Carlos Cortez
Encyclopedia
Carlos Cortez was a poet
, graphic artist, photographer, muralist and political activist, active for six decades in the Industrial Workers of the World
.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
in 1923, the son of a Mexican-Indian Wobbly union organizer father and a German socialist pacifist mother, Cortez spent 18 months in a US prison as a conscientious objector
during the World War II
, refusing to "shoot at fellow draftees."
Cortez joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1947, identifying himself as an anarcho-syndicalist, writing articles and drawing cartoons for the union newspaper the Industrial Worker
for several decades.
As an accomplished artist and a highly influential political artist, Cortez is perhaps best known for his wood and linoleum-cut graphics. His work is represented in the collections of several museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art
in New York. The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago
holds the largest, most complete collection of Carlos Cortez's work. In 2002, Cortez edited and introduced the book Viva Posada: A Salute to the Great Printmaker of the Mexican Revolution (ISBN 0-88286-261-8).
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, graphic artist, photographer, muralist and political activist, active for six decades in the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
in 1923, the son of a Mexican-Indian Wobbly union organizer father and a German socialist pacifist mother, Cortez spent 18 months in a US prison as a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, refusing to "shoot at fellow draftees."
Cortez joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1947, identifying himself as an anarcho-syndicalist, writing articles and drawing cartoons for the union newspaper the Industrial Worker
Industrial Worker
The Industrial Worker, "the voice of revolutionary industrial unionism," is the newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World . It is currently released ten times a year, printed and edited by union labor, and is frequently distributed at radical bookstores, demonstrations, strikes and labor...
for several decades.
As an accomplished artist and a highly influential political artist, Cortez is perhaps best known for his wood and linoleum-cut graphics. His work is represented in the collections of several museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York. The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
holds the largest, most complete collection of Carlos Cortez's work. In 2002, Cortez edited and introduced the book Viva Posada: A Salute to the Great Printmaker of the Mexican Revolution (ISBN 0-88286-261-8).
Quotation
- "When you do a painting that's it, it's one of a kind. But when you do a graphic the amount of prints you can make from it is infinite. I made a provision in my estate, for whoever will take care of my blocks, that if any of my graphic works are selling for high prices immediate copies should be made to keep the price down."