Rasquache
Encyclopedia
Rasquache is a Spanish
term, of Nahuatl
origin, used by Chicano
s, which originally had a negative connotation in Mexico
as being an attitude that was lower class or impoverished. This definition was later reversed by the Chicano
arts movement which transformed the have-not sensibility into a style, "Rasquachismo," suited to dealing with the material and professional limitations faced by artists in the movement. Rasquache art uses the most basic, simplest, quickest, and crudest means necessary to create the desired expression, in essence, creating the most from the least. The term can also be used to reference the bicultural inspiration from which these artists draw inspiration. http://www.latinola.com/story.php?story=1659
Amalia Mesa-Bains, artist and writer, writes that "In rasquachismo, the irreverent and spontaneous are employed to make the most from the least... one has a stance that is both defiant and inventive. Aesthetic expression comes from discards, fragments, even recycled everyday materials... The capacity to hold life together with bits of string, old coffee cans, and broken mirrors in a dazzling gesture of aesthetic bravado is at the heart of rasquachismo." http://www.latinola.com/story.php?story=1659 When employed by female artists, she calls it Domesticana, but cautions that these terms should not be understood as applying to all Chicano artists. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-13328937_ITM
Rasquache has non-artistic usage as well and can be used to mean "ghetto." Behavior such as reusing plastic utensils and zip top bags could be described as "rasquache." Beyond being simply frugal, the rasquache philosophy also involves inventing new uses for conventional objects. This often means giving a new function to something that would conventionally be considered broken.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
term, of Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
origin, used by Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
s, which originally had a negative connotation in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
as being an attitude that was lower class or impoverished. This definition was later reversed by the Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
arts movement which transformed the have-not sensibility into a style, "Rasquachismo," suited to dealing with the material and professional limitations faced by artists in the movement. Rasquache art uses the most basic, simplest, quickest, and crudest means necessary to create the desired expression, in essence, creating the most from the least. The term can also be used to reference the bicultural inspiration from which these artists draw inspiration. http://www.latinola.com/story.php?story=1659
Amalia Mesa-Bains, artist and writer, writes that "In rasquachismo, the irreverent and spontaneous are employed to make the most from the least... one has a stance that is both defiant and inventive. Aesthetic expression comes from discards, fragments, even recycled everyday materials... The capacity to hold life together with bits of string, old coffee cans, and broken mirrors in a dazzling gesture of aesthetic bravado is at the heart of rasquachismo." http://www.latinola.com/story.php?story=1659 When employed by female artists, she calls it Domesticana, but cautions that these terms should not be understood as applying to all Chicano artists. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-13328937_ITM
Rasquache has non-artistic usage as well and can be used to mean "ghetto." Behavior such as reusing plastic utensils and zip top bags could be described as "rasquache." Beyond being simply frugal, the rasquache philosophy also involves inventing new uses for conventional objects. This often means giving a new function to something that would conventionally be considered broken.
External links
- Reel Rasquache - Website of the Reel Rasquache Film Festival
- Domesticana: The Sensibility of Chicana Rasquache - essay on rasquachismo
- Rasquache Artz - Website of the Chicano Art Style, Rasquache
- http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-5254404_ITM - Tomas Ybarra-Frausto and Amalia Mesa-BainsAmalia Mesa-BainsAmalia Mesa-Bains , born in Santa Clara, California, is a psychologist, curator, author and artist. She received a B.A. in painting from San Jose State University before earning a M.A. in interdisciplinary education from San Francisco State University and a Ph.D...
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