Sarah Jiménez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sarah Jiménez
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Sarah Jiménez with her portrait of Emiliano Zapata
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Sarah Jiménez Vernís
February 3, 1927 |
| Died | March 13, 2017 (aged 90) |
| Nationality |  Mexico |
| Education | Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado "La Esmeralda" |
| Occupation | Visual artist Teacher |
| Known for | Engraving |
Sarah Jiménez Vernís (born February 3, 1927 – died March 13, 2017) was a talented Mexican artist. She was famous for her political art, especially her prints and drawings, in the middle of the 1900s. She worked with a group called the Taller de Gráfica Popular (People's Graphics Workshop). This work helped her become a member of the important Salón de la Plástica Mexicana (Mexican Plastic Arts Hall).
After working with the Taller, she started teaching art. For a while, her artwork was not as well-known. However, people are now working to bring attention back to her amazing art.
Early Life and Education
Sarah Jiménez Vernís was born on February 3, 1927. Her hometown was Piedras Negras, Coahuila, in northern Mexico. She spent her early childhood there, close to the United States border. Later, her family moved to Córdoba, Veracruz. She went to primary and middle school at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios in Córdoba.
Her father, José Guadalupe Jiménez, was a doctor for Mexico's railroad system. He was also part of the Mexican Revolution. He met Sarah's mother, Sarah Vernís, on a train during the war. He worked as a medic for the Carranza army. Sarah was one of their seven children.
Sarah started drawing when she was in middle school. She also learned to play the piano. Her father lovingly called her "my little pot painter."
In 1947, Sarah moved to Mexico City to live with her aunt and grandmother. At first, her father wanted her to study business. She studied business and shorthand for three years. Then, she was able to switch to art school. She attended the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado "La Esmeralda" until 1953.
She learned from many famous artists there. Some of her teachers included Nefero, Santos Balmori, and Raúl Anguiano. When Raúl Anguiano went to Europe, he even let Sarah teach his class! Her classmates included other important artists like Alberto Beltrán and Leopoldo Méndez.
Sarah Jiménez Vernís traveled a lot. She explored many parts of Mexico. She also visited countries like Yugoslavia and Italy. She was invited to the former Soviet Union twice. In 1967 and 1974, she went there to help with a traveling mural by Leopoldo Méndez.
She lived in a small house in Mexico City, near the Monumento a la Raza. Sarah passed away on March 13, 2017, at the age of 90.
Artistic Career
Sarah studied sculpture in art school. However, most of her art career focused on engraving. She also did some drawing and painting.
In 1954, she helped create a mural at the Escuela Belisario Dominguez. Her part of the mural showed a fallen soldier from the Mexican Revolution. She finished her work even after her father passed away.
Sarah Jiménez Vernís started showing her art in 1957. In 1963, she joined the Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP). This group was very popular at the time. She joined with her friend Adolfo Quintero. Sarah liked the TGP because it connected artists with everyday people. This included workers, farmers, and students.
Much of her work with the TGP involved making flyers and announcements. These were for political events and for workers' unions. She left the group in 1967, after four years. This was due to some disagreements within the group. However, she still believed that groups like the TGP are important. She felt they are needed to speak up for poor workers in Mexico.
After leaving the Taller, Sarah began teaching art. She taught at the Escuela de Iniciación Artística Núm 1. Later, she taught at the Casa del Lago in Chapultepec Park. She retired from teaching in 1989.
Her art has been shown in Mexico and other countries. Some major exhibitions include:
- The Biennial of Liubliana, Yugoslavia (1957)
- The Casa de las Américas in Havana, Cuba (1960)
- The Biennial of Chile (1965)
- The Second Triennial in Contemporary Dry Point in Pío de Capri, Italy (1972)
She also participated in a group show honoring Leopoldo Méndez.
Sarah received grants for her art from the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes for four years.
You can find Sarah's artwork in many collections. These are in Mexico and other countries, especially the United States and Europe. She sold many of her pieces in Texas. She did this to help pay for her sister's medical bills. Because of this, some of her important works are in Texas. For example, her famous portrait of Emiliano Zapata is at the Marion Koogler McNay Museum in San Antonio. The National Museum of Mexican Art also has some of her art. The Museo Nacional de la Estampa in Mexico City has a series of works she made in Havana in the 1960s about the Cuban Revolution.
Sarah was accepted into the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. Many other artists from the Taller de Gráfica Popular were also members. However, her art was not as well-known in the late 1900s. Now, people are working to bring new interest to her art. In 2008, her work was shown at the Museo Mural Diego Rivera. This helped to promote women artists from the time of Frida Kahlo. In 2014, the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana held a special show of over fifty of her works. This show then traveled to her home state of Coahuila.
Artistic Style and Themes
Sarah Jiménez Vernís mostly created graphic works. This was part of her political activism. When she was younger, her art was very strong and direct.
She never joined a political party. However, her graphic art showed ideas of the political left. Her work focused on important social, political, and economic issues. She especially highlighted problems faced by farmers and workers. She traveled all over Mexico to capture images of daily life in the country.
Sarah Jiménez Vernís believed that groups like the Taller de Gráfica Popular are still needed. She felt that many artists today are not interested in creating art about social and political issues.
See also
In Spanish: Sarah Jiménez para niños
