Humanscape 62

Copied Melesio Casas, Humanscape 62, 1970, acrylic on canvas, 73 x 97 in. (185.4 x 246.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2012.37, © 1970, the Casas Family

Artwork Details

Title
Humanscape 62
Artist
Date
1970
Location
Dimensions
73 x 97 in. (185.4 x 246.4 cm)
Copyright
© 1970, the Casas Family
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
acrylic on canvas
Classifications
Highlights
Subjects
  • Indian
  • Dress — uniform — scout uniform
  • Object — foodstuff — brownie
Object Number
2012.37
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2012.37

Artwork Description

Humanscape 62 satirizes the trivialization of brown cultures--both Mexican and Indigenous--in American advertising. Melesio Casas depicts the Frito Bandito (a racist cartoon mascot of the Frito-Lay Company) as part of a Mesoamerican jade pendant. He juxtaposes this with images of American Indian and Mexican American people, a Brownie Girl Scout, and a tray of brownies, labeling them all "Brownies of the Southwest."

A central figure of the Chicano arts movement, Casas created Humanscape 62 the year Frito-Lay began to phase out its use of the character in response to lobbying by Chicano activists. The painting both documents the character's existence and confronts the power of mass media to shape and perpetuate cultural stereotypes.

Videos

Exhibitions

Media - 2011.12 - SAAM-2011.12_1 - 77591
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
October 25, 2013–March 2, 2014
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.