Art has played a revolutionary role in Hispanic culture for centuries. Los Angeles is a great example of Hispanic culture embodied. Whether it’s colorful murals like on the freeway or on the corner store on the way to get your favorite snacks. It’s delicious food from an authentic Mexican restaurant run by a beautiful family and little children that is never overpriced! It’s also the sad, upbeat, fast paced music that keeps us awake at 2 a.m. Art is everywhere within Hispanic culture and it has paved the way for new artists to be as iconic as they were before.
Hispanic culture and the role art plays in it is simply beautiful. The essence of capturing stories in art has great significance to Hispanics and many other cultures. Many current artists thrive to continue sharing the stories that have been passed down for generations on end. 23 year old Alexander Cabrera is an up and coming artist (photographer) who tries to capture stories through his lens.
Alex believes that art is beyond a beautiful portrait or a song, it’s interconnected with our history. “You need to look at murals, photography, music, as not just entertainment but rather looking at the past,” Alex explains,”They need to see how older artists paved the way for new artists. We need to see how the past influenced the future because that is really important and it shows in our work as well.” This quote is significant because of how he directly states the facts as they are, which is that without older artists, modern artists wouldn’t have any guidance.
For artists like Alex, art is intertwined into our identity. “Art lets people know who we are, it keeps record of our history. If there was no documentation of that then our history wouldn’t exist.”
Even though some people view art as a pretty picture or emotional song, art for the artist is a way for them to tell their story. It tells their obstacles they had to overcome “Now, not many artists blend tradition into modern perspectives,” Alex explains,” it told the struggles of life and what you had to do in order to survive and live life as a Hispanic artist.”
Without our stories, where would Hispanic people be? We need art in our lives or we as Hispanics would cease to exist. Besides famous artists and their stories who made a significant impact on Hispanic culture, every Hispanic person’s story matters to our history.
Art has its own deep connection within everyone. Despite my deep dislike for my 6th grade painting, it means something to my mom, and that’s enough. Art for everyone can be such a core memory and because there are so many forms of it, it highlights the significance it has in Hispanic culture. How art is important to me is because it helps me feel at peace and I’m able to project all of my creativeness and personal style onto paper as a beautiful drawing.
Art has many forms. Dance, music, paintings, drawings, cooking, clothes, etc. I believe every form is iconic to Hispanic culture in its own way and has different significance in every Hispanic. Without it, where would we be today?
