Latin American Cultural Influences on Human Development
- A mural is artwork, painted directly on a wall. The Latin American mural movement, from the 1930s, reinvigorated the old artistic style that began in Egyptian pyramids more than 5,000 years prior. The Mexican mural movement used large, powerful mural images to make statements about political and social issues. Muralists such as Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros and Jose Orozco were instrumental in developing the Latin American mural style. The style and politically significant themes that the artists displayed contributed to the increase in social awareness that continued through the 20th century.
- The Latin American artistic trends of the early 20th century incorporated canvas art with the constructivist movement. Constructivism was the sociological theory that suggests that each individual is a combination of many different parts, including childhood, parentage and culture. The incorporation of constructivism into their art allowed early 20th century Latin American artists to explore their connections to their culture and the way their culture influenced them. This artistic movement provided a unique inspection of the theory of constructivism, exploring its significance with cultural connections.
- The Latin American culture gave birth to a literary genre known as magical realism. The style is a mixture of folklore and reality, combining the very detailed real world with magical occurrences that are depicted as natural elements. Notable Latin American authors, such as Gabriel Márquez and Augusto Bastos developed the genre and worked to usher it into popularity. Their work opened a new genre of literature to the world. Additionally, the genre of magical realism allowed non-Latin readers to peak into a culture that considered the unique folklore of their culture as more natural than mythological.
- Cinema novo was a film making technique that developed in Brazil in the 1960s as a response to neocolonialism and political instability. The style utilized new film-making techniques, such as distancing, jump cuts, social symbolism and image saturation. The technique attempted to keep the audience off guard and uncomfortable, often relying on disturbing images that questioned the audience's values. At the heart of the cinema novo movement was an attempt by directors to question the social and political ideals of its culture. Cinema novo suggested that film could be used as a means for social change and to challenge the audience's deeply held values.