This Halloween, celebrate all things spooky with a wide selection of eerie artworks spanning the European, contemporary, Asian, American, and fashion design collections of Phoenix Art Museum. Then, take a deep dive and learn about the satirical calaveras of Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada.
Pioneering 19th-century printmaker José Guadalupe Posada profoundly impacted the development of political critique in Mexican art. Between 1872 and 1913, Posada produced more than 20,000 prints for newspapers, street gazettes, and broadsheets that were satirical, humorous, or cynical in nature. Often referred to as the Mexican Francisco de Goya, he is best known for his images of animated calaveras (skulls or skeletons), which reference both Mexican pre-Columbian art and popular Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) festivals.
Posada’s skeletons began as scathing, fancily dressed caricatures of politicians and the bourgeoisie but eventually evolved into characters enacting the idiosyncrasies of everyday Mexican life. As he witnessed the social ramifications of stark economic disparity in his country, Posada came to believe that death is the only true democratic process, by which humans reach sacred immortality. His skeletal illustrations strip their subjects of any defining physical features, leaving only clothes as markers of social status and reminding viewers that underneath it all—the skin and hair, the jewelry and hats, the suits and gowns—we are all the same, just connective tissue and bones.
Check out works by José Guadalupe Posada from the PhxArt collection here.
Need further assistance?
Please call Visitor Services at 602.257.1880 or email
INTRODUCING PHXART + SOL, OUR FAMILY SUMMER ACCESS PASS AVAILABLE NOW. |