| Why study Nicaraguan art, culture, and history? This is a way to familiarize yourself with one of your Central American neighbors. It may help you understand your heritage or that of your Nicaraguan friends. It may inspire your own personal expression. But most of all, it will equip you with many necessary tools to analyze our world. There are many popular songs to hear, and more QuickTime movies and images than you can imagine! These will bring to life the ideas you read. Most importantly, this website is about your own personal growth and discovery. Come explore what interests you and uncover Nicaragua's rich art, culture, and history! |
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| Nicaragua's distinctive style of art originated on the small island of Solentiname. Ernesto Cardenal, a priest and renown poet, led a myriad of art workshops for the community of Solentiname. This provided Nicaraguan peasants a unique space to experiment with art, to create imaginative paintings and murals. Much of their art was censored and burned by the National Guard, the strong right-arm of the Somoza dictatorship. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) launched a violent uprising against Anastasio Somoza that ended this forty-year family rule. This defeat ushered in a period of free speech and national self-definition. Nicaragua's newfound freedom of expression was tightly knit with its folkloric art and firmly rooted in an intrinsically popular movement. |
Special recognition to David Kunzle, author of The Murals of Revolutionary Nicaragua, 1979-1992.
Comments to cvacano@stanford.edu