Pasado, Presente, Futuro
Denver Public Art 1%
1977.1.1
Denver artist Carlota Espinoza painted this 20-foot mural. The work was commissioned by the Friends of the Denver Public Library and was presented to the Byers Branch Library in October of 1975. The work was designated an official Centennial-Bicentennial project.
Artist's Statement:
"An awareness of the depth of man and his civilizations makes me feel the need for a measure, a definition that embraces both the past and the onrushing future. I want to share through my art as much as there is to be seen and felt, as much as my brush will allow. 'Pasado, Presente, Futuro' embraces a history of everyman, for history belongs to everyone.
'Pasado, Presente, Futuro' blends myth and reality, dream and truth. It is a story of a people: Chicano! It is a story of a people's romance with history, from Aztec empires, through Spanish imperialism, from alienation to the struggle to re-win a people's identity, pride and future. In brilliant bursts of highlight, the sweep of human experience that is uniquely Chicano unfolds in this mural. The human lives of yesterday are the grandparents of us today. We are the parents of our children tomorrow. The past, present, future are one blood: Chicano!"
- Carlota Espinoza
Artist's Statement:
"An awareness of the depth of man and his civilizations makes me feel the need for a measure, a definition that embraces both the past and the onrushing future. I want to share through my art as much as there is to be seen and felt, as much as my brush will allow. 'Pasado, Presente, Futuro' embraces a history of everyman, for history belongs to everyone.
'Pasado, Presente, Futuro' blends myth and reality, dream and truth. It is a story of a people: Chicano! It is a story of a people's romance with history, from Aztec empires, through Spanish imperialism, from alienation to the struggle to re-win a people's identity, pride and future. In brilliant bursts of highlight, the sweep of human experience that is uniquely Chicano unfolds in this mural. The human lives of yesterday are the grandparents of us today. We are the parents of our children tomorrow. The past, present, future are one blood: Chicano!"
- Carlota Espinoza