{"id":5582,"date":"2020-10-05T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/?p=5582"},"modified":"2026-07-07T16:07:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T20:07:24","slug":"national-hispanic-heritage-month-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/national-hispanic-heritage-month-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"National Hispanic Heritage Month 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We join the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Woodcuts of Consuelo Gotay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

by Erika Hosselkus, Curator, Latin American Collections<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we feature the work of Puerto Rican printmaker, Consuelo Gotay<\/a>. Educated in Puerto Rico and at Columbia University in New York, Gotay\u2019s woodcuts are striking and reflect her early association with the workshop of iconic Puerto Rican printmaker, Lorenzo Homar<\/a>. Rare Books and Special Collections holds five artist books that pair Gotay\u2019s images with the poetry and prose of major Caribbean writers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we share three of these collaborations, Selecci\u00f3n de textos del cuaderno de un retorno al pais natal<\/a> <\/em>(1993), Salmos del cuerpo ardiente <\/em>(2006), and Las brujas <\/em>(2014).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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The first and earliest of these is a selection of texts (presented in Spanish and French) from Afro-Caribbean poet, Aime Cesaire\u2019s, Cahier d\u2019un retour au pays natal <\/em>(Journal of a Return to My Native Land<\/em>), originally published in 1939. If Cesaire\u2019s poem is known for its exploration of Caribbean identities, particularly negritude, Gotay\u2019s woodcuts illustrating the work are a sort of homage to the region\u2019s natural beauty. Pleasing prints of ocean, swaying palm trees, and picturesque villages are interleaved with text. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The second, Salmos del cuerpo ardiente<\/a><\/em>, features text by Puerto Rican writer, Lourdes V\u00e1zquez<\/a>, and ten original woodcuts by Gotay. V\u00e1zquez\u2019s \u201cpsalms\u201d point to harsh realities of life in Puerto Rico in the first decade of the twenty-first century, particularly violence and addiction among young people. A fitting and somber complement, one of Gotay\u2019s woodcuts here is an elegy to those tortured and killed when violence reaches its pinnacle.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In V\u00e1zquez\u2019s words,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LA TORTURA
Es como un BOXEADOR COMATOSO,
Un mero asunto familiar,
Un maleficio inexplicable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 
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The third and most recent of these works, Las brujas<\/a><\/em>, is both a children\u2019s story and a metaphoric lament for the youth of Puerto Rico who become involved in drug violence, by Puerto Rican writer, Edgardo Rodr\u00edguez Juli\u00e1. Gotay\u2019s prints here combine the visual elements and the themes that appear in the earlier works. Palm trees frame the small house of the story\u2019s good bruja<\/em> (\u201cwitch\u201d), Nina, in a manner reminiscent of her Cesaire portfolio. Los muchachos<\/em>, on the other hand, are a reminder of the struggling youth portrayed in Salmos del cuerpo ardiente.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Each of these titles is a limited edition. Together they reflect the engaging and thought-provoking artistic output of a talented Puerto Rican printmaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related Previous Blog Posts:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n