Vaquero (1980, acrylic and fiberglass on steel)

Vaquero (1980, fibra de vidrio y acrílico sobre acero)

Vaquero (1980, acrylic and fiberglass on steel)

3725 Fulton St., Houston, TX 77009

This is the first cast in a series of five similar editions representing a seasoned brown male figure riding a bronco with pistol in hand. Jimenez works in the traditional cast sculpture technique while incorporating modern industrial materials for commercial production. This fiberglass on steel armature sculpture is painted with acrylic and stands over 16 feet high. The vibrancy of the colors and the dynamic form of the sculpture captures the power of the rider and the bronco midair. In this sculpture Jimenez conflicts the classical representations of colonial equestrian bronze sculptures and other representations of cowboys in popular culture, by creating a sculpture that celebrates the Mexican heritage in the history of the cowboy figure. “The Spaniards brought the cattle and the horses,” said Jimenez, “and the Mexicans developed just the whole notion of being cowboys. They went out and started working these wild cattle. They developed the technology for it, and so all of the terms connected with the American cowboy are all Spanish words.”

https://www.houstontx.gov/parks/artinparks/vaquero.html

https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/vaquero-31943

https://glasstire.com/2019/07/03/luis-jimenez-rasquachismo-on-the-rio-grande/