Guayasamin

1. On an aesthetic level, I would equate Guayasamin’s style to that of Picasso. His works seem to be mainly done in the style of cubism, which would explain the abstractness of the subjects in the art. Since many of his pieces are of people and are abstracted in this way, it takes concentration and time to make sense of them. As a result of focusing on the political and social issues of the time, Guayasamin’s art itself becomes political. He does not try to hide the atrocities of some political systems and, which makes his work both honest and horrifying.
2. He is an important Ecuadorian artist because he focuses on the realities of live in South America during the times their people were suppressed. He wanted to show the political and social oppression while also making a point of saying that there would one day be a change for the oppressed people. He was able to communicate a message of hope for the people of Ecuador through his art.
3. This piece of the Chilean dictator Augosto Pinochet is very clearly considered a controversial piece.. Guayasamin uses his usual style of portraying corrupted individuals by using the sharp teeth. This is mostly controversial because it shows a literal hanging of a political leader. Since this is such a morbid and outspoken opinion on a political leader, it seems likely that it would make many viewers uncomfortable. I don’t believe the morbidity is ultimately why this piece of art was taken down from the museum. I feel as if it was ultimately taken down as a result of wanting the museum to be more welcoming in a way that wasn’t so directly committing such a violent act. Personally, I would have liked to seen this displayed in the museum, as I think it provides a lot of insight to not only Guaysamin’s interpretations, but also to the political climate during this specific time period.