![Sketch of mural](/sites/g/files/omnuum4346/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-02/Sketch%20of%20Izquierdo%E2%80%99s%20mural_0.jpg?h=9ade6d0f&itok=czSx81rU) # Esotericism, Gender, and the Legacy of a Mexican Artist February 18, 2025 [ Mariano Villalba ](/people/mariano-villalba) *Edited by* [*Aaron Michael Ullrey*](https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/people/aaron-michael-ullrey)*.* *This Research Reflection by* [*Mariano Villalba*](https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/people/mariano-villalba)[*,*](https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/people/emmanuele-goulon) *Postdoctoral Fellow, Arts and Spirituality, is part of an ongoing series spotlighting the academic study of religions.* María Izquierdo (1902-1955) was one of the most prolific Mexican artists of her time, yet her contributions remain largely overlooked. The first Mexican woman to exhibit art in the United States, she held over 20 solo exhibitions and produced around 500 paintings that blend esotericism, folklore, and feminist critique. Izquierdo rooted her vision in spiritual introspection and everyday life, and her work anticipates the dreamlike aesthetics pioneered by European surrealist exiles in Mexico and the magical realism central to Latin American literature. Her prestigious commission in 1945 to paint a mural for Mexico City’s Government Palace was revoked after leading muralists objected to her lack of technical expertise—a controversy that contributed to her marginalization. Following the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), the state promoted muralism to forge a national identity, commissioning large paintings that glorified pre-Hispanic traditions, revolutionary ideals, and male heroism; these generally excluded women. In contrast, Izquierdo embraced easel painting and themes centered on spiritual introspection and feminist perspectives: “I believe that in the ‘other dimension,’ a community of incorporeal beings exists—atoms of a universal soul that influence the souls of earthly individuals. One of these groups, I believe, is composed of my ancestors from the precolonial era of my country, and they are the ones who inspire me.” Esoteric ideas shaped Izquierdo’s worldview. Her grandfather introduced her to astronomy, inspiring her paintings that show celestial bodies influencing female figures. Her first husband, a Freemason, whom she was forced to marry at age 14, exposed her to spiritual transformation as a Masonic ideal. Izquierdo’s work was deeply connected to Mexican folk traditions, particularly altars, *ex-votos*, and religious iconography. State-sponsored muralism constructed a grand revolutionary narrative, but Izquierdo’s paintings depict intimate spiritual experiences rooted in popular devotion. During her 1930 exhibition at the Art Center in New York, Izquierdo encountered the Delphic Society, a group of Theosophists and nationalists who explored spirituality in the arts. Through its members, she was introduced to P.D. Ouspensky’s concept of a “fourth dimension,” a metaphysical space beyond conventional perception. This idea shaped her vision of an “other dimension” inhabited by ancestral spirits. *Allegory of Work* (1937) presents a female figure enclosed by celestial bodies and monumental male legs, suggesting cosmic restriction and male dominance. *Slaves in a Mythical Landscape* (1936) presents women confined and enveloped, their fates dictated by cosmic forces. ![Allegory of work, mural by Maria Izquierda](/sites/g/files/omnuum4346/files/2025-02/Allegory%20of%20work_1.jpg) *Allegory of Work* (1937) Terri Geis, Arte Moderno de México. Colección Andrés Blaisten (Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 2005). Available at: https://museoblaisten.com/Obra/2044/Alegoria-del-trabajo ![Slaves of a mythical landscape, mural by Maria Izquierda](/sites/g/files/omnuum4346/files/2025-02/Slaves%20of%20a%20mythical%20landscape_0.jpg) *Slaves in a Mythical Landscape* (1936) Personal collection. Reproduced in: Dawn Ades, Art in Latin America: The Modern Era, 1820–1980 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989): https://aaeportal.com/images/42319/slaves-in-a-mythical-landscapeIzquierdo’s