Man on Fire

Copied Luis Jiménez, Man on Fire, 1969, fiberglass in acrylic urethane resin on painted wood fiberboard base, 106 1⁄4 x 80 1⁄4 x 29 1⁄2 in. (269.9 x 203.8 x 74.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Philip Morris Incorporated, 1979.124, © 1969, Luis Jiménez

Artwork Details

Title
Man on Fire
Artist
Date
1969
Location
Dimensions
106 1⁄4 x 80 1⁄4 x 29 1⁄2 in. (269.9 x 203.8 x 74.9 cm)
Copyright
© 1969, Luis Jiménez
Credit Line
Gift of Philip Morris Incorporated
Mediums
Mediums Description
fiberglass in acrylic urethane resin on painted wood fiberboard base
Classifications
Subjects
  • Allegory — element — fire
  • Figure male — full length
  • Figure male — nude
Object Number
1979.124
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1979.124

Artwork Description

How would you portray a childhood hero? Man on Fire references the historical figure Cuauhtémoc, the Aztec ruler who was tortured with fire during the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Growing up in the Southwest borderlands, Luis Jiménez heard stories of Cuauhtémoc's bravery from his grandmother and thought of him as a mythic figure, a "kind of Superman."

Rendered in glossy fiberglass, the burning man stands defiantly upright, one arm aloft, even as he is wrapped in flames. Jiménez made the sculpture at a time of growing dissent against the Vietnam War among many Chicanos. Man on Fire draws on the famous photographs of Thích Qu?ng Ð?c, a Buddhist monk who set himself aflame in protest of the US-backed South Vietnamese government. For Jiménez, the monk's act resonated with his own antiwar stance. Man on Fire thus references martyrdom and resistance spanning multiple continents, cultures, and centuries.
Description in Spanish

La obra Man of Fire, de Jiménez reinterpreta un ícono indígena en términos contemporáneos. Utilizando un estilo del arte pop con superficies industriales semejantes a los autos deportivos, el artista hace referencia a Cuauhtémoc, el emperador azteca torturado con fuego por los conquistadores españoles, y a Thich Quang Duc, el monje budista que se prendió fuego en protesta contra la guerra de Vietnam. Para Jiménez, la acción del monje tuvo eco en el sentimiento antibélico creciente de muchas comunidades latinas. La figura de tez oscura hecha por Jiménez ―que era también su autorretrato― reafirma la identidad indígena de los chicanos y las raíces de esta comunidad en el suroeste de los Estados Unidos antes de 1848.

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

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Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art explores how Latino artists shaped the artistic movements of their day and recalibrated key themes in American art and culture. This beautifully illustrated volume 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. Our America includes works by artists who participated in all the various artistic styles and movements, including abstract expressionism; activist, conceptual, and performance art; and classic American genres such as landscape, portraiture, and scenes of everyday life. 

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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.