Jose Rosa’s work, 1873-1973, is part of a series of nine prints commemorating the centennial of the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico.
Description of image
The image consists of seven uplifted intersecting arms of varying skin tones, each with a chain around their wrist as their hands form fists.
All around the arms, as if outlining them, are words in Spanish. There are words in Spanish along the edges of the print as well.
This is a woodcut on paper. It measures 14 1/2 × 17 1/2 in.
What are these words? What does it all mean?
I have taken the time to translate (almost) all of the phrases on the print, a feast of Puerto Rican regional sayings and quotes by 19th century Puerto Rican thought leaders.
Phrase under the print
Porque el hombre nace libre sin cadenas. Because mankind is born free without chains
Around the print
Bienaventurados los que ancian la libertad patria: porque ellos serán saciados. Pepe el Flaco. Blessed are those who long for a free homeland: because they will be satisfied
Words surrounding the image inside of the frame
Puerto Rico patria de mis amores, jardín de flores donde yo nací. En tu suelo, vi la luz del cielo y entre tus palmas quiero morir – Rafael Hernandez. Puerto Rico, homeland of my loves, flower garden where I was born. On your land, I saw the light of heaven and between your palms will I die.
Preciso que nos demos cuenta,que el Yankee es una mierdez. No rima pero es verdad. Precisely, we should realize that the Yankee is shit. It doesn’t rhyme but it’s true.
Como sea, aquí tendrá que ser libre, yo soy como soy y no como nadie quiera. However you see it, here I shall be free, I am who I am, not how you say I am.
Puertorriquiem. A play on words combining Puerto Rico and requiem (an act or token of remembrance).
No desmayes. El querer ser libre es comenzar a serlo. –Betances. Do not be faint, wanting to be free is to begin to be it.
El pueblo que quiere libertades, no las espera de nadie: de gracia y merced: las coge – Betances. The people that want liberty, don’t wait for anyone: with grace and mercy: they take it
¡Yankee Ko jón! Porque es. Yankee go home! Because that’s what you are. (Ko Jón is meant to describe how a Spanish speaker would say “go home” – with an accent. It also sounds like cojón, a slang word for testicles. Rosa uses a tongue in cheek play on words here.
Te ahogaste: fuistes un Dios falso. You drowned: you were a false god.
Por qué no queremos colonia ni con España ni con los Estados Unidos. Because we do not want to be a colony neither of Spain or The United States.
… por qué de cierto, de cierto os digo que seremos libres. Aunque el viento se oponga. Y las olas del mar me apacigüen. Verily, verily, I say unto you we will be free. Even if the wind opposes, and the waves of the sea appease me.
Fuera las cadenas. Valor, patria o muerte ! la patria es valor y sacrificio -Albizu Campos. Off with the chains. Valor, homeland or death! The homeland is valor and sacrifice.
Seamos realistas, exijamos noche de modo que la vida no se te valla. Let’s be realistic, let’s demand night so that life doesn’t get away from you. This may be part of a poem or a nod to Che Guevarra’s famous quote, let’s be realistic, let’s demand the impossible.
Despierta de ese sueño. Hazte de tu patria el dueño. Un sueño porque los sueños sueños son. Despierta boricua. Wake up from that dream. Own your homeland, a dream, because dreams are dreams. Wake up, Boricua. This seems to be a mixture of lyrics of the revolutionary Puerto Rican anthem and a quote from Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s play La vida es sueño. Boricua is a term to refer to Puerto Ricans. Puerto Rico’s native Taíno population called the island Borinquén, and referred to themselves as Boricua
Lares quiere decir patria y a Lares hay que entrar de rodillas y salir en sus pies. Que viva Puerto Rico libre. Jayuya. Lares, means, fatherland, and in Lares you enter on your knees and leave on your feet. Let Puerto Rico live free. Lares and Jayuya are towns in Puerto Rico where slave and political uprisings took place.
Tengo frío, tengo frío papito, tápame que tengo frío. Inesita. I am cold, I am cold, papito, cover me, I am cold. Inesita was an Argentine flamenco dancer, this song was performed by many flamenco singers.
Sé libre sobre todas las cosas. Above all else, be free.
Siempre pa’lante, nunca para atrás. Ni pa’ coger impulso. Valor, fe, corazón… Always forward, never back. Not even to gain momentum. Courage, faith, heart…
Vale más morir útilmente que vivir inútilmente. Eugenio María de Hostos. It is better to die useful than to live a useless life.
Despierta boricua defiende lo tuyo. Wake up Boricua, defend what is yours
Qué hacemos qué no nos rebelamos? What are we doing that we don’t rebel?
Reflection
This print strongly conveys that the common bond between people is their natural right to freedom. The lettering, and technique help support this message: that freedom exists for no one if it does not exist for all.
The composition stresses unity. The uplifted arms intersect and overlap each other, creating a sense of solidarity among people of different races.
The chains may allude to the link of humanity between races, That the longing for freedom is the same for all, regardless of race.
Rosa also links the abolition of slavery with the pursuit of Puerto Rico’s independence from the United States
Biography
Jose Rosa Castellanos was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1939.
He is a graphic artist, poster artist, and painter.
He studied mechanical drawing and commercial drawing at Central High School in Santurce.
He trained with painter Rafael Tufiño and underwent formal studies at the Community Education Division; with Domingo García at the Campeche Workshop-Gallery in San Juan; and with Lorenzo Homar at the Graphics Workshop of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, which he directed from 1973 to 1986.
In his work, he develops humorous images based on themes from Puerto Rican culture such as life in the bar, dancing, politics and the religiousness of our people. In the seventies he developed an approach to his work, characterized by the integration of lettering to a composition, especially around the edges of the work. His painting and printmaking are linked by an emphasis on clean lines and well-defined shapes.
Fun Fact
Rosa offered free guitar lessons to children and young people at the San José public housing project.
How do I use this information to share this work with my students/ loved one/group?
Start with a conversation
First, you can start by either printing or showing the work on the laptop, or ipad and begin a conversation about the image with your student/child/group. Us the following prompts to start the dialogue:
What do you see, what do you notice?
What’s going on here?
What makes you say that?
Tell me more
What colors do you notice?
What artist materials do you notice?
What are you wondering about?
Learn new words in Spanish
If your student/loved one/group is interested in learning Spanish, take this opportunity to learn new words, that’s why I added the translation to the refranes (sayings). You can start by having a conversation about what is un refrán (proverb, saying – a short sentence that people often quote, which gives advice or tells you something about life.) Think of some from your own culture.
Discuss artist materials
Discuss the medium. What is a woodcut? A design is drawn on a piece of wood, areas are then cut away, the white parts of the image, leaving the raised image which is then inked. Woodcut prints are produced by pressing paper onto the inked image. Here is a resource from the Met that explains the process.
Learn about the prominent Puerto Rican thinkers that Jose Rosa quotes:
Emeterio Betances, click here for a biography I recommend
Eugenio Maria de Hostos, click here for a biography I recommend
Pedro Albizu Campos, click here for a biography I recommend
Rafael Hernandez, click here for a biography I recommend
Talk about the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico.
Great resource about this here
I hope you enjoyed this post. I am working on a Puerto Rican art course. Sign us for my email list HERE so you can know when it launches. You will also get updates on shop sales and new updates.