exclusion in 1945 from a Mexico City’s Government Palace mural project exemplifies the broader exclusion of women from Mexico’s state-sponsored artistic canon. She was initially selected to paint a mural in the stairway of the Old Palace of the City Hall, a rare commission for a female artist. She proposed a mural titled *The Progress of Mexico*. There, a woman receives the architectural plans for Mexico City from pre-Hispanic figures, representing her belief that ancestor spirits guided her art. Allegorical female figures stand for the arts, including a semi-nude figure symbolizing creative inspiration. Prominent muralists Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros publicly denounced Izquierdo’s lack of technical expertise, leading to the cancellation of her contract. Their opposition masked deeper biases. Izquierdo’s feminine and spiritual imagery clashed with the muscular aesthetics of state-sanctioned muralism. Similarly, artists Roberto Montenegro and Gerardo Murillo “Dr. Atl” faced censorship in 1921 for including semi-nude female figures in their murals. Izquierdo’s compositions revived contested themes and presented her own worldview that framed Mexican history through feminine ancestral forces rather than revolutionary struggle, a narrative at odds with the state’s vision. ![Izquierdo’s murals, The Tragedy (1946) and The Music (1946)](/sites/g/files/omnuum4346/files/2025-02/Izquierdo%E2%80%99s%20surviving%20murals%2C%20The%20Tragedy%20%281946%29%20and%20The%20Music%20%281946%29.jpg) Izquierdo’s surviving murals, *The Tragedy* (1946) and *The Music* (1946) Fresco on portable panel. Faculty of Law, National University of Mexico.Retrieved from: [Cultura Iztapalapa](https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/159468659_3681458161923312_5565819520348668274_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=xR8KGIVVqogQ7kNvgG84YCw&_nc_oc=AdhiYlMO9sC4AGgt8akKZntdEFKu9j4NC7Vlxd9upnzBIdjf4YaeCPSipcyVKM8f28M&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&_nc_gid=AEn_ks4KpiuF56DmZzmBxVI&oh=00_AYClz8rlEUxVQwdVZcyKXqFV-Q7isZlua5Ocqov7C_8ygw&oe=67DC2EBBhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/wildchild/9235197741/in/photostream/) ![Sketch of Izquierdo’s mural](/sites/g/files/omnuum4346/files/2025-02/Sketch%20of%20Izquierdo%E2%80%99s%20mural.jpg) Sketch of Izquierdo’s mural, Retrieved from: Museo de Arte Moderno de México. [“¿Cómo se pinta un mural? María Izquierdo.”](https://fb.watch/xQrLmMJ9jj/)Revoking her commission deeply affected her career and health. Izquierdo’s work became increasingly introspective. *Dream and Premonition* (1947) is a haunting self-portrait. She holds her severed head, hair entwined with tree roots, while a Christian cross looms in the foreground. Shortly after completing the painting, Izquierdo suffered a debilitating stroke, leaving her partially paralyzed and unable to speak, eerily mirroring the fate she had painted. Despite this, she trained herself to paint with her non-dominant hand and continued to create art until her death in 1955. ![Izquierdo's mural, Dream and Premonition](/sites/g/files/omnuum4346/files/2025-02/Dream%20and%20Premonition%20%281947%29.jpg) *Dream and Premonition* (1947) Historia/Arte. Available at: https://historia-arte.com/obras/sueno-y-presentimientoAlthough Izquierdo’s contributions are gradually being recognized, much of her artwork remains scattered in private collections, limiting the full appreciation of her impact. In 2002, her paintings were declared a National Artistic Monument in Mexico, a crater on Mercury was named after her in 2009, and she was featured in the Venice Biennale in 2024. Despite these milestones, her work remains underrepresented and understudied. Izquierdo’s engagement with esotericism and Mexican mythology anticipated the artistic explorations of twentieth-century European surrealist exiles in Mexico, such as Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. Her work contested the gendered exclusions of Mexican muralism and contributed to the broader emergence of magical realism that would come to define Latin American literature and visual arts worldwide. See also:- [ Researcher Reflections ](/topic-tags/researcher-reflection)