By David Magallanes/ Guest columnist
Walking into my home, you might suddenly get the feeling that you’d entered an art museum. Before you jump to any conclusions, I can’t draw or paint my way out of a paper bag. But my grandfather and my mother had left me a legacy of impressive works of French and Mexican art that lend an air of culture to my humble home.
One of the more impressive works of art given to me by my mother during her more artistically prolific years in the 1970s depicts an angel from heaven giving to the Mexican revolutionary priest Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla a kiss of approval as he gives the famous “grito” (“scream”) heard ‘round the world as he launched the revolt against the Spanish oppressors in Mexico (a similar image can be seen here), which eventually (though by no means immediately) led to Mexican independence from Spain. He is shown defiantly holding the banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a familiar and powerful icon in the more recent huelgas (strikes) led by Cesar Chavez in the fields and roadways throughout California in the 1960s and ‘70s. The image of Padre Hidalgo in this painting is glorious, as if the kiss by the angel was conveying the message that the powers of heaven were indeed on his side as well as that of the Mexican insurgents that he led.
In a visit to Paris seven years ago, art museums were on my itinerary. My mother and grandfather would have been proud. One of the first European masterpieces I saw in the Louvre Art Museum was the original (painted in 1808) of a copied work hanging in my living room, painted in 1929 by my grandfather, Candelario Rivas, a Mexican/Californian artist. It was Atala au Tombeau (“The Burial of Atala”) by French artist Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson (an image is here). Later in the week as I journeyed around Paris on my artistic sojourn, I was particularly and humbly awed by the art of the extremely gifted French sculptor Auguste Rodin at a museum featuring his art. Once again, a kiss was portrayed — this time in one of his most famous pieces, Le Baiser (“The Kiss” — an image is here), portraying the divine essence of the kiss between a man and a woman who love each other, be they spouses or lovers. This work portrays the power of a kiss — the kind that culminates in the creation of the generations of mankind since the dawn of time.
Kisses are special moments in life. We receive kisses of various kinds from friends and lovers, spouses and children and grandchildren. My experience tells me that Mexicans and Americans of Latino heritage are much more apt to kiss hello and goodbye on the cheek than Anglos, and that the French are doubly more prone, above and beyond Mexicans, rendering kisses on both cheeks. Which can be unnerving for Americans more accustomed to our sense of the “wide open range,” keeping our distance. After all, “a handshake is just fine, thank you,” is how many Americans approach the entire question of how to greet each other. The Japanese forego all of this and simply bow toward each other, honoring each other’s spirit. Which is probably healthier, we can’t deny.
Kisses are also given by the sun. Most of us enjoy Sunkist oranges and other fruit products. But another kiss by the sun, apparently when I was much younger and not fully aware of the power of the sun’s kisses, led to some minor surgery on my nose several years ago to remove a spot of basal cell carcinoma. Ah, kisses…
Speaking of which, I will carry to my deathbed the memory of one summer afternoon years ago. It was a hot day (we do remember what that feels like, don’t we?). I’m a frequent runner. I was running by the local harbor. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a car pulling up from behind me. I wasn’t particularly alarmed until it drew close to me on the sidewalk. t slowed down to my speed. I felt a pang of concern. Was I being targeted? Would I be asked, “Where are you from?” We know what usually occurs next when THAT question is asked on the street. I sensed someone leaning out the rear window. Now I was officially worried. I wasn’t quite in a panic, but if I had had rosary beads in my hand, I probably would have begun exercising THEM.
Just as I dared turn around to evaluate and confront this potential threat to my safety and my very life, I saw what at that moment seemed like an apparition of a young lady extending herself out that rear window, with her hand held upward just below her mouth, blowing me a kiss. Then just as quickly as the car with the beatific creature had approached, it resumed its originally intended journey and disappeared down the road. No, it was not an angelic vision after all. It was real. I had been the recipient of an unexpected kiss of approval or recognition from a stranger on that hot summer day.
And then again … maybe she thought I was somebody else …
— David Magallanes is the creator of his own enterprise, Real World Projects, a business primarily dedicated to building distribution outlets for highly reputable products that offer a healthier life and a more vibrant lifestyle. An emerging branch of Real World Projects is Edifiquemos, a Spanish language enterprise dedicated to teaching the Spanish-speaking how to create a profitable international (U.S./Mexico) enterprise with low investment and high earning potential. David may be available for speaking opportunities. To contact him and for more information, you are invited to visit and explore his web sites at Real World Projects and at Edifiquemos
Editor’s note: Please click on the Opinion link at the top of the page to see the most recent guest columns by David Magallanes.