Ch. 2 Mexican Masks
"This predominance of the closed over the open manifests itself not only as impassivity and distrust, irony and suspicion, but also as love of Form." p. 32
This made me consider Form not only in terms of ceremony, formula and order, but also in terms of physical form. It reminded me of something I read about the pre-Columbian architectural forms of Mexico in Ancient Origins of the Mexican Plaza by Wagner, Box and Morehead:
"Unlike the European tradition of architecture, the Maya did not create their structures with the primary aim of creating interior space. Instead, public architecture functioned like gigantic stage set to serve as the backdrop for huge processional rituals, dances and public dramas."
Could the idea of the mask be extended to all forms of art (including music) and design as well as social patterns?
"Womanhood, unlike manhood, is never an end in itself." p. 36
This section brought up a lot of questions for me, including how much these social moors persist today. I wonder what a similar list of ideal attributes and analysis of North American women would look like both then and now. Through his description of the long suffering woman, I came to understand a bit more about how a personnage like Frida Khalo could come to exist. At the same time, I wondered where and how Chavela Vargas fit into all these clearly defined gender roles.
"This circle is closed and the shadow of Nobody spreads out over our land, choking the Gesticulator and covering everything. Silence - the prehistoric silence, stronger than all the pyramids and sacrifices, all the churches and uprisings and popular songs - comes back to rule over Mexico." p 46
What is he talking about here? What does he see the outcome to be?
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