White, R. 2026. Sabotaging Modernity: Petro-cultural Decay and Alienation in Daniel González’s Critique of Puntofijismo. Bulletin of Contemporary Hispanic Studies.
| Title | Sabotaging Modernity: Petro-cultural Decay and Alienation in Daniel González’s Critique of Puntofijismo |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | White, R. |
| Abstract | The 1960s saw the emergence in Venezuela of new artistic regimes that challenged the image of the country and particularly Caracas as a beacon of progress. Taking in the full range of creative practice, these regimes emphasized the detritus of urban life. This article tracks the emergence of a visual aesthetic that foregrounded decay and alienation through the work of the photographer Daniel González. In his images, González constructed an image of the city that was different from and effectively sabotaged the images of progress put forward by the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez and by the presidency of Rómulo Betancourt. The article examines the way in which González’s photographs critiqued aspects of Venezuela’s petro-modernity. In constructing Caracas as a dystopian space, González’s photographs tapped into the disaffection felt by poorer sections of caraqueño society who had found the democratic system of puntofijismo to be as alienating as perezjimenismo. |
| Keywords | Photography, Venezuela, El Techo de la Ballena, Daniel Gonzalez, petro-modernity |
| Journal | Bulletin of Contemporary Hispanic Studies |
| ISSN | 2516-8029 |
| 2516-8037 | |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publisher | Liverpool University Press |
| Accepted author manuscript | License CC BY 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Web address (URL) | https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/journal/bchs |