#7 - Basta con la Violencia
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Location: 1025 S. Nogalitos at Glass St. Date: April 1997 Artist: Israel "Izzy" Rico |
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Basta con la Violencia honors Cesar Chavez, a labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) union. The mural shows a portrait of Chavez set against the UFW flag (center) and scenes of migrant workers harvesting a vineyard (upper left) and going on strike (upper right). For lead artist Israel Rico, this was his first mural and a journey in self-discovery. Rico told El Placazo, “It helped me document the history of our people - through my work I was able to learn more about my culture while trying to show it to others.”
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"Through my work I was able to learn more about my culture while trying to show it to others." |
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Content and Design
The background of the mural is the UFW flag, with Chavez’s cameo in front of the eagle. The upper left corner shows a Mexican-American farm worker in the vineyards and the upper-right corner depicts a UFW march, with signs reading “HUELGA!!” (strike) and “UVAS NO” (no grapes). The flowering vines represent the success of the march. Two chained arms rise above the flames along the mural’s bottom border, holding a banner that reads “Viva Cesar Chavez! 1927-1993.” The title of the mural is painted into the mural, with “Basta” on top, “con la” on the wings of the eagle, and “violencia” along the bottom border.
History and Significance
Basta Con La Violencia was Israel Rico’s first public art piece and San Anto Cultural Art’s seventh mural. The project was relatively small and quickly finished, but fit well with San Anto’s emphasis on social justice and with the artist’s own passion for Mexican-American history. Growing up in Texas public schools, Rico did not learn anything about Mexicans in the U.S. beyond the Mexican-American war, the Battle of the Alamo, and the Bracero program. Later in life, Rico was inspired by Hector Galan’s documentary series about the Mexican-American civil rights movement and began to fill in the gaps in the historical record for himself. When Rico first finished the mural, people often asked if it was about the boxer, Julio Cesar Chavez. Rico enjoyed the opportunity to educate viewers about Mexican-American history, especially Chicano rights movements.
About the Artist
Israel Rico found out about San Anto Cultural Arts in 1995 when he picked up a copy of El Placazo Community Newspaper in Bar America. He submitted a painting of Emiliano Zapata to the newspaper and when Manny Castillo saw it, he invited Izzy to lead a mural project. Ever the history buff, Rico’s first vision for a mural was a scene from the Battle of Puebla, telling the true story of Cinco de Mayo, Benito Juárez, and General Zaragoza. Although that mural did not pan out, Rico stayed in touch with San Anto until a wall on the side of the bar then called Culero’s became available. Rico completed his first mural, “Basta con la Violencia,” and then went on to paint “Leyendas Aztecas,” one of San Anto’s largest and most recognizable murals. Rico continues to work in San Antonio as an artist who mixes Chicano imagery and pop-culture and his work has been exhibited at Centro Cultural Aztlan, The Fiesta Bed & Breakfast, Museo Alameda, and Clear Channel’s San Antonio outdoor Billboard Digital Art gallery, as well as various local events. Read his full bio on his website.