is a 2014 painting by

Fabián Cháirez Fabián Cháirez (born 13 December 1987) is a Mexican plastic artist known for his paintings on sexuality and traditional masculinity (machismo). He is both a painter and sculptor. His work has been exhibited at the Museo del Palacio de Bellas A ...

. Measuring , the work was first exhibited at the Galería José María Velasco in Mexico City between 2015 and 2016. It depicts Mexican revolutionary

Emiliano Zapata Emiliano Zapata Salazar (; 8 August 1879 – 10 April 1919) was a Mexican revolutionary. He was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920, the main leader of the people's revolution in the Mexican state of Morelos, and the insp ...

nude in a provocative pose, wearing a pink

sombrero In English, a , ; ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high, pointed crown; an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck, and shoulders of the w ...

and high heels made of

pistols A pistol is a type of handgun, characterised by a barrel with an integral chamber. The word "pistol" derives from the Middle French ''pistolet'' (), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the English language when early handguns ...

, seated on an erect horse. The author views the piece as a reinterpretation of Zapata's image that positions him within the struggle for sexual minorities. In 2020, the artwork was displayed at the art exhibition , at the

Palacio de Bellas Artes The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It hosts performing arts events, literature events and plastic arts galleries and exhibitions (including important permanent Mexican murals). "Bella ...

, where it was selected as the image for its promotional poster. During the exhibition, the artwork was embroiled in media controversy due to debates over the non-hegemonic representation of Zapata. His descendants took legal action against Cháirez and the museum. In January 2020, ''La Revolución'' was acquired by

Tatxo Benet Josep Maria Benet Ferran (born 14 June 1957), better known as Tatxo Benet, is a Spanish journalist and businessman. Biography He studied law (University of Barcelona in Lleida) and Information Sciences (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), al ...

and added to his Censored Art Collection and is displayed at the Collection, in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Spain.

Description

''La Revolución'' is a 40.5 x 30 cm

oil painting Oil painting is a painting method involving the procedure of painting with pigments combined with a drying oil as the Binder (material), binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on canvas, wood panel, or oil on coppe ...

on canvas depicting the Mexican revolutionary leader

nude and riding a white horse. The figure wears a pink charro hat and a sash in the colors of the

Mexican flag The national flag, national flag of Mexico () is a vertical Tricolour (flag), tricolor of green, white, and red with Coat of arms of Mexico, the national coat of arms charge (heraldry), charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meani ...

(green, white, and red) across his torso. His legs, positioned over the horse, resemble those of a woman, and he wears high-heeled shoes with pistol-shaped heels. The white horse, shown mid-leap, is portrayed with an erect penis. The artist

explained that he wanted to "resignify apata'simage and bring him into the fight for sexual marginalities".

Exhibition

''La Revolución'' was exhibited at the Galería José María Velasco in Mexico City in 2015 and 2016. A mural of the painting is also featured at El Marrakech, an LGBTQ bar. The art exhibition , organized by the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL) between 2019 and 2020, opened on 26 November 2019 at the museum of the

, in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, and ended on 16 February 2020. The exhibition featured photographs, paintings, various contemporary and modern images, as well as essays, that creatively explored the memory of Zapata. ''La Revolución'' was chosen as the promotional image for the event. The depiction of Zapata, commonly seen as a masculine figure, with feminine characteristics challenged the hegemonic masculine sensibilities of people in Mexico. It sparked debates across various platforms, initially on

social networking services A social networking service (SNS), or social networking site, is a type of online social media platform which people use to build social networks or social relationships with other people who share similar personal or career content, interests ...

and mass media outlets, and later in public spaces, creating two opposing camps both supporting and opposing the artwork. On one side, supporters of Cháirez advocated for

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

, arguing that art should provoke and confront the country's

machismo Machismo (; ; ; ) is the sense of being " manly" and self-reliant, a concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated masculinity". Machismo is a term originating in the early 1940s and 1950s and its use more wi ...

. On the other, critics considered the work offensive to the memory of Zapata. On 10 December 2023, a group of protesters opposing the artwork gathered at the Palacio de Bellas Artes to express their discontent. The demonstrators, mainly

Zapatistas Zapatista(s) may refer to: * Liberation Army of the South, a guerrilla force led by Emiliano Zapata in the Mexican Revolution 1911–1920 ** Zapatismo, the armed movement identified with the ideas of Emiliano Zapata * Zapatista Army of National L ...

