Mujer con los Brazos Alzados

Acclaimed as a figurative sculptor, Francisco Zúñiga was also an accomplished painter and draftsman whose subjects reveal a lifelong fascination with Latin American peoples and cultures, especially rural working class women. The female subject portrayed here is shown barefooted, informally posed, and wearing a huipil, traditional clothing that is emblematic of the simple dignity of indigenous Mexican women. Though certainly romanticized, the depiction also functions as a political statement, one in which the sitter’s modest attire, unidealized body type, and confident bearing symbolize pride in Mexico’s rich and diverse history.