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Art in Embassies Mexico
The Power of Women
3 MINUTE READ
December 9, 2022

Rick Ortega

Rick Ortega is a Chicano artist born in San Fernando, California.  His paintings reveal an array of indigenous symbols from Mexico’s past, turning his pieces into modern day codices that reveal the history, myths, legends, and spiritual beliefs of the Aztecs.  His colorful compositions capture the heritage of his ancestors, who held the arts in high regard, believing that the Tlacuilo (The Painter) had his heart rooted in God and would transfer the symbols of divinity to his paintings.  This ancient tradition of creativity is the root of Ortega’s art.

Curandera de La Madre Tierra, 2006

Oil on Canvas, 72 × 48in. Courtesy of the artist Whittier, California