Narsiso Martinez: From Farmer to Artist
The New Riv Features This Artist Who Is Giving Farmworkers the Spotlight.
And Narsiso Martinez Is the Right Man for the Job – Until Recently a Farmworker Himself
Migrant workers have been in the spotlight a lot lately. But who really are these people we pass working the fields as we drive down the 101 toward Los Angeles?
Fortunately, we have the searing work of artist Narsiso Martinez to shed light on the subject. Now an accomplished and highly collected artist, Narsiso worked the fields as a “picker” first in his country then in ours. He put himself through college and then a graduate degree, learning his artistic craft by day while returning to the fields at night – to pay for it all. Spoiler alert: it paid off.
Big Ag created happy images like the dancing Chiquita Banana girl, a Carmen Miranda of sorts, to help us feel good about the produce on our table, which in reality was often harvested under less than favorable conditions. Narsiso Martinez uses as his canvas the innocuous fruit crates he used to fill, upon which he depicts and ennobles his farmworking compadres and compatriots.
In so doing, Martinez brings the invisible laborer to the fore, carrying on the tradition of some other artists you may have heard of, like Jean-François Millet and Van Gogh. While that may sound like lofty praise, check out Narsiso’s work in the new (epic) Riv and see if you don’t agree. You can also find Narsiso’s work at LACMA and the Charlie James Gallery. He has shown at our own SBMA as well.
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