Source: Dawn Ades, Art in Latin America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989, p. 107.
Image: "El Citlaltépetl", José María Velasco, 1879. Oil on canvas in the Museo Nacional de Arte, Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City.
Comments: Velasco (Mexico, 1840-1912) was a conservative Catholic painter who was attacked by a few early Mexican modernistas for paying too much attention to local color rather than art for art's sake (i.e., of the modernismo period and mode). In this painting, however, Velasco does introduce the modern element, the train, which began operation from Mexico City to Veracruz in 1872. Velasco did see Impressionist paintings in France in the 1880s, however, and he introduced a little of that style into his own art.
Humanities Questions: (A) Identify the style of this painting. (B) What elements does the painter use to characterize Mexico? (C) Do you like this painting? Why?