María Izquierdo was a renowned Mexican painter in the first half of the 20th century. She primarily focused on still life, representations of everyday life, and representing women in traditional Mexican roots and images. Izquierdo was raised primarily by her grandmother and aunt in a small village in Northern Mexico. Both women were devout Catholics and Izquierdo would participate in daily rituals, and much of her early childhood focused on these traditions. At age 14, she had an arranged marriage to an army officer, and by 17 she had already had three children, and they had moved to Mexico City. In 1923 Izquierdo divorced from her husband and began to pursue painting, which was always a passion of hers. After her divorce, Izquierdo enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Mexico City. In the late 1920s the Mexican Revolution had just ended, and with it many new social changes and programs were brought forward. One such change was an increase in social and educational institutions that honored traditional Mexican beliefs, and this movement resonated with Izquierdo. Throughout her training she held onto this idea of representing a more poetic, and traditional image of Mexican life. She wanted to move away from European art styles and political messages. Daily life, traditions, symbols, and people interested Izquierdo, not revolutions. Izquierdo proved to be a prolific painter and was producing exhibit- worthy paintings from her first year in school. She consistently impressed crowds with her work, and her fame only grew. At her first individual art exhibit Diego Rivera, the founder of the Mexican mural movement, described her as “the only real artist with merit.” In 1930 she made history as the first Mexican woman to host a solo art exhibit in the United States, and in 1944 she began serving as a cultural ambassador for Mexico and travelled to many South American countries. Unfortunately, María Izquierdo suffered from a fatal stroke while travelling in 1955 Throughout her career, María Izquierdo opened the door to many female artists, and assisted in legitimizing a wholly Mexican born cultural aesthetic. She built a style that came from Mexico and became poised to content with traditional western artistic themes and expressions. While she did not consider herself a feminist, María Izquierdo certainly fought for greater accessibility for women in a male dominated world and sought to portray women in a multitude of roles in her paintings. Her depiction of traditional life in a striking way allowed her to give voice to sentiments and feelings of cultural pride in an uncertain time.