“Revolución: Tierra y Libertad"
Exhibition of Ted DeGrazia Paintings at the DeGrazia Gallery
in the Sun, in Tucson, Arizona

 The first formal exhibition of paintings by Ted DeGrazia that depict events of the Mexican Revolution includes 19 oils and 11 works on paper created by the artist from 1937-1973. See painting pictured - "The Soldier Took Him Away".

Curator Kristine Peashock says that like the Mexican muralists, "DeGrazia chose to depict peasants and banditos in his paintings of the Revolution, and incorporated well-known visual motifs from Revolution-era artwork, such as the use of a white horse as a sign of liberation. Throughout, DeGrazia retained his signature style – bold palette strokes rendering sympathetic and universal images of proud people."

The armed struggle surged south of the border for the first 10 years of DeGrazia’s childhood in Morenci, Arizona, where DeGrazia grew up with the children of Mexican copper miners. He learned that the conflict was aimed at the policies of President Porfirio Díaz, who supported Mexico's wealthy hacienda owners – most of European descent – who took over land that had traditionally been used by peasants. Subsequently, the peasants were forced into serfdom on their former communal properties.

Peashock says that while DeGrazia was not politically active, the goals of the Mexican Revolution were in line with his lifelong populist agenda, in particular General Zapata’s famed battle cry, “Tierra y Libertad” – Land and Liberty – which resonated with the artist who valued the freedom to be a landowner and do as he pleased. Furthermore, she says, "DeGrazia, like the Revolutionary leaders, stood in support of indigenous populations and their ancestral land claims, whether it was mestizos in Mexico or Indian tribes in the southwestern United States."

In the early 1940s, DeGrazia was exposed to Mexican Revolution artworks first-hand during his tutelage under Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco in Mexico City. Peashock says the exhibition showcases the influence of these mural masters.

Lance Laber, Executive Director of of the DeGrazia Foundation. was interviewed about this exhibit on Champagne Sundays online radio show on September 28, 2008. To listen to the entire, unedited show, please click here. To listen to Lance's interview, please double click on the Play Button below.






Admission to the Exhibit: Free
When:  Opening reception Friday, September 12, 2008 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Exhibition continues through Friday, January 16, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. daily
Tel: (520) 299-9191
Location:  DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, 6300 N. Swan Rd., Tucson, 85718