National Renaissance

The first half of the 20th century was a moment of huge political change in Mexico. This sense of national self-awareness engendered the concept of Mexicanidad, which encouraged artists to look to the country's indigenous traditions as a new source of inspiration. These artists were inspired by Mexican traditional culture, folk art and idealized indigenous history. In his 1930 painting Braiding Hair (Coiffure), Jean Charlot updates the classical European image of the bather. He shows the ideal of indigenous beauty in atemporal setting. The monumental seated nude is likely inspired by the style of pre-columbian sculptural ceramic vessels from the Mexican regions of Nayarit and Colima.