Paperink

Mixografia

1976

20th Century

75

56

additional 10 artist proofs with Roman numeral IDs

Inscription

lower left

56/75

Signature

lower left

R. Tamayo

Spanish

37 in

30 in

Mr. and Mrs. [Rosalie] Warren Wright (1930-2024), Redondo Beach, CA; donated to Purdue University Galleries in 1984

Technique or Process

"A large-scale solitary head overwhelms the print entitled Cabeza Verde (1979). With simplified features including two circles for eyes, a stylized nose and a straight line for a mouth, the figure gazes out to viewers allowing for direct eye contact to be the first observation of this piece. The floating head is placed on top of a light green oval-like shape. The overall color scheme consists of off-white and pale green, a common trend in Tamayo’s works during the 1970’s. The use of pale colors that contrast his iconic use of deep and vibrant colors is also apparent in another of Tamayo’s Mixografia prints housed at Purdue University: Las Cabezas Blancas (1976). Rufino Tamayo continued to push printmaking to create prints that were suggestive of his painting techniques. With his lithographs, Tamayo was able to create the same color tones and brush work of his paintings, but continued to want more from printmaking. In 1973 with an intriguing offer from Luis and Lea Rembla, Tamayo’s desire began to come true. The couple offered an invitation to Tamayo to join a printmaking studio they had just created. Tamayo accepted on the condition that Luis Rembla would create for him a new printmaking technique that would allow more volume and texture in his prints. This new printmaking process became known as Mixografia. With the flexible medium the Mixografia process provided, printmakers were allowed many of the freedoms given to painting. Mixografia allowed the work on paper to continually be altered as the artist’s vision changed and transformed. The most important quality to take away from Mixografia prints is the texture. While examining Cabeza Verde (1979), viewers are able to notice the tissue-like paper that is used in the process of Mixographia, as well as all of the folds that are rendered into the work creating the striking texture. It seems that with the creation of the Mixografia printing technique all of the obstacles of creating prints with texture and volume diminished, leaving Tamayo with gorgeous prints that left viewers in awe of the medium. With the creation of this new printing process, prints were taken to a new level and this is greatly due to Tamayo’s passion to produce prints that contained the qualities of his paintings as much as they possibly could. It is because of this great enthusiasm that many other artists followed in his footsteps and began to create Mixografia prints of this caliber. Elyse Strand References: Dupont, Diana C. Tamayo: A Modern Icon Reinterpreted. Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 2007. Genauer, Emily. Rufino Tamayo. New York: Abrams, 1974. Pomade, Rita, “Rufino Tamayo.” Arts in Mexico Series. http://www.mexconnect.com/articles "