%eadnotat; ]> PUBLIC "-//Stanford University::Libraries::Dept. of Special Collections::Manuscripts Division//TEXT (US::CSt::MSS PRINTS 0048::Taller de Grafica Popular Engravings and Posters)//EN" "prints0048.sgm"Guide to the Taller de Grafica Popular Engravings and Posters, 1848-1964Processed by Sheryl Nonnenberg; machine-readable finding aid created by Steven Mandeville-Gamble.Department of Special Collections
Green LibraryStanford University LibrariesStanford, CA 94305-6004 Phone: (650) 725-1022Email: speccoll@sulmail.stanford.eduURL: http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/spc/
¡ 2002

The Board of Trustees of Stanford University. All rights reserved.

Machine-readable finding aid derived from FileMaker Pro database. Date of source: 2002 July.Finding aid is written in English.Guide to the Taller de Grafica Popular Engravings and Posters, 1848-1964Collection number: MSS PRINTS 0048Department of Special Collections and University Archives Stanford University Libraries Stanford, CaliforniaContact InformationDepartment of Special CollectionsGreen LibraryStanford University LibrariesStanford, CA 94305-6004 Phone: (650) 725-1022Email: speccoll@sulmail.stanford.eduURL: http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/spc/Sheryl Nonnenberg2002 JulySteven Mandeville-Gamble

¡ 2002 The Board of Trustees of Stanford University. All rights reserved.

Descriptive SummaryTaller de Grafica Popular Engravings and posters, 1848-1964MSS PRINTS 0048Taller de Grafica Popular172 printsStanford University. Libraries. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives.Engravings (71) and posters (101) by multiple artists.Administrative InformationAccess Restrictions

None.

Publication Rights

Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights reside with the creators of the documents or their heirs. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections.

Provenance

Purchased, 2002.

Preferred Citation:

Engravings and Posters. MSS PRINTS 0048. Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Biography

The Taller de Grafica Popular (The Workshop for Popular Graphic Art) was founded in Mexico City in 1937 by artists Leopoldo Mendez, Pablo O'Higgins and Luis Arenal. All three men had been involved with the Mexican Mural Movement, under the leadership of Diego Rivera. Other artists joined the TGP and soon the membership grew to a constant twelve to fifteen members. (see list below)

The basic premise of the group was to be a center of collective work and to provide both pragmatic and philosophical support to its members. Pragmatically, because most of the artists were poor and could not afford the equipment necessary to create prints, the TGP provided working quarters and basic equipment in a well lit, orderly atmosphere. Philosophically, the collective provided a constant source of shared expertise and la critica colectiva, in which members reviewed and critiqued each other's work. The collective was run as a business, with an executive board and weekly member meetings to discuss common concerns. There was also an established structure for the commission and sale of member's work. Members would receive two-thirds of the sale price of individual prints and the TGP one-third. The intent was that the workshop would pay for itself and generate revenue for the individual artists.

The Taller produced editioned prints, pamphlets, illustrated books and films. Primarily, however, the work of the TGP was a continuation of the school of Mexican printmaking begun by Jose Posada. Posters, or broadsides, depicting the basic needs of the working and peasant classes were the most prolific product of the TGP. Like Posada, TGP artists found that the imagery of the corridos and calaveras were the most successful way to communicate with a largely illiterate audience. Bold, black and white images with densely printed surfaces are typical of the TGP iconography and reflect the artists' admiration for Mexican folk art and Pre-columbian relief sculpture.

Scope and Content

The collection contains prints and posters made by the various members of the Taller de Grafica Popular (The Workshop for Popular Art). Please refer to the Biographical Note for a complete listing of artists who belonged to the TGP. The collection is divided in two series: Prints and Posters. There are approximately 63 prints and 101 posters; dimensions for each piece are given in centimeters.

All of the prints in the collection were executed by the use of linoleum blocks. Although the process of lithography had been introduced in the 1920's, the stone required for the process was not cheap or abundant in Mexico. Since the objective of the TGP was to produce large editions in the cheapest manner possible, members quickly embraced the linoleum block printing process. Linoleum was the most modern means of printing; it was a cheap and accessible type of "block" and could be used for both large and small-scale images. If mistakes were made, pieces could be discarded more easily than with expensive wood or stone. Linoleum also lent itself well to the bold, black and white imagery used by most of the TGP artists. Leopoldo Mendez, one of the founders of the Taller de Grafica, wrote that there was a certain power in the black and white print. He felt that it served as a contrast to the colorful backdrop of the country, and was an excellent means of representing the heavy burden of oppression endured by the Mexican people.

Because the TGP considered itself to be both an artistic cooperative and politically radical group, most of the images in the collection deal with current events, political figures and social causes. Favorite topics include: poverty and oppression of the Indian population, oil expropriation, the workers movement, imperialism, literacy and the high cost of living. But there was also attention to las peguenas cosas cotidianas (the details of daily life), expressed, as Jose Gudalupe Posada had done years before, by means of corridos and calaveras. After World War II, the TGP members turned their attentions to peace-time cultural missions such as literacy campaigns, saving archeological sites and promoting the motion picture industry in Mexico.

