Platanal

Myrna Báez, Platanal, 1974, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jaime Fonalledas, 2013.21

Exhibition Label

Báez focused her gaze on a lush field of plantain trees, a crop long wedded to concepts of Puerto Rican identity and sovereignty. She depicted the crop’s large leaves as they reflect the tropical sun and delighted in her manipulation of paint on unprimed canvas. Báez’s belief in Puerto Rican independence manifests in her impulse to look, depict, and therefore possess the island’s landscape on her own terms.

Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013

Title

Platanal

Artist

Myrna Báez

Date

1974

Location

Not on view

Dimensions