“Mariano: The Woman and the Rooster”: Lecture by Carol Damian

Mariano has long been the “painter of roosters” and his work identified with the creature as a symbol of Cuba, the countryside, and male virility. Mariano’s roosters are colorful, loud, arrogant, and bold beyond their size as they announce their presence with each strut and cock of their heads. However, Mariano is more than the painter of roosters and the rooster; only one aspect of a far more complex symbolism. The McMullen Museum welcomes scholar of Latin American and Caribbean art Carol Damian for a virtual lecture that explores the rooster as the voice of nature and nature as woman in Mariano’s works. Like the rooster, Mariano’s paintings of women are part of a narrative informed by the relationships between man/woman and the natural world. Images of women appear throughout Mariano’s career, often overshadowed by the artist’s roosters, and are a meaningful presence to be discussed.

This virtual lecture is free and open to the public. To join us, please register at https://tinyurl.com/tk3s45c.

Dr. Carol Damian is an art historian, former Professor of Art History in the School of Art and Art History, and former Director and Chief Curator of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University. She is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and received her MA in Pre-Columbian art and her PhD in Latin American history from the University of Miami. A specialist in Latin American and Caribbean art, her most recent work has focused on Latin American women and Cuban exile artists, on whom she has written many catalogues and articles. Dr. Damian has contributed to numerous publications and lectures frequently on Latin American and Caribbean art, and the local art scene where she is recognized for her knowledge and experience. Dr. Damian has curated many notable exhibitions and is a cultural properties expert and consultant for US Customs/Homeland Security (ICE). Presently, she is the curator of the Jay I. Kislak Collection at the Freedom Tower, and the Chapel of La Merced Colonial Collection at Corpus Christi in Miami.