La Invocación by Julio Tomás Martínez (Interpretation and Analysis)

La Invocación
Source: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico

For the past two days, I’ve been discussing the importance of the sugar industry in Puerto Rican art. Today, I want to finish up that discussion with a look at another painting by Puerto Rican artist Julio Tomás Martínez.

La Invocación is one of Martínez’s most poignant paintings. It depicts the shadowy figure of a man silhouetted against a cloudy sky. He is standing on a hill, looking down on a sugar mill; his arms are stretched out to the sky, and he holds a machete in one hand. A bunch of plantains lay next to his feet.

There are several layers of symbolism and meaning in this piece. As the title suggests, the central figure of the painting is making an invocation—although it is unclear to whom or to what the appeal is directed. The presence of the sugar mill and the man’s dramatic pose suggest despair and profound mental anguish. The machete, an important agricultural tool in the Caribbean, suggests that he is either a farmer or a cane cutter. The plantains are another symbol, representing the traditional, jíbaro lifestyle that was characterized by subsistence farming.

Although the lives of these farmers were undoubtedly difficult, they are traditionally seen to be imbued with a sense of dignity and autonomy. In contrast, work in sugar mills was difficult, dehumanizing, and under-appreciated. Martínez’s man with the machete seems to mourn the loss of the jíbaro way of life, despairing at the contrast between owning land and working for starvation wages in an industrial sugar mill. If the man is a cane cutter, his invocation is perhaps a plea for a better life. One thing, however, is clear. Martínez’s invocation is a call for social reform, an argument for worker’s rights and for fair and meaningful work. It is a call to place people over profits and to value the inherent worth of each human being.

Martínez is famous for his use of vibrant color, and he uses it to good effect here to create a sense of visual drama, further emphasizing the importance of the painting’s message.

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.