El Nopal Enamorado II (The Nopal in Love II)

Name/Title

El Nopal Enamorado II (The Nopal in Love II)

Entry/Object ID

MG.043

Description

Women's Voices

Collection

Juan R. Fuentes

Made/Created

Artist

Irene Perez

Date made

1986

Dimensions

Height

31-1/4 in

Width

25-1/4 in

Depth

1-1/2 in

Dimension Notes

Paper: 30x22.375. Image: 25.5x18.5

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Using symbolism reminiscent of folk art, this print conveys a sense of both love and separation. The cactus is made of hearts; the spines hint at barbed wire and the U.S.-Mexico border; and floating circles and triangles – only united in the heart of the cactus – suggest both the prickly nature of love and the struggle to avoid the spines. The print’s text reads, “Que es santo el amor de la tierra, que es triste la ausencia que deja el ayer.” In English, this means “How sacred is the love of the land, how sad the absence that leaves yesterday.”