Access Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Beltrán.Bracho, Angel.Bustos, Arturo Garcia.Calderon, Celia.Catlet, E.Escobedo, Jesús.Flores, Norberto.Gómez, Andrea.Huerta, Elena.Jiménez, Sarah.Méndez, Leopoldo.Mereles, Alfredo.Mexiac, Adolfo.Mora, Francisco.Morales, Antonio.Ocampo.O'Higgins, Pablo.Pache, Fernando Castro.Quinteros, Adolfo.Ramirez, Everardo.Ravel, Fany.Sosamontes, Ramón.Ventura, Hector.Zalce, Alfredo.Art, Modern--Mexico.Collection ContentsSeries 1. Prints1Leopoldo Mendezn.d.1 Linoleum Block Print

Untitled, 73.7 x 50

11Adolfo Quinterosn.d.3 Linoleum Block Prints

Derecho de Huelga, 1951,25.0 x 32.7; La Fuerza de la Union, 1958, 32.5 x 25.0 ; Untitled (Portrait), 1960, 56.1 x 49.9

12Norberto Floresn.d.2 Linoleum Block Prints

Protesta contra alza de comestibles, 35.2 x 47.4; Untitled, 39.0 x 56.8

13Fernando Castro Pachecon.d.4 Linoleum Block Prints

Asesinato de Obregon, 32.7 x 25.0; Aesinato del General Alvao Obregon, 39.5 x 49.0; Untitled, 35.0 x 44.7; Las Demandas del Pueblo, 48.0 x 34.6;

14Jesus Escobedon.d.3 Linoleum Block Prints

Los Diplomatica, 50.3 x 38.6; Untitled, 38.7 x 36.0; Untitled, 47.5 x 35.0

15Leopoldo Mendezn.d.9 Linoleum Block Prints

Doria, 23.7 x 34.5; Danza del Maiz, 18 x 28.5; Incidentes Melodicos, 24.1 x 32.1; Untitled, 22 x 28.3; Untitled, 27.2 x 42; Coscomates, 38 x 44.5; Bestias, 38.2 x 52.8; Soledad, 50.7 x 41.5; Untitled, 44.7 x 57

16Sarah Jimenez V.n.d.6 Linoleum Block Prints

Detencios, 32.5 x 24.7; Mecanicos, 32.5 x 50; Justicia, 33.0 x 50; Zapata Prisionero, 32.7 x 50; Huelguista,50 x 32.5; Untitled, 56.5 x 64.5

17Angel Brachon.d.9 Linoleum Block Prints

Calaveras, 35.2 x 47.3; Aleman y Truman, 50.2 x 32.5; Alto al agcotismo, 28.4 x 35; Chicanos, 31.0 x 41; Anonimo, 35 x 47.5; La Huelga de Rio Blanco, 35.7 x 47.2; Ola de Hurlgas en Espana, 40.3 x 56.3; Creacion de la CTM, 42.3 x 62.8; La Victoria de Quetzalcoatl, 53 x 64.3

18Francisco Moran.d.4 Linoleum Block Prints

Untitled, 50 x 32.5; Untitled, 50.5 x 40; Untitled, 27 x 29.5; La Decena Tragica, 65 x 50

19Arturo Garcia Bustosn.d.5 Linoleum Block Prints

Untitled, 31.7 x 40; Untitled, 47.5 x 35; Paris, 1960, 41.5 x 50.5; Il Congreso Campesino, 65.2 x 50.2; Adam Mickiewicz, 65.5 x 50.2

110Various Artistsn.d.12 Linoleum Block Prints

E. Catlet, Quejas del Pueblo, 32.5 x 25.3; Celia Calderon, Recursos Naturales del Mexico, 35 x 47.8; Fany Revel, Untitled, 42 x 62; Adolfo Mexiac, Untitled, 55.8 x 43.9; Everado Ramirez, La Culebra, 51 x 41; Elena Huerta, Constituyentes Mexicanos, 57 x 45; Ramon Sosamontes, Soldado, 45 x 55; Pablo Ohiguins, CTAL Unidad, 34.8 x 47.2; Hector Ventura, Untitled, 35 x 47.5; Antonio Morales, Trabajadores, 64.8 x 49.7; Ocampo, Dos Pepenadores, 46.2 x 61; Andrea Gomez, Untitled, 49.8 x 64.8

111Beltrann.d.3 Linoleum Block Prints

Untitled, 47.5 x 35; Untitled, 47.7 x 70, Untitled, 47.7 x 70

112Alfredo Merelesn.d.3 Linoleum Block Prints

Calaveras del Sismo, 49.8 x 65.2; Terror en el Mercado, 47.9 x 70; Untitled, 65 x 49.8

113Alfredo Zalcen.d.2 Linoleum Block Prints

Untitled, 36 x 56.8; Amenaza Nazi, 48 x 35

114Anonymous Artistsn.d.5 Linoleum Block Prints

Untitled, 19 x 22.3; Untitled, 30.5 x 41.3; Untitled, 47.5 x 56.6; Untitled, 47.5 x 56.6; Imperialismo, 64.9 x 49.8

Series 2. Posters2Postersn.d.8 posters

La risa del pueblo, 43.7 x 67.3; Vida y Drama de Mexico, 47.5 x 69.5 [2 copies]; 1869 Universidad Autonoma de Hidalgo, 46.5 x 57.2; Fuera de Panama, 57 x 43.2; La Paz para el progreso, 46.5 x 60.2; Buenos vecinos, buenos amigos, 67.2 x 47.5; La URSS, 67.2 x 46.5.

