Presencia de America Latina, Historical mural at University of Concepción, Chile.
Presencia de América Latina is a 300-square-meter acrylic mural on rough stucco by Mexican artist Jorge González Camarena, painted between November 1964 and April 1965 in the entrance lobby of the Casa del Arte at the University of Concepción. It consists of a flat central panel measuring 20 by 6 meters and two oblique side panels of 7.6 by 6 meters each, totaling 211.2 square meters of solid wall; the work also covers a square-cornered spiral staircase leading to the second-floor gallery, bringing the total surface to about 300 square meters. The mural is read chronologically from right to left, beginning with pre-Columbian America and ending with the fraternity panel.
The mural came about following the 1960 earthquake that heavily damaged Concepción, funded by Mexico as part of international aid to help rebuild the university. This project served as an important contribution to restoring the city's cultural center.
The flags along the top run from Chile, beside a condor, to Mexico, beside an eagle and serpent, ordered south to north; non-sovereign territories such as Puerto Rico and the French colonies are left out. Pablo Neruda's verses crown the work, and the mural appears on souvenirs and on a 1994 postage stamp for the university's 75th anniversary.
The mural is located inside Casa del Arte on the University of Concepción campus and is typically accessible during the building's public hours. Keep in mind that access to university buildings can sometimes be restricted, so checking beforehand is helpful.
The mural's central figure is a life-size nude woman holding a map of Latin America on her lap; the body was modelled on Alicia Cuevas, a native of Coronel near Concepción, while the face comes from another of González Camarena's works. Above her, a capital alludes to the Greco-Roman contribution, and rock blocks to Mesoamerican architecture.
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