montenegro, 1887–1968.
[4] Gabriel Fern‡ndez Ledesma, 1900–1983.
[5] Vasconcelos may be remembering mistakenly an episode with Diego Rivera, Charlot 1967: 257–260.
[6] Jorge Enciso.
[7] Diego Rivera, 1886–1957.
[8] Alfonso Reyes, 1889–1959.
[9] Alberto J. Pani, 1878–1955.
[10] Adolfo Best Maugard, 1891–1964.
[11] David Alfaro Siqueiros, 1896–1974. Vasconcelos is mistaken in his memory. In fact, he made a great effort to bring Siqueiros back to Mexico, Charlot 1967: 198–201.
[12] Julio Torri, 1889–1970.
[13] JosŽ Clemente Orozco, 1883–1949.
[14] Vasconcelos states here that he gave Leal the subject for his mural. However, this contradicts his earlier statements as well as those of Leal (Charlot 2008: 98 ff.). Vasconcelos uses here much the same words he used for Rivera (ÒComo tema para los patios di a DiegoÓ; Òle di los temasÓ) and Montenegro (Òsegœn tema que le diÓ). In my opinion, his memory has mistakenly extended his selection of subjects to the younger artists. The statement does show, I believe, that in the 1940s he appreciated those artists more than he did in the 1920s.
The present transcription reveals a major fault in my article (2008), for which I apologize most sincerely. At the time of writing, I followed CharlotÕs transcription: Òen lugar que le di.Ó The more accurate transcription, Òcon temas que le di,Ó can certainly be used as an objection to my thesis that Vasconcelos provided subjects for the older artists but not for the younger ones. However, the evidence of the earlier statements, which were much nearer to the events, persuades me that Vasconcelos was making another mistake in this text.
[15] On
VasconcelosÕ confusion of temas, see Charlot 2008: 103, n. 41
[16] Dr. Atl, Gerardo Murillo, 1875–1964.