Mexican Reverie

This lithographic print features a figure wearing a sombrero at the center of an imagined scene. The man has a forlorn, distant expression on his face. His large hands are crossed over a bag of produce spilling tropical fruits. Several other visual elements, including a cactus, cloudy sky, thatched roof dwelling, and a woman in profile wearing a headdress, are arranged in the background to tell the man’s story, evoking ideas about place, relationships, and hard work. The composition is layered and dramatic, reminiscent of a movie poster from this time period. This work was among those created while artist James A. Porter was studying fresco mural painting at the Instituto Allende, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.