Mujer (Woman)

With the introduction of modern painting in the late nineteenth century came the practice of depicting subjects of everyday life. In an effort to create art that was more accessible and relevant to a larger audience, modernist painters looked to new sources for inspiration, no longer privileging members of the elite class as their sole subjects. Oftentimes, the common woman was the artists’ preferred subject. Costa Rican artist Francisco Amighetti continues this modernist tradition in his body of work. His woodcut prints depict images of the everyday. Scenes of children playing, women lounging, and families going about their days permeate his work, allowing viewers to share in his experiences of contemporary Costa Rica. The inclusion of Amighetti’s works in the Inter-American Development Bank’s collection highlights the institution’s commitment to gender equality and diversity across the region.

Amighetti’s "Mujer" is an example of a woodcut that continues the tradition of depicting the common woman while also alluding to notions of indigenism. His subject is an anonymous woman, possibly a wife. Framed by the doorway of her family’s traditional living structure, she stands with her head tilted down, her arm raised and resting against the doorframe. For Amighetti and many artists, the motif of the open window or door invites the viewer to share the vision of the artist. Here, the open door summons viewers to the scene of work, becoming a metaphor that grounds the contemporary viewer as he or she looks to the future without forgetting the roots of the past.

Text credit: Produced in collaboration with the University of Maryland Department of Art History & Archaeology and by L. Kershenbaum