37: Miguel Covarrubias' Vision Without Borders ft. Veka Duncan
As a follow up to our episode on multi-disciplinary artist Rosa Rolanda, we explore a world without borders through artist, illustrator, set-designer, archeologist, and Rosa’s partner - Miguel Covarrubias’ eyes.
Check out the episode below:
For audio-only folks
If you missed our latest release on Rosa Rolanda, we HIGHLY recommend checking that one out BEFORE continuing with this episode,
check it out here: VIDEO / AUDIO
While doing research on Rosa, we inevitably discovered Miguel’s work and - our little red socks were blown off - there was no question that we had to talk about his work alongside hers!
To help us unravel their fascinating story, we asked Mexican art historian and cultural content creator Veka Duncan, for her insight on Miguel and Rosa’s work and legacy.
Miguel and Rosa’s relationship - romantically and professionally - flourished during in an era of explosive creativity in New York City as well as Mexico City.
Together they produced work in a variety of fields and media including anthropology, dance, set design, choreography, costume design, dance director, acting, choreography, painting, illustrating, writing . . . thus, becoming Mexico’s first art power couple.
One such collaboration was the groundbreaking book The Island of Bali (1937), illustrated and written by Miguel with accompanying photographs by Rosa, both receiving critical acclaim.
A book that is essentially a deep dive into Balinese culture: the people, land, language, religion, art, food and dance and so much more, became SO popular that it caused a “Bali craze” in 1937.
Aside from the public FOMO, The Island of Bali is still considered a foundational scholarly text and is still referenced to this day.
Quite frankly, Miguel and Rosa are unlike any other artist couple in history, IOHO.
Like Rosa Rolanda’s portraits, Miguel’s illustrative style also feels super contemporary with vivid colors, bold features and a similar energetic timelessness.
Many Americans might know Miguel’s work by his extraordinary 12’ x 60’ glass mosaic mural, “Genesis, the Gift of Life” outside of the entrance of the Dallas Museum of Art from 1954.
The idea for this mural came from a VERY small tempera painting on paper which was then blown up to whale-size proportions and brought to life using thousands of tiny pieces of glass or tesserae, giving the brilliance of those otherwordly mosaics in in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. . .
but instead of Big J and the Christian posse, Miguel highlights Mesoamerican and Native-American symbols to explore the idea of a genesis through the perspective of indigenous cultures.
The four elements water, earth, fire and air dominate the composition; there’s thriving crops like wheat, maize, citrus, sunflower and cotton. What looks like a Zuni Rainbow Man zooms above; an ancient Mexican god lurks beneath the Earth’s surface; a red sun that looks very similar to the Zia Sun symbol hovers in the sky. If you’ve ever been enchanted by New Mexico, you might recognize the Zia Sun from the state flag.
This is what we think Miguel does best: he brings together universal beauty and meaning in such a profound way while still making the work feel cohesive.
However, it wasn’t until our recent whirlwind visit to Mexico City and seeing his retrospective “Una Mirada Sin Fronteras / A View Without Borders” at the Palacio de Cultura Banamex, that we were TRULY able to wrap our eyes and brain around the immense significance of Miguel’s work, not just in Mexico but beyond.
When we walked into the exhibition, we were met with the “Flora and Fauna of the Pacific” mural which just enveloped our periphery and transported us to a bird’s eye view (no pun intended lol) of the Pacific Ocean and its salty reaches.
It stirred some nostalgia in us and that awe and wonder you experience as a kid when the world is so big, so new, so bright and so fascinating!
This is one of our favorites because not only are the flora and fauna scientifically accurate but they are just as vibrant and playful as illustrator/printmaker Wanda Gag’s prints of fantastical nature are still very realistically rendered (you can find our episode on her here).
Well . . . mostly lol.
Like Wanda, Miguel may SUBTLY tweak a certain feature or quality - like slightly enlarging a head or eyes making them appear a bit more cartoon-y. Then his use of color just blows your color socks off.
