As a novel deeply concerned with the relationship of politics and art, this work follows the story of department store founder E. J. Kaufmann and his interactions with Mexican painter Juan O’Gorman. The narrative describes the unexpected events that led Kaufmann to commission murals from this avid Marxist and, ultimately, his failure to use them.
Foster analyzes the imagery of ten distinctive artists who offer a range of approaches to portraying Chicano life. The production of each artist is examined as an ideological interpretation of how Chicano experience is constructed and interpreted through the medium of photography, in sites ranging from the traditional barrio to large metropolitan societies.
