Tierra o Muerte

Emanuel Martinez, Tierra o Muerte, 1967, screenprint on manila folder, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1996.8, © 1967, Emanuel Martinez
Emanuel Martinez, Tierra o Muerte, 1967, screenprint on manila folder, 11 34 × 9 12 in. (29.8 × 24.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1996.8, © 1967, Emanuel Martinez

Artwork Details

Title
Tierra o Muerte
Date
1967
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
11 34 × 9 12 in. (29.8 × 24.1 cm)
Copyright
© 1967, Emanuel Martinez
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums Description
screenprint on manila folder
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure male — waist length
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Chicanx
  • Object — weapon — sword
  • Object — weapon — gun
Object Number
1996.8

Artwork Description

Description in Spanish

En 1967, Martínez se afilió à la Alianza Federal de Mercedes (Federal Land Grant Alliance) en Nuevo México, encabezada por Reies López Tijerina. A partir de 1966, la Alianza luchó para reclamar los derechos à la tierra comunal garantizados de conformidad con el Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) que puso fin à la guerra entre México y los Estados Unidos. Para legitimar los objetivos de esta organización, el artista adoptó la figura de Emiliano Zapata, un héroe de la Revolución Mexicana y cambió la histórica frase del líder Tierra y Libertad” a Tierra o Muerte”. Al hacerlo, su grabado vincula la reforma agraria y la distribución de la riqueza de la Revolución Mexicana con la lucha del movimiento chicano contra las injusticias políticas y sociales. Creada en el momento culminante del activismo de la Alianza, cuando disponían de muy pocos fondos, Martínez imprimió la imagen en carpetas de manila donadas à la organización.

¡Imprimir la revolución! Auge e impacto de las obras gráficas chicanas, desde 1965 hasta hoy, 2020

Works by this artist (240 items)

Paul Cadmus, Night in Bologna, 1958, egg tempera on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.87
Night in Bologna
Date1958
egg tempera on fiberboard
On view
Paul Cadmus, Aspects of Suburban Life: Golf, 1936, oil and tempera on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of State, 1978.76.1
Aspects of Suburban Life: Golf
Date1936
oil and tempera on fiberboard
On view
Jared French, Margaret French, PaJaMa, Paul Cadmus, PaJaMa (Box A), ca. 1937, gelatin silver prints, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Margaret French, 1999.98.5.16
PaJaMa (Box A)
Dateca. 1937
gelatin silver prints
Not on view
Jared French, Margaret French, PaJaMa, Paul Cadmus, PaJaMa (Box A), ca. 1937, gelatin silver prints, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Margaret French, 1999.98.5.15
PaJaMa (Box A)
Dateca. 1937
gelatin silver prints
Not on view

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More Artworks from the Collection

Promontory
Date2013
pine, basswood, poplar, plywood, veneer, steel, luan, human hair, and pigment
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Sharon Doughtie, Four Winds, Two Poles, 2005, Norfolk island pine, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jeffrey Bernstein, M.D. and Judith Chernoff, M.D., 2021.66.8
Four Winds, Two Poles
Date2005
Norfolk island pine
Not on view
Ron Kent, Untitled, from the "Post-Nuclear Series", 2000, Norfolk Island pine and copper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Helen Williams Drutt English and H. Peter Stern in honor of the 35th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 2007.47.17A-B
Untitled, from the Post-Nuclear Series”
Date2000
Norfolk Island pine and copper
Not on view