Artwork
Santos
Artist
Chuck Ramirez
(American, 1962 - 2010)
DepartmentContemporary Art
Date2002
DimensionsFramed: 25 × 23 in. (63.5 × 58.4 cm) each
Credit LineSan Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of Bert A. Lies Jr., MD and Rosina Lee Yue
Object number2012.4.1-9
Copyright© Estate of Chuck Ramirez
DescriptionYellow octagonal shape with various color gradations and scuffs on a white ground with text “Santa Marcia” in black script above.
Burgundy shape with uneven/asymmetrical edges, various color gradations, and scuffs on a white ground with text “San Miguel” in black script above.
A gray-brown form with uneven/asymmetrical edges, various color gradations, and scuffs on a white ground with text “San Gregorio” in black script above.
A rust-colored rectangular form with blackened edges, various color gradations, and scuffs on a white ground with text “Santa Janet” in black script above.
An unevenly shaped ovoid form with various color gradations and scuffs on a white ground with text “Santa Alicia” in black script above.
A gray octagonal shape with uneven edges, various color gradations, and scuffs on a white ground with text “San Pedro” in black script above.
A gray-brown shape with uneven/asymmetrical edges, various color gradations, and scuffs on a white ground with text “Santa Cynthia” in black script above.
A light-colored octagonal form with a yellow rectangle at center featuring upside down text. The central form has uneven edges, various color gradations, and scuffs on a white ground with text “Santa Carolina” in black script above.
An octagonal wooden form with uneven/asymmetrical edges, various color gradations, and scuffs on a white ground with text “San Roberto” in black script above.
Label TextBearing scuffs, marks, and labels of origin, these objects appear like archaeological relics. They are the bottoms of santos, religious statuettes commonly found in Mexican American homes and botanicas. Chuck Ramirez designed product packaging for San Antonio’s H-E-B grocer before becoming a studio artist. He employed the slick, glossy format of advertising in photographs that isolate everyday objects against a white background. In this series, spirituality, popular culture, and bicultural identity commingle. The saints' names and the gridded arrangement are drawn from the popular 1970s TV sitcom 'The Brady Bunch'.
Estos objetos con desgastes, marcas y etiquetas de origen parecen reliquias arqueológicas. Son las bases de santos, estatuillas religiosas comúnmente encontradas en casa de Mexicanos Americanos y hierberías. Chuck Ramirez fue un diseñador de empaques para H-E-B, una cadena de supermercados en San Antonio, antes de convertirse en un artista de estudio. Empleó el formato elegante y brillante de la publicidad en fotografías que aíslan objetos cotidianos sobre un fondo blanco. En esta serie, la espiritualidad, la cultura popular y la identidad bicultural se entremezclan. Los nombres de los santos y su organización en una retícula fueron inspiradas por la popular serie de televisión de los 70s 'La Tribu Brady'.
(LSM, 2024)Not on view
Collections
Related/Related
Series/prints
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
