Carmen Mondragón facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nahui Olin
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| Born |
María del Carmen Mondragón Valseca
July 8, 1893 Tacubaya (present-day Mexico City), Mexico
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| Died | January 23, 1978 (aged 84) |
| Spouse(s) |
Manuel Rodríguez Lozano
(m. 1913; sep 1921) |
| Partner(s) | Gerardo Murillo (1921–1925) |
| Children | 1 |
| Modeling information | |
| Hair color | Dark Brown varying to Blonde |
| Eye color | Green |
María del Carmen Mondragón Valseca (born July 8, 1893 – died January 23, 1978) was a super talented Mexican artist. She was known as Nahui Olin. She was a painter, a poet, and also an artist's model. This means she posed for other artists to help them create their art.
Contents
Who Was Nahui Olin?
Early Life and Education
Carmen Mondragón was one of eight children. Her father, General Manuel Mondragón, was an important military leader. He even invented a special type of rifle! Her mother was Mercedes Valseca. Carmen had a very special education in Mexico.
From 1897 to 1905, she lived in France. There, she learned to speak French really well. In 1905, her family moved to Spain because of her father's work. In Spain, she met a young cadet named Manuel Rodríguez Lozano. They got married on August 6, 1913. They had a child in 1914, but sadly, the baby passed away soon after birth.
Life as an Artist
After a difficult political time in Mexico, Carmen and her husband moved to Paris, France. There, they met famous artists like Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Jean Cocteau. Later, they moved to San Sebastián, Spain. Carmen's brother had a photo studio there. It was in San Sebastián that Carmen started painting!
In 1921, Carmen and her husband returned to Mexico. They decided to separate. Carmen then became part of the exciting art scene in Mexico City. She met other artists and writers like José Vasconcelos and Xavier Villaurrutia. She was also interested in a new theater movement called Teatro Ulises.
Carmen became a popular model for many famous painters and photographers. She posed for parts of Diego Rivera's amazing murals. She also modeled for artists like Tina Modotti, Edward Weston, and Roberto Montenegro.
The Name Nahui Olin
Carmen Mondragón had a relationship with an artist named Gerald Murillo, also known as Dr Atl. He gave her the special name "Nahui Olin." This name comes from Aztec mythology. It means "four movement" and is a symbol of new beginnings and earthquakes. They lived together for a while.
During this time, Carmen wrote poems like Óptica cerebral, poemas dinámicos (1922). She also created many beautiful naïve paintings. Naïve art is a style that looks simple and childlike, but is very expressive. She also composed music. Their relationship ended in the mid-1920s. Carmen stepped away from public life in the 1940s.
Her Legacy
Nahui Olin became more famous after she passed away. Her journey was similar to that of Frida Kahlo, another well-known Mexican artist. Carmen Mondragón is seen as a talented and revolutionary woman. She helped shape the art and culture of Mexico in the 1920s and 1930s.
People often compared her to other strong Mexican women artists like Guadalupe Marín and María Izquierdo. While Frida Kahlo was famous for her art, Nahui Olin was also known for her captivating beauty. She described her own art as coming from her "intuition," meaning she painted from her feelings and inner thoughts. In her self-portraits, she always painted her green eyes very large and striking. Many of her artworks do not have dates.
Her paintings were shown in a special exhibition in 2007. It was at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. The exhibition was called A Woman Beyond Time/Nahui Olin: una mujer fuera del tiempo.
Images for kids
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Nahui Olin, also known as Carmen Mondragón.
See also
In Spanish: Carmen Mondragón para niños
