Robert de la Rocha

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Roberto Isaac "Beto" de la Rocha
De la Rocha at the Los Four exhibition installation at LACMA, 1974
Born
Roberto Isaac de la Rocha

(1937-11-26) November 26, 1937 (age 86)
Alma materCalifornia State University, Long Beach
Occupation(s)Painter, graphic artist, muralist
ChildrenZack de la Rocha

Roberto Isaac "Beto" de la Rocha (born November 26, 1937) is a Mexican-American

collective Los Four for a few years. De la Rocha was also influential in re-establishing the traditional Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead in Los Angeles. He is the father of Rage Against the Machine vocalist and lyricist Zack de la Rocha.[2]

Career

In 1973, he joined the influential

Gilbert "Magu" Luján, and de la Rocha,[3] was responsible for numerous murals and public art installations in the Los Angeles area. According to Luján, he and de la Rocha emphasized "indigenous and local" aspects of Chicano art, while the other two members were more interested in the European tradition.[4] The group was also one of the first to draw mainstream attention to Chicano art, exhibiting at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1974.[5] According to Judithe Hernández, the first female member of Los Four, de la Rocha was also a "brilliant printmaker",[6] much whose imagery was drawn from "his [very fragile] mental state".[6]

Reestablishing the Day of the Dead in Los Angeles

De la Rocha was also influential in establishing the traditional Mexican celebration of the

Aztlan.[7] In 1999, de la Rocha was featured in a joint showing with Los Angeles artist John Zender at La Luz gallery in Long Beach, California.[8]

References

  1. ^ Library of Congress Subject Heading authority
  2. ^ a b Greif, Mark (January 17, 2000). "Revolution Number 9". American Prospect. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
  3. ^ Messerli, Douglas (May 13, 2017). "Reimagined Landscapes: Frank Romero's Los Angeles". Hyperallergic. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Oral history interview with Gilberto Sanchez Luján, 1997 Nov. 7-17, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution". Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  5. ^ Smithsonian Archives of American Art
  6. ^ a b "Oral history interview with Judithe Hernández, 1998 Mar. 28, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution". Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  7. ^ "Los Four/Murals of Aztlan (imdb entry)". IMDb. 1974. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  8. ^ "John Zender Biography". Retrieved July 29, 2011.