3Postersn.d.7 posters

50,000 Cubiertas, 50 x 64; La risa del Puebla, 67.5 x 43.5 [2 copies]; El fascisimo conferencia, 67 x 47; El fascisimo conferencia, 67.5 x 46.5; Marisol S. Timoshenka, 67.2 x 46.5 [2 copies]

4Postersn.d.6 posters

Puedes sembrar con mal suelo; Las mejoradas de maiz; Corrido de los tranvias; Corrido de Lopez Perez; Congreso Continental Americano por la paz, Israel.

5Postersn.d.9 posters

Untitled, 57 x 71; Americana, 61 x 118; Universidad Obrera de Mexico, 61.3 x 81; Los Tranvarios luchan en, 93.3 x 67.7; A un tiempo nuevo, 95 x 70.3; Homenaja a Cardenas, 56 x 86.4; Exposicion Plateria Mexicana, 61.3 x 81; Victoria!, 60 x 80; Homenaje a Benito Juarez, 61.5 x 82.1

6Postersn.d.7 posters

Urge un tratado de Paz, 56 x 86.4; Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, 60 x 81; Ultrahe a Mexico, 61 x 81.5; 1ro. de Mayo, 82 x 82.5; Exposicion Puerto Rico, 61.5 x 81.3 [2 copies]; American Continental Congress, 61 x 80.5.

7Postersn.d.12 Posters

Congreso continental Americana, 61 x 80.5; Unidad obrera en torno al, 60 x 80.5; 50 Aniversario, 62.5 x 67.3; 1910 - 1964, 56 x 87.6; Libertemos a los presos politicos, 93.2 x 67.8; Ayuda a impedir este crimen, 40.5 x 60.5; Asamblea de Registro, 61 x 40.5; 20 Aniversario, 46.7 x 72.5; A Siqueiros, al partir, 45.5 x 69.9; Exigimos la construccion de la Escuela Nacional, 61 x 81; Llamamiento, 81 x 61.

8Postersn.d.1 poster

Constitucion, 72 x 106.

9Postersn.d.10 posters

Frente unico de trabajadores, 64 x 49.2; No olvidemos!, 67.5 x 94; Paremos la Agresion, 95 x 70 [2 copies];Conasupo Mexico, 65.8 x 95; Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, 60 x 81; IV Congreso de la C.T.A.L, 70.7 x 95; 1ro. de Mayo, 82 x 82.5; Instituto Regional de Bellas Artes de Cuernavaca, 92.3 x 67.2; Lazaro Cardenas, 68.5 x 94.5.

21Various Postersn.d.36 Posters

Esto se acabo coche de Diputado, 14.2 x 21 [2 copies]; Esto se acabo 10 cantinas, sindicatos, concesionarios 13.9 x 21.0 [3 copies]; Esto se acabo coche de Diputado, 14.2 x 21 [2 copies]; Esto se acabo camara de Diputados, 14 x 21; La Llorona de San Carlos, 22.6 x 27; Himno Nacional Mexicano, 30.3 x 40.2; Corrido de Diego Rivera, 30.5 x 40.6; La expropiacion de la Industria del Petroleo, 22.5 x 34.3; El taller de grafica popular, 23 x 33.3; Vivir con honr y progresar con Independencia, 23.1 x 34.7; Maestro tu estas solo, 23 x 34; Con una piedra se matan muchos pajaros, 23.2 x 33.8; Campesino de Jalisco, 23.4 x 33.5; Derecho de huelga, 24.5 x 34.3; En nombre de Cristo, 24.5 x 35.5; Oratorio menor en la muerte de Silvestre, 23 x 33.5 [2 copies]; A correr galinas, 20 x 30.6; Campanero: Adjunto enviamos a usted, 23 x 34, [5 copies]; Los canones de los fusiles de la reaccion, 23 x 33.9; Corrido de Don Chapulin, 23 x 33.5; Toda la tierra para los campesinos, 23 x 32.3; Corrido del comunismo mexicano, 31.1 x 33.5; Seria el politiquero del pri?, 13.7 x 21.7 [2 copies]; Feliz ano 1955, 23.1 x 17.2; Mitin popular de respaldo, 17.8 x 23.6; Homenaje, en su dia a David, 13.2 x 25; Corrido del voto de la mujer, 17.2 x 21.3; Para que quiere ser diputado, 17 x 21.2 [ 3 copies]; Hombres trabajando, 23 x 17; Lazaro Cardenas, 23 x 17; Tractor, 23 x 17; Siempre paz y felicidad, 23 x 17; Expropiacion petrolera, 23 x 17; Exposicion de Estampa del taller de grafica, 35.2 x 47.