La Becky in Purple
Primary
Gaspar Enríquez
(El Paso, Texas, 1942–present)
Date1993
MediumAirbrushed acrylic on paper
Dimensions29 x 41 inches
Credit LineBlanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Gilberto Cárdenas Collection, Museum Acquisition Fund, 2022.112
Rights Statement
Collection AreaLatino Art
Object number2022.112
On View
Not on viewSince the 1990s, Gaspar Enríquez has used monochromatic portraits to reflect on the complex realities of the barrio and its multigenerational struggles with poverty and oppression. Documenting people from his upbringing and the students he mentored during his 34-year-long tenure as a high school art teacher, Enríquez depicts his urban figures existing in a black-and-white reality based solely on survival. His characters range from the 1940s pachuco to the modern chola, exemplifying the barrios’ social contradictions as both tight-knit communities and violent environments. The use of airbrushing glamorizes his figures, creating a chiaroscuro effect that canonizes them and glorifies their presence. Set against a saturated purple background, this chola represents the urban face of power. Enriquez’s stark visual representations of barrio life through the acute portrayal of diverse subjects suggest the possibility of an exceptional future for his community.
Exhibitions
![Maria de los Angeles y los angelitos negros [Maria de los Angeles and the Black Little Angels]](/internal/media/dispatcher/29419/thumbnail)
![Difracción 3 [Diffraction 3]](/internal/media/dispatcher/15692/thumbnail)
![De la Corona y el Vaquero Enamorado, el Pachukis [Of the Crown and the Enamored Cowboy, the Pachukis]](/internal/media/dispatcher/29421/thumbnail)
