RASPUT\u00cdN, AN UNFORGETTABLE IMAGE FROM CUEVAS'S GRAPHIC WORK<\/p>\n
\"Rasput\u00edn,\" created by Jos\u00e9 Luis Cuevas in 1968, is an original color lithograph, signed in pencil by the artist and numbered 44\/100, belonging to the celebrated portfolio \"Crime by Cuevas.\" The composition presents Grigori Rasputin as a monumental half-length figure. The character appears frontally, with an intense and almost hypnotic expression, dressed in heavy dark clothing and a striking green headdress that frames his face. The contrast between the yellowish greens of the turban and the range of blacks, grays, and blues in the rest of the composition generates an extraordinarily powerful visual presence.<\/p>\n
The background, in bluish-gray tones, is constructed through stains, splatters, textures, and gestural strokes that surround the figure with an almost ghostly atmosphere. The silhouette is contained within a large, irregular oval shape that functions as a kind of psychological stage. Densely worked areas coexist with areas of nearly bare paper, creating a tension characteristic of Cuevas's graphic language.<\/p>\n
The work retains its full margins. In the lower margin, the numbering 44\/100 and the artist's handwritten signature can be seen, while the matrix itself incorporates the execution date of May 1, 1968. Copies from this same edition are currently held in important institutional collections, including the Princeton University Art Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC, and the Hammer Museum at UCLA.<\/p>\n
THE ARTIST: JOS\u00c9 LUIS CUEVAS<\/p>\n
Jos\u00e9 Luis Cuevas (Mexico City, 1934-2017) was one of the most important Mexican artists of the second half of the 20th century and one of the fundamental figures of the so-called Generaci\u00f3n de la Ruptura (Breakaway Generation). His work represented a reaction against the predominance of Mexican muralism and opened space for a much more individual, cosmopolitan, and critical vision of art.<\/p>\n
An exceptional draftsman, printmaker, painter, illustrator, and writer, Cuevas developed a deeply personal figurative language, populated by deformed, marginalized, sick, criminal, and psychologically disturbing characters. His interest in the darker aspects of the human condition made him a singular figure within modern Mexican art.<\/p>\n
His importance transcended Mexico's borders. From a very young age, he exhibited internationally, and his works entered the collections of museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York. INBAL itself recognizes his central role in breaking with the dominant tradition of the Mexican School of Painting and cites \"Crime by Cuevas\" among the fundamental series of his production.<\/p>\n
TECHNIQUE AND EDITION<\/p>\n
\"Rasput\u00edn\" is an original color lithograph on paper, created in 1968. The work belongs to the portfolio \"Crime by Cuevas,\" an important graphic project produced in New York in collaboration with Henri Deschamps at Atelier Mourlot and published by Touchstone Publishers Ltd. The portfolio consisted of twelve lithographs and constitutes one of Cuevas's most important graphic projects during the 1960s. The Museum of Modern Art lists the complete portfolio as a set of 12 lithographs, with an edition of 100 copies.<\/p>\n
The copy we offer corresponds to number 44 out of 100, signed in pencil by Jos\u00e9 Luis Cuevas. The use of different colors, textures, stains, and lines allows one to appreciate the enormous expressive possibilities that lithography offered the artist. The paper used in institutional copies of this edition has been identified as Rives BFK paper.<\/p>\n
The date, handwritten or incorporated into the plate, corresponding to May 1, 1968, is particularly interesting because it allows us to place the execution of the work within the period when Cuevas developed the \"Crime by Cuevas\" portfolio at Atelier Mourlot in New York.<\/p>\n
STYLE AND INTERPRETATION<\/p>\n
The work brings together several of the features that made Jos\u00e9 Luis Cuevas's language recognizable: neo-figuration, expressionism, deliberate deformation of the human figure, nervous drawing, and a particular fascination with characters who inhabit the margins of society.<\/p>\n
Here, Rasputin appears transformed into an almost supernatural presence. The elongated face, the frontal gaze, the beard, and the enormous headdress construct a figure that is simultaneously human and monstrous. The green color of the headdress takes on a particular psychological importance, as it is practically the only warm and saturated element within a composition dominated by blacks, grays, and blues.<\/p>\n
Cuevas seems interested in representing the legend, the myth, and the unease that surrounded the character. The figure appears to emerge from a mental space, surrounded by stains and indefinite forms that could be interpreted as memories, apparitions, or thoughts. This interpretation is especially fitting within \"Crime by Cuevas,\" a series dedicated to episodes of violence, criminality, and famous characters associated with the dark side of history.<\/p>\n
The choice of Rasputin also fits perfectly with Cuevas's fascination with ambiguous and disturbing personalities. Rather than idealizing his protagonist, the artist transforms him into a psychological, uncomfortable, and memorable creature.<\/p>\n
CONDITION<\/p>\n
Excellent. The print is in perfect state of preservation, with full margins and unframed. The sheet retains the entire paper area around the image, as well as the handwritten signature and numbering. It is offered unframed, allowing the future owner to choose a presentation suited to their preferences and the characteristics of the work.<\/p>\n
COLLECTING<\/p>\n
The piece is particularly attractive for those who collect Mexican graphic art from the Generaci\u00f3n de la Ruptura, for those interested in Jos\u00e9 Luis Cuevas, and for those seeking to add to their collection a work of great visual power and considerable historical relevance within 20th-century Latin American graphics.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rasput\u00edn
\nJos\u00e9 Luis Cuevas
\nLithograph on paper
\n22 x 30\"
\nSigned
\n1968<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":6402,"template":"","meta":{"ocean_front_end_style_editor":"no","ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","_joinchat":[]},"product_cat":[3500],"product_tag":[1191,765,2179,3583,3580,3579,3463,3577,3582,3539,3581,3565,859,3469,3578],"berocket_brand":[3576],"class_list":["post-6410","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-obra-grafica","product_tag-arte-latinoamericano","product_tag-arte-mexicano","product_tag-arte-moderno-mexicano","product_tag-atelier-mourlot","product_tag-crime-by-cuevas","product_tag-generacion-de-la-ruptura","product_tag-grabado-mexicano","product_tag-jose-luis-cuevas","product_tag-jose-luis-cuevas-1968","product_tag-la-ruptura","product_tag-litografia-1968","product_tag-litografia-firmada","product_tag-litografia-original","product_tag-obra-grafica-mexicana","product_tag-rasputin","berocket_brand-jose-luis-cuevas","entry","has-media","first","instock","sold-individually","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple","has-product-nav","col","span_1_of_3","owp-content-center","owp-thumbs-layout-vertical","owp-btn-normal","owp-tabs-layout-vertical"],"wooqr_code":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/32reales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/6410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/32reales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/32reales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/32reales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/32reales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/32reales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=6410"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/32reales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=6410"},{"taxonomy":"berocket_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/32reales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/berocket_brand?post=6410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}