América Invertida

The image features a depiction of South America that has been turned from its standard depiction and is instead oriented with the south at the top.

Torres García's creation of the image was connected to his efforts to form a theory of "constructive universalism", meaning contemporary art that was influenced by the traditions of the indigenous Americans.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UJ-Qj-Sx4RoC&dq=Am%C3%A9rica+Invertida&pg=PA107|title=The Oxford Book of Latin American Poetry: A Bilingual Anthology|last1=Vicuña|first1=Cecilia|last2=Livon-Grosman|first2=Ernesto|date=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195124545|language=es}}

With his depiction of South America, Torres García is proposing the creation of an autonomous Latin American art movement. That is closely related to his manifesto "The School of the South" in which he stated, "I have called this 'The School of the South' because in reality, our north is the south. There must not be north for us, except in opposition to our south. Therefore we now turn the map upside down, and then we have a true idea of our position, and not as the rest of the world wishes. The point of America, from now on, forever, insistently points to the South, our north."{{Cite web|url=http://www.wordsinspace.net/urban-media-archaeology/2011-fall/2011/11/30/inverted-map-of-south-america/|title=Inverted Map of South America {{!}} Urban Media Archaeology|website=www.wordsinspace.net|access-date=2017-06-09}}

Critics have interpreted the image as a sociopolitical artistic work that was intended to counter US cultural imperialism and other cartographic and cultural norms rooted in the European colonization of the Americas.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rsmLAwAAQBAJ&dq=Am%C3%A9rica+Invertida+torres+garcia&pg=PA75|title=Place and Politics in Latin American Digital Culture: Location and Latin American Net Art|last=Taylor|first=Claire|date=2014-05-09|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317912088|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iyMY_YhTN4IC&dq=Am%C3%A9rica+Invertida+torres+garcia&pg=PA41|title=Latin American Identity in Online Cultural Production|last1=Pitman|first1=Thea|last2=Taylor|first2=Claire|date=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9780415517447|language=en}}

The work has become an icon in Uruguayan popular culture.

{{reflist}}

• https://uruguayeduca.anep.edu.uy/efemerides/504
• http://www.torresgarcia.org.uy/bio.php
• https://historiasdasamericas.com/america-invertida/

Category:Uruguayan art

Category:1943 drawings