THE DOCTOR AND HIS VOLCANOS: Dr. Atl in Tlatelolco

The first time I saw a painting of Dr. Atl was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York when they mounted their massive show of Mexican art in 1990. The large canvas depicted an erupting volcano in brilliant, almost lurid, colors.

Over the years I've seen a few of his paintings in museums here and they all exhibit his flair for iconic images of nature (mostly volcanoes), his use of intense colors (he invented his own paints, a mix of pastel and oil, which he called 'Atl color'), lively brush technique, and an almost surreal use of perspective.

A show of more than 200 of his works (paintings and drawings) is currently on display at the Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco here in Mexico City. It's one of the best painting shows I've seen here in years--don't miss it.

José Gerardo Murillo was born in Mexico to Spanish immigrants in 1875. He travelled to Europe and was influenced by Impressionist painters and others there. One early portrait in the show could be by Degas, and he surely saw the pointillist works of Suerat and his followers. At age 36, after a traumatic sea voyage, he changed his name to Dr. Atl (Atl is the Nahuatl word for water). He continued to paint, travel the world, write literature, became involved in leftist politics--at one point plotting to assasinate Mexican president Huerta. He conducted a famously scandalous love affair with artist/muse Carmen Mondragón (to whom he gave the Nahuatl name 'Nahui Olin' which she kept for the rest of her life).

Most of the paintings in the current show display his passion for volcanos. He concentrated on those in the Valley of Mexico and Paracutín, the volcano which suddenly erupted in a cornfield in Michoacán in 1943. He spent much time out of doors where he made elaborate studies, in both visual and literary forms. Spending so much time in the fumes and gases eventually led to health problems that resulted in his leg being amputated. He died in 1964 at age 89.

The museum complex at Tlatelolco also includes an exhibition on the 1968 student masacre on the site as well as two new collections of pre-Hispanic art.

Click HERE to see Lynda Martinez del Campo's excellent blog about the museum.

Portrait of Nahui Ollin

Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco
Ave. Ricardo Flores Magón N. 1
across from the Plaza de las Tres Culturas – “Square of the Three Cultures”
Col. Nonoalco-Tlatelolco
Cost is only $20.00 pesos
How to get there

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Thanks to Jesus Chairez for some of this information.

ARTES DE MEXICO: Celebrating Our Culture

Anyone who has poked around bookstores in Mexico City, the magazine section at Sanborn's, or the gift shop at almost any museum in the country, has probably encountered the publication Artes de Mexico.

Founded by Miguel Salas Anzurez, with Vicente Rojo as graphic designer, this large glossy magazine has been celebrating Mexican culture since 1953. After more than 200 issues, it fell on hard times in 1979 and lay dormant until 1988, when a group of investors decided to bring it back to life. Margarita de Orellano and Alberto Ruy Sanchez were invited to be general directors and since then, they have maintained its position as one of Mexico's most important cultural publications. They have enlarged the scope of the business to include books on poetry, photography, travel, as well as titles for children.

According to the website, the magazine's function is to promote "el placer de contemplar nuestra cultura" (the pleasure of contemplating our culture) and "comprender mejor quiénes somos" (to better understand who we are). Artes de Mexico is recognized around the world for the high quality of the research and writing, as well as for its elegant graphic design.

Margarita, (or Magui as she is known to friends), is the 'hands on' manager of the magazine. It's comfortable, old-fashioned offices are located in a converted Porfiriato mansion in Colonia Roma. Magui recalls first seeing the magazine as a young girl when she got into trouble at school and was called to the principal's office. "He had a copy on the table in the waiting room that I looked through--I was very impressed."

Alberto Ruy Sanchez, her husband as well as co-director, is a renowned poet, novelist and essayist. He travels the world as unofficial cultural ambassador, speaking frequently about Mexico and literature. France's Le Monde recently published a series of articles he wrote about contemporary Mexican culture.

The bi-lingual (Spanish and English) quarterly has covered a wide range of topics. Some of the most popular issues have been those on Talavera of Puebla, the Centro Histórico of Mexico City, Dia de los Muertos, architect Luis Barragán, and the textiles of Chiapas. There are hundreds more.

Artes de Mexico's Colonia Roma headquarters features a store which carries the magazine and a selection of Mexican handicrafts. Be sure to go

upstairs and check out the beautifully preserved interior of this architectural gem, located at Cordoba 69, between Durango and Colima. The store is open Monday through Friday from 9 to 6.

You can buy Artes de Mexico at the places mentioned above, or through the website: www.artesdemexico.com