Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe at Maravilla Housing Project, Mednik Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue, East Los Angeles

Oscar R. Castillo, Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe at Maravilla Housing Project, Mednik Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue, East Los Angeles, early 1970s, printed 2012, inkjet print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.51.3, © 2012, Oscar R. Castillo
Oscar R. Castillo, Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe at Maravilla Housing Project, Mednik Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue, East Los Angeles, early 1970s, printed 2012, inkjet print, image: 1420 in. (35.550.8 cm) sheet: 1722 in. (43.255.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.51.3, © 2012, Oscar R. Castillo

Artwork Details

Title
Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe at Maravilla Housing Project, Mednik Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue, East Los Angeles
Date
early 1970s, printed 2012
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 1420 in. (35.550.8 cm) sheet: 1722 in. (43.255.9 cm)
Copyright
© 2012, Oscar R. Castillo
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
inkjet print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Religion — Christianity
  • Religion — New Testament — Mary
  • Monument — religious — shrine
  • Cityscape — California — Los Angeles
Object Number
2013.51.3

Artwork Description

Oscar Castillo's photograph of the ruins of the Maravilla Housing project casts murals as miraculous apparitions that suggest hope rising from destruction. Castillo documents two murals by David Lopez that had become a popular community shrine. The murals were so valued by local residents that they were saved during the demolition and reinstalled at another site. The artist's detailed title, which identifies the cross streets where the original shrine was located, conveys his intent to record a community memory.

Down These Mean Streets: Community and Place in Urban Photography, 2017
Description in Spanish

La fotografía de Oscar Castillo de las ruinas de la vivienda pública Maravilla presenta los murales como apariciones milagrosas que sugieren la esperanza que nace de la destrucción. Castillo documenta dos murales de David López que se habían convertido en un conocido santuario de la comunidad. Los murales eran tan valorados por los residentes que fueron rescatados durante la demolición y reinstalados en otro sitio. El título tan detallado del artista, que identifica el cruce de las calles donde se encontraba originalmente el santuario, transmite la intención de conservar un recuerdo communitario.

Por estas calles bravas: Comunidad y lugar en la fotografía urbana, 2017

Works by this artist (1036 items)

William H. Johnson, Young Pastry Cook, ca. 1928-1930, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.693
Young Pastry Cook
Dateca. 1928-1930
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Portrait of a Man, ca. 1935-1938, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.814
Portrait of a Man
Dateca. 1935-1938
oil on burlap
On view
William H. Johnson, Breakdown with Flat Tire, ca. 1940-1941, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.587
Breakdown with Flat Tire
Dateca. 1940-1941
oil on plywood
On view
William H. Johnson, For India and China, ca. 1944-1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.662
For India and China
Dateca. 1944-1945
oil on paperboard
On view

Exhibitions

Photograph of children playing in the water from a fire hydrant by Hiram Maristany
Down These Mean Streets: Community and Place in Urban Photography
May 11, 2017August 5, 2017
America’s urban streets have long inspired documentary photographers. After World War II, populations shifted from the city to the suburbs and newly built highways cut through thriving neighborhoods, leaving isolated pockets within major urban centers.

More Artworks from the Collection

Arnold Blanch, Harvest Scene (mural study, Fredonia, New York Post Office), ca. 1937, tempera on illustration board, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Internal Revenue Service through the General Services Administration
, 1962.8.28
Harvest Scene (mural study, Fredonia, New York Post Office)
Dateca. 1937
tempera on illustration board
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Seated Woman in Orange Print Dress, ca. 1939-1940, tempera on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.281
Seated Woman in Orange Print Dress
Dateca. 1939-1940
tempera on paperboard
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Seated Female Nude with Gold Necklace and Auburn Hair, ca. 1939-1940, tempera on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.197
Seated Female Nude with Gold Necklace and Auburn Hair
Dateca. 1939-1940
tempera on paperboard
Not on view