Retrato de una mujer con perfil azteca [Portrait of a Woman with an Aztec Profile]

Carlos Orozco Romero played an important role in the development and leadership of a number of Mexican cultural institutions, including the art gallery of the Palacio de Bellas Artes [Palace of Fine Arts]. Although he worked as a caricaturist early in his career, Orozco Romero was also a dedicated painter. In “Portrait of a Woman with an Aztec Profile,” the artist’s experience with Cubism features subtly, lending a faceted appearance to the areas of light and shadow projected on the subject’s face. Reminiscent of classical portraiture, this work also asserts a noble indigenous heritage in the construction of modern Mexican identity.