In this video, we will study the beginning of her practice, her literary and artistic exploration background, and her trailblazer perspective around female pleasure. To navigate it, we suggest answering the following questions as you watch it:
How do you think it affected Carmen, having been raised by a military conservative family at the end of the Porfirian regime and the beginning of the Mexican revolution?
What was her perspective on womanhood that she developed from a young age?
What happened during the famous Ten Days (la Decena Tragica) that linked the destinies of Carmen Mondragon and Aurora Reyes?
How did her perspective on art affect Manuel Rodriguez Lozano?
What happened in her relationship with Rodriguez Lozano that led her to explore and argue the expression of female pleasure in Mexican society?
What is the importance of the exploration of pleasure in art history?
Why do you think female pleasure was denied?
What archetypes were used to circumscribe women and their representations in art history?
How did Carmen view pleasure, and how did it relate to her practice and her perception of her own body?
Why do you think she started working as a model?
Why did she purposely abstain from political subjects during the 1920s in Mexico? Why was this decision so radical?
What was the focus of her visual practice? How did she manifest it in her canvas?
Who gave her the name of Nahui Olin, and what did it mean? Why do you think it became so important to her and her practice?