Modotti photo show: no Frida
Tina who ?
Well, for those ignorant in the field of photography, Tina Modotti was a groundbreaking woman photographer of the mid-20th century whose intimate, politically charged images of life in Mexico provide valuable insight into the subjects and times.
I must admit, I don't quite have the expertise to write about a photography exhibit. The reason I'm writing this review is because of a mix-up. But when I was handed an unfamiliar press packet, I was curious about what I saw and decided to write this review anyway.
Tina Modotti lived a fascinating life. There's an old Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times!" Innocuous as it sounds, Modotti must have been cursed. When viewed with knowledge of Modotti's life in mind, her photographs are powerful indeed, aside from the fact that they are visually well-crafted and speak with voices of their own.
Modotti was born in Italy on Aug. 4, 1896, and she emigrated to California in 1913, where she took up acting. In 1923 she and her lover, American photographer Edward Weston, moved to Mexico. Modotti became involved with the Mexican Communist Party and led her to associate with the likes of Diego Rivera. Yet Modotti should definitely not be dismissed as a shutterbug version of Frida Kahlo, although she traveled in the same social and political circles.
Communism proved to be her Waterloo in Mexico: Because of her involvement in the party, she was constantly under government suspicion. And in 1929, she was deported because it was believed she had been involved in a plot to assassinate the president, Pascual Ortiz Rubio. She relocated to Germany and continued her work there.
Her best images are poignant pictures of things Mexican. Many of her pictures are politically charged, like her still lifes of hammers and sickles juxtaposed with typically Mexican icons such as ears of corn and guitars. Some of her other favorite political subjects subjects include puppets, marionettes dangled from hands that symbolize the government.
Also among Modotti's many still life subjects are detailed close-ups of lillies; these pictures' flowing lines remind one of both femininity and the art of Georgia O'Keefe. And Modotti clearly had a strong interest in the feminine. In addition to her flowing florals, she was also well-known for her "elegant but subdued portraits of Mexican women" in action, dressed in traditional clothing.
Tina Modotti: Photographs will be on view at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts until Feb. 25.
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the January 26, 1996 issue.
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