But back to that child-like aur and wonder: While Miguel’s work is now celebrated for surpassing borders and spotlighting cultures from all over the world, this mural (and the others in the series) were a culmination from years of observation:
His first inspiration came from home, specifically the nightlife of Mexico City experiencing its own cultural Renaissance, where as a teen he spent time in theatres and bumpin’ cafes observing, absorbing the people while also befriending them - artists like Diego Rivera but also singers, dancers, actors, and comedians including Cantinflas. His young age earned him the nickname ‘El Chamaco’, which roughly translates to ‘kid’.
Miguel had found his calling which was to capture the essence of people living, enjoying life and/or celebrating their culture.
Soon in 1923 at age 19, he combined his technical skills with the visions of life that soon brought him to NYC, USA. Publishers at The New Yorker and Vanity Fair were wowed by his talent and began publishing his drawings post haste.
Inspired by the Roaring ‘20s excess and glamour cultural scene, Miguel would soon start caricaturing movie stars, socialites, politicians, evangelists, mobsters illustrating them in contradictory pairings as part of his witty caricature series “Impossible Interviews”.
Think psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and old Hollywood star Jean Harlow; Clark Gables and Edward, the Prince of Wales; Joseph Stalin and Surrealist-influenced fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli.
For Miguel, just because someone is dead or alive, young or old, familiar or foreign, doesn’t mean there can’t be some kind of dialogue between the two - for better or for worse!
Taking a break from pop culture, Miguel’s love of performance, theatre and art soon led him to Harlem which, much like Mexico City, was experiencing its own Renaissance: the music, the acrobatic dance, the people and the fashion - all fascinated Miguel.
For him, this love and appreciation led to new, dynamic representations of black folks and his drawings and prints were among the first to center Black figures on the pages of mainstream, mass-circulation magazines like Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.
While some criticized these works, other Black intellectuals celebrated them. For example, poet Langston Hughes and writer Zora Neale Hurston - who you may know from Their Eyes Were Watching God - and for whom Miguel would go on to illustrate the covers of their books The Weary Blues and Mules of Men.
“This young Mexican has an uncanny feeling for the comical essence behind those characters he chooses to portray;
he does not choose to portray all, however, apparently finding the most interesting types in the cabarets.
He is especially successful in capturing the illusion of motion.”
Not only did Miguel contribute to the Harlem Renaissance with his original drawings and book cover illustrations, but he also designed stage sets for performances that would shoot Josephine Baker to fame in Paris like La Revue Nègre from 1925.
And . . THAT is our SUPER limited intro of Miguel’s work for y’all!
HE MADE SO MUCH WORK but the thread in all of it is finding the value, the humanity, and humor in the people and creatures that inhabit this planet we all call home.
It challenges us to look past borders to find that shared humanity.
Art and culture is a connector to people - real people - and appreciating their craft brings light into their lives.
Life is short so make art and share your talent with the world in a meaningful way!
Miguel and Rosa did just that - they shared their talent with others and worked to showcase the talent of others.
Through that, they brought humanity - spread out over miles and miles apart - a little bit closer and made the world a little bit better.
If you’re an artist of any kind, remember that the best we can do is NOT let governments or tech CEOs take that away from you, from us.
Seeing Miguel’s works in a single space - from paintings and caricatures to dance costumes and books - makes it really clear that we as humans, share a love of beauty, design, food, and even fashion.
And while he was praised in his lifetime, it was not in line with the post-revolution tastemakers so his work and legacy has not gotten its due.
But we hope this is changing! As times grow more bleak, we can look to Miguel’s world and remember there are still adventures to be had and connections to be made.
Just be sure to let your curiosity respectfully guide you and we should continue resisting the global flattening of culture!!!!
Did you know Miguel Covarrubias’ work? Do you have a favorite??
Let us know!
Featured Music:
“You’re Magic” by Soft and Furious
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