As a young Mexican artist, Alfredo Ramos Martínez had spent almost a decade in Paris at the turn of the 20th century, bathing in the light of Impressionism and being hypnotized by the vibrancy of Van Gogh’s and Gauguin’s works. While he never joined the French avant-garde circles, his stay in Paris turned fortuitous when…
Tag: Mexico
Remedios Varo – Rheumatic Pain I (1948)
Largely unknown outside of Mexico, today Remedios Varo is still one of the many forgotten female artists of Surrealism. Just a quick glance at her work, that blends alchemy, the occult, architecture and science, will make you realize that the solitary women she portrayed were often tortured and enclosed, trapped in cages and towers –…
Julio Galán – He Who Comes Must Go (1988)
Julio Galán has often been compared to Frida Kahlo, for they both hailed from Mexico, painted Surrealistic works and chose deeply personal subjects and symbols for their art. There was a big difference though. While Kahlo’s sensitivity and pain shone through as the essence of her art, with Galán you get the impression that he…
Leopoldo Méndez – Little School Teacher, How Great is Your Will (1948)
According to legend, the Aztecs were told by Huitzilopochtli, the Sun and War god, to leave their homes and look for the place where they would see an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus devouring a snake. In that place, they were to build the most powerful empire in all Mesoamerica (Middle America). And…
