La morena

Connie Arismendi’s complex portrait combines several religious traditions and personal elements. She explains, “La Morena is part of a series of drawings on fabric. I chose this material because it references the ephemeral and transitory nature of life.” With a face depicted on a draping veil, the work suggests the Biblical scene of Veronica capturing Christ’s visage on cloth, here overlaid on a bed of roses, a flower that in Mexico symbolizes the Virgin of Guadalupe. Arismendi acquired her love of fabrics and stylish patterns from her mother, who was a seamstress. “It’s totally my mother’s influence; she made our home beautiful. Here is her beauty–that was her gift to me.” The artist created this portrait by stretching the sheer fabric over a black and white postcard featuring a Mexican movie star, which she began to trace, but then “it evolved into a portrait of my niece Grace Leos. The pensive look is indicative of her life and emotions at that time.” Arismendi’s ethereal piece, lends memories of family life a resonant cultural meaning.