Angels and Prostitutes: Jose Clement Orozco's Catharsis and the Politics of Female Allegory in 1930s Mexico

Abstract

Entering the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City (figure 1), one is immediately ensconced in the rosy light of its lavish pink-marble interior. Ridiculed by critics as an architectural monstrosity, the Palace is nonetheless a hallowed site of Mexican cultural patrimony. It is a heritage site in and of itself, as well as home to the national symphony and ballet, a museum, and some of the most well-known and widely viewed monumental paintings by los cuatro grandes—Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo.2 Ascending the central staircase from the lower lobby toward the murals3 on the second and third floors has become a ritual of heritage for citizens and tourists alike. But the anticipation and excitement of the pilgrimage can also provoke surprise and even shock when one reaches the uppermost level. Here, the narrow space afforded by the balcony-like corridors forces the viewer into intimate congress with enormous nude women whose nakedness is closer to pornography than the decorous nudity found in most public art.4 This is particularly the case with Orozco's Catharsis (1934) (Figure 2), in which the most prominent figure, a green-hued prostitute, lies on her back, upside down and spread-eagle, just [End Page 185] Click for larger view Figure 1 Palace of Fine Arts, Mexico City, Mexico, 2002. Photograph by Mary K. Coffey.

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