Diana+Marroquin

Rufino Tamayo

Rufino Tamayo, Mexican Artist 1899-1991

Art is a means of expression that must be understood by everybody, everywhere.It grows out of the earth, the textures of our lives, and our experience. Rufino Tamayo

Rufino Tamayo was born in Oaxaca, Mexico on Aug 26, 1899. Rufino Tamayo began painting at the age of 11, and a year later became an orphan when his parents died. Before becoming a well know artist Tamayo was a professional wrestler. In 1917 Tamayo moved to Mexico City in order to proceed his artistic dreams. Tamayo enrolled in Escuela Nacional de Artes Plasticas (School of Fine Arts). Studying at the School of Fine Arts Tamayo was not fulfilled with the conventional art program and began to study on his own. Tamayo was inspired by the combination of Native American culture in Oaxaca and pre-Columbian object from the National Archaeology Museum where he worked as the head of Ethnographic Drawing ( Source 2). Later Tamayo move to New York City where he was able to express himself with life events of the time through bright colors and [|oil paintings] of people and animals.





During the Mexican revolution Tamayo became the most [|influential artist] were he dominated Mexican art production. By 1930 Tamayo had become extremely well known doing several showings of his work in one man shows from 1931-1954, during this time in 1933 he paints the mural //Music and Singing// for the Conservatorio National de Musica. By 1953 Tamayo started being recognize by the international community and winning awards. In 1953 he received El Gran Premio de Pintura in Brazil, 1955 got second prize at the Carnegie International exhibit in Pittsburg, 1964 is awarded the National Prize which was presented to him by the President of the Republic of Mexico. Tamayo continued his career as an artist celebrating his 50th anniversary as a painter in 1968 having done 103 painting and lithographs. Tamayo was a modern man who was strongly influence by the political affairs of the world, yet he kept his love for his past and history and showed it in his work example of this would be //Nacimiento de la nacionalidad ( Birth of the Nationality )in 1952.// At his peak of his recognition in 1949 Tamayo moved to Paris, France for 10 years where he was well accepted by European artist, moving back to Mexico in 1959 permanently. In 1991 Tamayo was having respiratory and heart problem and was admitted to Mexico City’s National Institute of Medical Science and Nutrition where died on an acute stroke on June 24, 1991 at the age of 91 just two months shy of his 92nd birthday.



//”Dos Personajes Atacados por Perros”//, is an image of two dogs going after two individuals. Like most of Tamayo’s paintings this painting also tells a story. The story is not direct, it is what the person viewing the painting wants it to be, making this piece abstract. //“Dos Personajes Atacados por Perro”,// is one of Tamayo first painting to get printed. Tamayo was afraid of not being able to capture the intensity of color with a print, but was convinced. The material getting printed on was done with custom paper by Luis Remba, which allowed the ink to be absorbed creating a fresco like finish. In this piece Tamayo use textured and a lot of blending, when separating the images one cannot see what is happening with the images emphasizing that the picture need to be viewed as a whole.

Tamayo was a visionary and a social realist. Tamayo had seen the unsolved conflict that Mexico had to overcome as an independent country. He had witness and was part of the Mexican revolution realizing that the new liberal and colonial catholic will continue to clash. In this piece, “ //Dos Personajes Atacados por Perros”// was one of Tamayo’s later pieces. I believe Tamayo had painted this piece to show the world that we cannot continue to run away. Whether the piece is interpreted as objective or abstract people keep on running. I believe that //“ Dos Personajes Atacados por Perros”// is an abstract. The dogs symbolizing politics, religion, family, culture and the aggression of change in our lives, as for the people running I believe they are a symbol of what we are and the fear of what is to become of us when the “dogs” catch up to us. Tamayo was powerful with color making us feel fear and darkness, yet allowing his audience to interpreting his pieces to whatever one wants.

Rufino Tamayo was not only a well recognized artist amongst his peer such as Picasso and Miró, but was one of the first Mexican Artist to not trail after modern Mexican painters turning him into the ,“ Black Sheep”( Octavio Paz, 1956) of Mexican artist. Tamayo nature gift to use color could have easily over taken the meaning of his paintings, however unlike other artist, he was able to compose his colors to construct one structure that can simply only be seen as one. Tamayo has allowed his work to give continues meaning to our lives by the never ending changes that we as a spices can never overcome this is why Tamayo work is irreplaceable and can never be replaced by another artist.

My Interpretation of Rufino Tamayo

Source: 1. [] 2. [] 3. Rufino Tamayo: Catalogue Raisonne: Grafica/ Prints 1925-1995, Author Carlos, Juan 4. Rufino Tamayo: Author Octavio Paz 1956 5. 10 Pintores Mexicanos: Autor Alfonso De Neuvillate- Ortez 6. [|La Iglesia y el estado en tiempo de Fusto //**Rufino**// Barrios (Book Review).] Full Text Available   By: Calder, Bruce. American Historical Review, Jun78, Vol. 83 Issue 3, p846, 2p; (AN 5599793)