María del Carmen Mondragón Valseca, also known as Nahui Olin

Dr. Atl - Carmen Mondragón (Nahui Olin), ca. 1922

Nahui Olin was born María del Carmen Mondragón Valseca in Mexico City, the fifth of eight children in a wealthy military family. She began writing poetry and prose while living in France, between the ages of four and twelve. In 1914, she became part of Parisian artistic circles when she returned to live in Paris, after she married Mexican diplomat and painter, Manuel Rodríguez Lozano (1891-1971) in 1913. The couple returned to Mexico in 1921 and remained in an open relationship until 1922. In 1921 she began a long-term relationship with the political activist and painter Gerardo Murillo (1865-1964), better known as Dr. Atl (the Nahuatl word for “water”). Also inspired by post-revolutionary desires to publicly assert connections to indigenous culture and past, C. Mondragón Valseca changed her name to Nahui Olin in 1922, a Nahuatl reference to renewal and the sun’s force behind the cyclic rhythm of the heavens, a symbol of earthquakes and change. (source)

Edward Weston, Portrait de la poètesse et peintre Nahui Olin, (Carmen Mondragon) 1923-24

Edward Weston, Portrait de la poètesse et peintre Nahui Olin, 1923-24

Nahui Olin aka Carmen Mondragon aka Maria del Caremn Mondragon Valseca

Nahui Olin - 1924

Photo de Edward Weston

EDWARD WESTON Nahui Olín, 1923

"Para mí, para ti, ya no habrá ayer ni mañana –para nosotros dos sólo hay un solo día: la eternidad del amor y un solo cambio: más amor –amor que se transforma en más amor, donde no hay ayer ni mañana, sólo un espacio infinito –un día donde la noche no existirá sino para amarnos –una noche que será más luminosa que el día mismo cuando nuestras carnes se junten- es nuestro destino".

–Carmen Mondragón "Nahui Olin"

1- María del Carmen Mondragón Valseca, also known as Nahui Olin

2- Nahui Olin, Self-portrait as a Student in Paris, undated, oil on cardboard, 102 x 76 cm, private collection

Carmen Mondragón, also known as Nahui Olin, was a Mexican painter, poet, and artist's model. She became active in the art scene in Mexico City during the 1920s, gaining significant attention for both her paintings and poetry, though her fame reached its peak posthumously.

Photographed in 1925 by the Leguizamo Photographic Studio.

Colored by Lombardie Colorings.

Edward Weston, “Nahui Olín,” 1923,

María del Carmen Mondragón Valseca, also known as Nahui Olin, was a Mexican painter, poet, and artist's model.

Gelatin silver print,

Dimensions9 × 6 15/16" (22.9 × 17.7 cm)

Courtesy: MoMa

Dr Atl, Nahui Olin, c. 1922

Nahui Olin (María del Carmen Mondragón Valseca, July 8, 1893-January 23, 1978, artist & poet)

Corrida de toros, segundo tercio del siglo XX

Nahui Olin

Óleo sobre cartón

Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo

Te amo incluso mientras te odio, porque el amor es una contradicción, es absurdo.

@jaimeblancarte Cdmx, 2022

Nahui Olin