Semiotic analysis of Mago Gándara's mural work in her studio home in Ciudad Juárez

Authors

  • Brenda Ceniceros Ortiz Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, México
  • Laura Elena Ochoa Lozano Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, México

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54753/eac.v14i2.2370

Keywords:

house, art, mural, borderland, iconography

Abstract

This article is the result of a research project whose objective was to document and analyze the large format mural work created by the Mexican-American artist Mago Gándara in her studio in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Through a photographic survey, visual analysis, identification and classification of iconographic elements, and perception exercises with users, a visual semiotic study of the murals was carried out. It is based on the theory that sustains the aesthetic analysis from the phenomenological and iconographic method (Rodriguez 2005) that allows reading and translating the way in which the murals are linked to an affective dimension. The analysis was structured in three levels: (1) analysis of the form or description of representative elements, symbols, general meanings and primary stroke; (2) analysis of the meaning of color. It was based on color theory and its application in Gándara's artistic expression; and (3) analysis of composition or review of the structure of the images, characters, focal points and relationships between visual elements. In aspects of form and expression, the artist uses organic elements and strong strokes that evoke emotions such as happiness, balance, union, devotion, company, care, passion and time. In her work also highlights the use and implementation of color theory, the sensations and harmonies are objective, it has a proportion and location of colors that guide the gaze of the people who contemplate it and create a visual flow that can be interpreted to understand their messages. The study revealed that Gándara's work in her home studio focuses on themes such as creation, motherhood, childhood and community, discovering the relevance of her border context and bicultural identity in her artistic production.  

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Published

2025-07-31

How to Cite

Ceniceros Ortiz, B., & Laura Elena Ochoa Lozano. (2025). Semiotic analysis of Mago Gándara’s mural work in her studio home in Ciudad Juárez. Educación, Arte, Comunicación: Revista Académica E Investigativa, 14(2), 78–120. https://doi.org/10.54753/eac.v14i2.2370

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