Description: A 2024 exhibition at the National Museum of Art in Mexico featuring over 190 works by the 19th century landscape painter José María Velasco. The exhibition highlights his interpretation of the Mexican landscape from a scientific naturalist perspective.
Teaching ideas: Students can begin by closely observing one or two of Velasco’s landscapes and describing what they see in detail, such as the terrain, the vegetation, the light, and the human presence or absence. The exhibition’s title, Territorio ideal can lead to a discussion on what the word “ideal” implies when applied to a landscape: who gets to define it, and what or who might be excluded from that vision, practicing vocabulary for critical analysis and opinion. A research activity can then ask students to compare Velasco’s scientific naturalist approach with that of another landscape painter from the same era, either from Latin America or elsewhere, and present their findings using the preterite and the imperfect to situate each artist in their historical context. As a creative exercise, students can take on the role of curators and select works to print for an in-class exhibition. They can then each explain their choices and describe the pieces as if introducing it to a museum audience. Finally, students can reflect on what an “ideal territory” would look like today from different perspectives, using the conditional to speculate and drawing on the critical discussion prompted by Velasco’s work.
URL: https://munal.mx/es/exposiciones/territorio-ideal-josé-maría-velasco-2