Journalist Carlos Paolillo reviews the Gladys Meneses retrospective exhibition at the Museo de Bellas Artes (Caracas, 1986). Paolillo discusses the fundamental milestones in the education and career of the Venezuelan artist. These point to a focus on the study of form and also describe her creative process, wherein two different levels become apparent: one intuitive and the other conscious. Meneses says she feels alone in engraving, given that the majority of visual artists work within the field of painting. In conclusion, Meneses praises initiatives such as Cegra and TAGA, which [she feels] are destined to produce professional artists who will succeed in generating encounters within the field.

The text offers a vision of the work of Gladys Meneses (1938–2014), a holistic artist, who relates her process from a personal perspective; her reflections along this topic are in accord with the motive for the interview conducted by Carlos Paolillo: her retrospective exhibition. This text delves into Meneses’s expressive elements, investigating her focus on form and landscape, highlighting water and stones as concrete elements of nature. Meneses’s comments on her isolation within the field allow us to perceive the absence of an engraving tradition in Venezuela, despite the efforts of CEGRA (Centro de Enseñanza Gráfica, Caracas, 1979–90 [Center for Graphic Studies, