Margaret F. Stewart:Our Lady of Guadalupe

This is a painting by Yolanda Lopez called Margaret F. Stewart:Our Lady of Guadalupe (1978). The portrait consists of a heavy woman making a large dark blue blanket with yellow stars using a sewing machine. At the bottom of the blanket is an angel and a couple of roses. Behind the women is a bright yellow and orange light. The woman in the painting is Lopez's mother Margaret, and she is portrayed as the Lady of Guadalupe, as evidenced by the iconic background of light, starry cloak, and other symbols associated with the Virgin Mary. The Lady of Guadalupe is already the ideal woman in Mexico, but by having her mother embody this iconic woman, Lopez broadens the structure of what the ideal woman should be. For example, this Virgin Mary is heavy-set, effectively combating many of society's beliefs that the ideal woman should be skinny. Furthermore, Lopez's Virgin Mary is hunched over a messy desk with a lamp close to her work, emphasizing the belief that a good work ethic is highly respectable. Also, the sewing machine, much like many of the iconic Virgin Mary symbols in the piece, functioned as another connection to Mexican culture since the textile industry played a huge role in Mexico's economy. By taking such strong symbols of Mexico and reinventing their depictions, Lopez successfully conveys her idea of the ideal woman as nothing more than a hard-working, middle class mother in Mexico.