Political Prisoner

Rupert García, Political Prisoner, 1976, pastel on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Rupert García and Sammi Madison-García, 1978.107, © 1976, Rupert García
Rupert García, Political Prisoner, 1976, pastel on paper, sheet: 48 x 36 in. (122.0 x 91.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Rupert García and Sammi Madison-García, 1978.107, © 1976, Rupert García

Artwork Details

Title
Political Prisoner
Artist
Date
1976
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 48 x 36 in. (122.0 x 91.5 cm)
Copyright
© 1976, Rupert García
Credit Line
Gift of Rupert García and Sammi Madison-García
Mediums
Mediums Description
pastel on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure female — head
Object Number
1978.107
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1978.107

Artwork Description

In 1975, García, who was a Vietnam veteran, was drawn to a Newsweek cover story about the arrival of Vietnamese refugees in the United States. To create this pastel, García focused on one figure in the picture: a young woman who wails with closed eyes. He isolated and enlarged her face, placed a gag over her mouth, and situated her in a sea of radiating blue. Garcia’s compelling image invites viewers to confront the injustices of our day.

Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013
Description in Spanish

En 1975, García, que era veterano de Vietnam, se interesó en una noticia ilustrada en la portada de Newsweek sobre la llegada de refugiados vietnamitas a los Estados Unidos. Para crear esta pintura al pastel, García se concentró en una de las figuras de la fotografía: una joven que grita con los ojos cerrados. El aisló y amplió su cara, le puso una mordaza sobre la boca, y la situó en un mar de azul radiante. La impactante imagen de García invita a los espectadores a confrontar las injusticias de nuestro tiempo.

Nuestra América: la presencia latina en el arte estadounidense, 2013

Works by this artist (15 items)

View all artworks
William H. Rau, Seneca Lake and Watkins Glen, for the Lehigh Valley Railroad, 1899, albumen silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.91.152
Seneca Lake and Watkins Glen, for the Lehigh Valley Railroad
Artist
Date1899
albumen silver print
Not on view
William H. Rau, Cathedral Rocks, Susquehanna River near Meshoppen, for the Lehigh Valley Railroad, 1899, albumen silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Charles T. Isaacs, 1994.89.2
Cathedral Rocks, Susquehanna River near Meshoppen, for the…
Artist
Date1899
albumen silver print
Not on view
William H. Rau, Oil Pumping Station, near Athens, for the Lehigh Valley Railroad, 1899, albumen silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.91.150
Oil Pumping Station, near Athens, for the Lehigh Valley…
Artist
Date1899
albumen silver print
Not on view
William H. Rau, Photographing Our Country Cousins, 1896-1903, albumen silver prints mounted to stereographic card, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.91.243
Photographing Our Country Cousins
Artist
Date1896-1903
albumen silver prints mounted to stereographic card
Not on view

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.

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Marcus Root, Caroline Lamb Norris, ca 1855, daguerreotype with tinting, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro, 1999.86.2
Caroline Lamb Norris
Artist
Attributed to Marcus Root
Dateca 1855
daguerreotype with tinting
Not on view
Unidentified, The Reluctant Model (Young Child Being Held), ca 1850s, daguerreotype, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro, 1999.86.1
The Reluctant Model (Young Child Being Held)
Artist
Unidentified
Dateca 1850s
daguerreotype
Not on view
Unidentified, Untitled (Young Boy), late 1840s, daguerreotype, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro, 2000.83.17
Untitled (Young Boy)
Artist
Unidentified
Datelate 1840s
daguerreotype
Not on view
Unidentified, Garrison Tales from Tonquin by James O'Neill, 19th century, color process print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1982.19.3
Garrison Tales from Tonquin by James O’Neill
Artist
Unidentified
Date19th century
color process print
Not on view