Adam and Eva Double Exposed

This work exemplifies Valadéz' style both in its incisive exploration of psychological conflict, as well as in its masterful draftsmanship. Ambiguous and unsettling, the work portrays the inner struggle of a young Chicana woman who wants to escape the barrio through her relations with Anglo men, a prospect that elicits both excitement and terror. Valadéz' exacting realism and brilliant color establish a psychological tension within the work. His handling of formal aspects of the drawing, coupled wih the surreal edge he achieves, serve to illuminate the complicated themes of race, sexuality, fantasy, and desire. References to Albrecht Dürers's Adam and Eve andt José Clemente Orozco's Cortés and La Malinche in the background add to the complexity of the image Their inclusion links his scene to two mythical couples, one central to the creation story of western history and the other to the source of Mexico's mestizo culture. It also positions Valadez as an heir to both European and Mexican artistic traditions.