, called for the painting's removal from the museum, arguing that it tarnished both the image of their revolutionary leader and the cultural center itself. The opposing group shouted homophobic chants at the supporters. Later, the protest escalated into a full-scale brawl involving physical violence. President

Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican former politician, political scientist, public administrator and writer who served as the 65th president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. He se ...

condemned the incident. Jorge Zapata, Emiliano Zapata's grandson, said that his family would take legal action against Cháirez and the INBAL, as they considered that the artwork diminished the image of Emiliano. The authorities reached an agreement with Zapata's family to install an informational disclaimer plaque next to the painting:

"For some contemporary artists, Zapata is not only a symbol of resistance but also a reference point from which to challenge hegemonic masculinities. In this oil painting, Fabián Cháirez redefines an icon of Mexican machismo to highlight sexual diversity, particularly homosexual, brown-skinned, effeminate bodies from the working class that do not fit within the norm. Cháirez's ''La Revolución'' links Zapata's legacy with the struggles of the LGTB+ community, reclaiming femininity as a revolutionary attitude amid a homophobic and misogynistic society in the 21st century. Descendants of Emiliano Zapata expressed their disagreement with this image, considering the representation of Zapata inappropriate. Through dialogue between the authorities of the
Secretariat of Culture The Secretariat of Culture () — formerly known as the National Council for Culture and Arts ( or CONACULTA) before being elevated to ministerial level in 2015 — is a Mexican government agency in charge of the nation's museums and monuments, ...
and INBAL, the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes will retain the artwork, based on the principle of protecting the right to artistic and creative freedom".

Reception

Citlaly Aguilar Campos, in her academic research paper "Rethinking National Heroes through Discourses Outside the Historical Tradition: Emiliano Zapata Undressed", presented for the National Council for the Teaching and Research of Communication Sciences (CONEICC), explores how the figure of the national hero can be reinterpreted through alternative perspectives that challenge traditional narratives, official discourses, and dominant cultural values. She discusses ''La Revolución'' as a bold and liberating work, drawing comparisons to caricature. Aguilar Campos reflects on Jorge Zapata’s interpretation of the painting—he believed it portrayed his grandfather as gay—even though the artwork includes no text or direct reference to the LGBTQ community. She argues that this response echoes what American philosopher

Charles Sanders Peirce Charles Sanders Peirce ( ; September 10, 1839 – April 19, 1914) was an American scientist, mathematician, logician, and philosopher who is sometimes known as "the father of pragmatism". According to philosopher Paul Weiss (philosopher), Paul ...

described: that signs do not function in isolation but generate meaning through a network of interpretants. In other words, a

semiotic Semiotics ( ) is the systematic study of semiosis, sign processes and the communication of Meaning (semiotics), meaning. In semiotics, a Sign (semiotics), sign is defined as anything that communicates intentional and unintentional meaning or feel ...

articulation emerges through this network—what Peirce terms ''

semiosis Semiosis (, ), or sign process, is any form of activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, including the production of meaning. A sign is anything that communicates a meaning, that is not the sign itself, to the interpreter of the sig ...

'', the infinite dialogue between signs that shifts according to the spatiotemporal context and the interpreter. In their 2021 article, "The Disruptive Imaginaries of the Queer Body: An Analysis of Dissident Masculinity in 21st-Century Mexican Illustration", published in the Revista Interdisciplinaria de Estudios de Género of

El Colegio de México El Colegio de México, A.C. (commonly known as Colmex, English: The College of Mexico) is a Mexican institute of higher education, specializing in teaching and research in social sciences and humanities. The college was founded in 1940 by the Me ...

, Nivardo Trejo Olvera and Silvia Ruiz Tresgallo present an anthology of Mexico-based artists who explore alternative representations of masculinity from a dissident perspective. Through a critical lens, the authors examine how traditional portrayals of masculinity have been constructed and reinforced by national culture. Renato González Mello argues that the artwork relies on the concept of

decorum Decorum (from the Latin: "right, proper") was a principle of classical rhetoric, poetry, and theatrical theory concerning the fitness or otherwise of a style to a theatrical subject. The concept of ''decorum'' is also applied to prescribed lim ...

in a sarcastic way, embellishing a historical figure to highlight the absurdity of traditional ideals. Regarding the controversy, art critic Avelina Lésper said, "You know what I find controversial? That they hung such a bad painting". The Spanish journalist

bought the painting following its controversy and displayed it at the Museu de l'Art Prohibit (Museum of Forbidden Art), in

, Spain.

Notes

References

External links

*
Fabián Cháirez – La Revolución at the Censored Art Collection website
* by

CNN en Español Cable News Network en Español (CNN en Español, stylized as CN͠N) is a Pan-American Spanish-language news channel, owned by CNN Worldwide, a news division for Warner Bros. Discovery. It was launched on pay television, on March 17, 1997. Hi ...