Huracan del Norte by Carlos Raquel Rivera (Interpretation and Analysis)

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Huracan del Norte by Carlos Raquel Rivera
Huracan del Norte
Source: Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico
How should an artist approach the depiction of a natural disaster? This is a difficult question as storms and floods are necessarily comprised of motion, and art is traditionally static. Puerto Rican artist Carlos Raquel Rivera addresses this problem in his print Huracan del Norte (Northern Hurricane).

As the title suggests, the print depicts the ravages of a hurricane. However, Rivera borrows elements of Western iconography to portray the storm; here, the artist uses the Medieval dance of death motif to represent the hurricane, which traditionally represents the idea that death comes to all people. These images usually include a symbol of death in company with humans who will soon meet their demise. In Huracan del Norte, the skeletal figure of death stretches across the sky, dragging with him the distorted bodies of the men and women who have been killed by the storm. In his hand, the figure of death carries a bag, from which spews the winds of the storm. Below, a cityscape spreads across the print, portraying the wooden houses that will be destroyed by the hurricane.

In this print, the hurricane is synonymous with death. Both are forces of nature, bringing destruction and devastation to all people, regardless of economic or social status. This is a logical connection of ideas, as Rivera’s home, Puerto Rico, is regularly ravaged by hurricanes of various sizes and intensity. Rivera himself would have lived through the devastating San Felipe Segundo hurricane in 1928 and the catastrophic 1932 San Ciprian hurricane.

However, there is another way to interpret the print. Rivera was staunchly opposed to colonialism; thus, it’s possible to view Huracan del Norte as an allegory of the destructive power of colonization, with the United States standing in for the figure of death that brings desolation to Puerto Rico.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

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