Scarline Martinez

Professor Alyssa Yankwitts

English 210

03/07/21

The Timeless Portrait of an Immigrant

A picture of a young girl with eyes brimmed with tears gazes at me as she is carried by her father, their body half-submerged by water. Last year I created a relatively large painting that possesses great meaning. It is an image whose story is eternal and timeless to me. This particular piece reflects my values, identity as a first-generation immigrant, and my passion for the arts. 

Throughout my upbringing, painting has been a living language that I have utilized as a form of self-expression. At a young age, I developed this skill from watching my father on various occasions; thus, he would often paint my brother’s art projects. Moreover, coming from a culturally rich background heavily influenced by art and design, I had the opportunity to familiarize myself with it to an extent where I fell deep into the idea of creating my own art. At the beginning of my experimentation with art, there was no ulterior purpose behind my work; it had no other aim than to be solely aesthetically pleasing. I made art for art’s sake. However, that abruptly changed with my move here. At my arrival to the U.S., I encountered xenophobia and alienation due to my cultural background, which led me to struggle to assimilate to American culture. During this time, I receive exposure to radical artists like Frida Kahlo, who intertwine her personal experiences, culture, and personal values into her art. My experience as an immigrant and exposure to radical art manifested itself into my work as I now aim to initiate conversation surrounding social, political issues through my art.

While working on my art portfolio, I created a piece that brought a sense of accomplishment for the first time. Guided by the question, how can one person’s utopia be another person’s dystopia? I was inspired to create a piece that actively contributes to a dialogue on who gets to dream the American dream? During the planning of this piece, there was heightened tension around immigration issues. Giving my past, I felt compelled to narrate modern-day problems from the perspective of a minority to shift society’s view. My experiences, along with ideas rooted in our current time, weave their way into the canvas. I gathered inspiration from a photograph documenting a vulnerable Honduran father’s journey with his five-year-old child as they navigate the river to arrive in Mexico. I used visual language to tell the story of a parent and his child in their most vulnerable state as they risk their life for a new beginning with the hope of creating a more empathetic narrative. 

Having abandoned my birthplace at a young age to seek a better life was the core of my human experience. My journey here as an immigrant was utterly different and easier than the scene I painted. In a sense, by choosing this father and his child as my subject, I felt like I was honoring my mother’s sacrifice. She courageously chose discomfort by leaving her home’s comfort and her husband, my father, behind to seek a better life for my siblings and me. My attachment to this artifact has to do with seeing my younger self and those who share my journey reflected on the young girl’s face. I crave to re-imagine migration as an inevitability, a social practice not to be halted but related to. My background is fully represented within my artifact. It embodies all the things that make me who I am. My values and ties to my cultural experience and passion for the arts are things that my painting epitomizes in my personal life. They remind me of my mother’s sacrifice along with her fervor. 

Despite the apparent imperfections and lack of high-level artistic skills, this painting holds worth to me. A significant part of my life unveils itself in this particular object. I perceive this painting as a parable of my youth and migration. It is a link to my past and a connection to my future. This narrates my individual experience and moral values from my perspective, thus serving as a window to my world, making this particular artifact much more personal.