Verdadism is the word created by artist, designer and writer, Soraida Martinez, to describe her art. The word is a combination of the Spanish word for truth (Verdad) and the English suffix for theory. This contemporary art style, created in 1992, juxtaposes figurative abstract paintings with written social commentaries. The technique used is mixed media, with oil or acrylic on canvas paintings with written social commentaries. The commentaries are based on the artist’s personal life experiences or observations and address issues affecting American society from the late 20th century to the present. Racism, sexism, stereotyping, abortion, feminism, alienation, ethnocentrism and relationships are common themes.
The Art of Verdadism
Verdadism is a distinct form of Hard-Edge Abstract Expressionism wherein paintings are juxtaposed with written social commentaries. Verdadism was created by Soraida Martinez in 1992 at her home studio in Marlton, New Jersey, in an effort by the artist to precipitate social change, as well as promote a deeper understanding of the human soul and tolerance. In Verdadism, the intent of the artist is to make a personal connection with the viewer through the act of involving the viewer in an actual experience in the artist’s life. In the “Verdadism Work-Of-Art,” the viewer is encouraged to acknowledge the universality of human nature and the artist invites the viewer to open his or her mind to the concept that we are all human beings with shared experiences common to the whole of humanity.
Soraida Martinez
An American artist of Puerto Rican heritage, Soraida Martinez was born in 1956 in Harlem, New York City to Puerto Rican parents who came to the United States during the Puerto Rican migration to New York City starting in the 1950s. The civil rights movement, feminism and the social upheavals of the late 1960s to early 1970s were instrumental in shaping the artist’s socially conscious philosophy. The first Verdadism exhibition, Soraida’s Verdadism: The Intellectual Voice of A Puerto Rican Woman on Canvas; Unique, Controversial Images and Style, was held in 1994 at the Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center in Camden, New Jersey – considered one of the poorest cities in the U.S., with one of the highest crime rates.
Martinez has been the owner of an art and design studio since 1986. Her art is very abstract and hard-edged. Every painting is accompanied by writing, usually in the form of social commentary and often based on her personal experiences. Her paintings have been called “audacious.”
Martinez’s outspoken social commentary is also well known. She has been noted as a person who raises awareness of topics that are considered “too taboo to be discussed in mainstream American society.”
Since 1992 Soraida Martinez has been known as the creator of Verdadism, a form of hard-edge abstraction where each painting is accompanied by a written social commentary. Verdadism is a neologism created by combining the Spanish word, verdad (truth) and the English suffix for theory (ism). Verdadism has influenced a number of contemporary artists and writers and is used by educators to help teach concepts such as diversity and cultural understanding.
Martinez’s art is intended to connect “two distinct, yet integral parts: the visual and the written word.” Viewers are drawn to both the artist’s abstract paintings and her commentaries on humanity and the universal human condition. According to Martinez’ artist’s statement, “My art reflects the essence of my true self and the truth within me…My struggle is for recognition, acceptance and inclusion; and, against racism, sexism and the dominant eurocentric male society, which never expected much from me but still did not allow my voice to be heard. My belief is that one must empower oneself with one’s own truth…”.
Martinez has gained recognition and received many awards for this unique thought-provoking and visually stimulating art style. Among many other social and philosophical issues, Soraida’s Verdadism paintings also address sexism, racism and stereotyping for the purpose of promoting hope, peace, tolerance and social change. In 1999, Martinez wrote a book on the Art of Verdadism called Soraida’s Verdadism: The Intellectual Voice of a Puerto Rican Woman on Canvas; Unique, Controversial Images and Style.
The Verdadism art style has been featured in many magazines and newspapers, as well as on radio and television; many of the Verdadism paintings have been used as covers for books and scholarly journals. Educational organizations and elementary school teachers also use the artist’s paintings and art book to teach students about tolerance and diversity. The Verdadism Art Book is also being used as a textbook for a visual rhetoric course at Willamette University.
Elements of Verdadism
Verdadism consists of two distinct, integral, parts: the visual component and the written commentary. The visual style was influenced by American Abstract Expressionism, Fauvist principles, elements of Surrealism and West African sculpture. The visual components include purposeful simplification of form and structure, broad areas of flat, primary colors and geometric shapes, and abstract human figures with blocks for hands or elongated shapes for bodies. The artist’s written commentaries are influenced by the tenets of Existentialist philosophy. These social commentaries contribute to an understanding of the Verdadism painting by describing the emotions, situations, and experiences that became the impetus for creating the work-of-art. The written commentary is an essential aspect of Verdadism and denotes a literary expression of the artist’s feelings towards a particular subject matter.
The visual style of Verdadism is influenced by American Abstract Expressionism, Fauvist principles, elements of Surrealism and West African sculpture. The social commentaries are influenced by the principles of civil rights and human rights in the US, including the Feminist Movement and the social political activism of the Young Lords.
Purpose
The primary purpose behind the paintings is to precipitate social change, to promote an understanding of humanity and to teach tolerance and the self-empowerment of the individual. In Verdadism, the intent of the artist is to make a personal connection with the viewer through the act of involving the viewer in an actual experience in the artist’s life. The viewer is encouraged to acknowledge the universality of human nature and the artist invites the viewer to open their mind to the concept that we are all human beings with shared common experiences.
The Philosophy Behind Verdadism
Influenced by Existentialist Philosophy, the art of Verdadism is an act of self-actualization with a goal towards making social change. For the artist, it is through the thematic treatment of personal life experiences as the subject matter for making introspective works of art. For the viewer, it is through the process of emotionally sharing (visually and intellectually) the effect of the human experience that has so profoundly affected the artist’s life. In theory, Verdadism seeks to analyze common issues of humanity through the conscious amalgamation of abstract art, humanistic philosophy and social responsibility.
Verdadism is essentially individualistic in practice, with the artist taking the power of their own individual truth into their own hands and utilizing this personal experience as the catalyst for creativity. Much like the improvisatory Jazz musician, the Verdadist breaks away from following the conventional methods of defining art or the accepted modes of traditional thinking…both of which are generally and usually tainted with years of ethnocentrism, cultural biases and racial prejudice. Not restricted to just visual artists, the Verdadism movement can be seen in the “Verdadist” art of the “Nuyorican Poets” and certain contemporary “Rappers.” As we reach the end of the twentieth century, Verdadism continues to establish itself as a moving force in American art. And, into the twenty-first century, the “Verdadism Art” of multicultural artists, writers and creative thinkers will continue to forge a historically-significant awareness of a “new world perspective.”
Recognition
In 1996, Martinez was appointed by the governor of New Jersey, Christine Todd Whitman, to a seat on the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, where she was a member until she resigned in 2000.
In 2008, Martinez was recognized (along with other notable actors, artists, designers, directors and writers) as one of the 15 most prominent Hispanic Americans in the Arts. In 2013, Martinez was singled out by the Huffington Post as one of the ten best Latino artists in the U.S.
Through her art, Martinez is an advocate and humanitarian who visits young children in schools in order to encourage and inspire them to strive to achieve their fullest potential. Martinez is frequently asked to do exhibitions on her Verdadism art and philosophy at universities, institutions and corporations.