Soraida Martinez
Encyclopedia
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
artist who creates hard-edge paintings. She was born in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York City, USA on July 30, 1956.
Since 1992 Soraida Martinez has been known as the creator of Verdadism
Verdadism
Verdadism is the word coined by artist, designer and writer, Soraida Martinez, to describe her hard-edge painting body of work. The word is a combination of the Spanish word for truth and the English suffix for theory . This contemporary art style, created in 1992, juxtaposes figurative abstract...
, a form of hard-edge abstraction where each painting is accompanied by a written social commentary
Social commentary
Social commentary is the act of rebelling against an individual, or a group of people by rhetorical means, or commentary on social issues or society...
. Martinez is the only artist to write a social statement for every painting that she creates. Viewers are drawn to both the artist's abstract paintings and her bold 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
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
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...".
Biographical Information
Soraida Martinez was born in New York City in 1956 and since 1986 has been in business as the owner of an art and design studio. Martinez studied art at Glassboro State CollegeRowan University
Rowan University is a public university in Glassboro, New Jersey, USA with a satellite campus in Camden, New Jersey. The school was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a twenty-five acre tract of land donated by the town...
, where she graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a specialization in design; she also holds a Liberal Arts degree focusing on psychology. In Verdadism
Verdadism
Verdadism is the word coined by artist, designer and writer, Soraida Martinez, to describe her hard-edge painting body of work. The word is a combination of the Spanish word for truth and the English suffix for theory . This contemporary art style, created in 1992, juxtaposes figurative abstract...
, every painting is always accompanied by a written social commentary
Social commentary
Social commentary is the act of rebelling against an individual, or a group of people by rhetorical means, or commentary on social issues or society...
based on Martinez' personal life experiences and observations on American society. Because it directly confronted social issues at a time when it was not fashionable, Verdadism
Verdadism
Verdadism is the word coined by artist, designer and writer, Soraida Martinez, to describe her hard-edge painting body of work. The word is a combination of the Spanish word for truth and the English suffix for theory . This contemporary art style, created in 1992, juxtaposes figurative abstract...
has been called the first socially conscious art style of the 21st century.
Martinez has gained recognition and received many awards for this unique thought-provoking and visually stimulating art style. In 2008, Martinez was recognized (along with other notable actors, artists, designers, directors and writers) as one of the 15 most prominent Hispanic Americans
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
in the Arts.
Among many other social and philosophical issues, Soraida’s Verdadism
Verdadism
Verdadism is the word coined by artist, designer and writer, Soraida Martinez, to describe her hard-edge painting body of work. The word is a combination of the Spanish word for truth and the English suffix for theory . This contemporary art style, created in 1992, juxtaposes figurative abstract...
paintings also address sexism, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and stereotyping for the purpose of promoting hope, peace, tolerance and social change. In 1999, Martinez wrote a book on the Art of Verdadism
Verdadism
Verdadism is the word coined by artist, designer and writer, Soraida Martinez, to describe her hard-edge painting body of work. The word is a combination of the Spanish word for truth and the English suffix for theory . This contemporary art style, created in 1992, juxtaposes figurative abstract...
.
The Verdadism
Verdadism
Verdadism is the word coined by artist, designer and writer, Soraida Martinez, to describe her hard-edge painting body of work. The word is a combination of the Spanish word for truth and the English suffix for theory . This contemporary art style, created in 1992, juxtaposes figurative abstract...
art style has been featured in many magazines and newspapers, as well as on radio and television; many of the Verdadism
Verdadism
Verdadism is the word coined by artist, designer and writer, Soraida Martinez, to describe her hard-edge painting body of work. The word is a combination of the Spanish word for truth and the English suffix for theory . This contemporary art style, created in 1992, juxtaposes figurative abstract...
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
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
. In 1996, Martinez was appointed by the then governor of New Jersey, Christine Todd Whitman, to a seat on the New Jersey State Council on the Arts
New Jersey State Council on the Arts
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts was founded in 1966 to support artistic activities in the state of New Jersey. It is funded by the New Jersey State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts ....
, where she was a member until she resigned in 2000.
Through her art, Soraida 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. Soraida is frequently asked to do exhibitions on her Verdadism art and philosophy at universities, institutions and corporations.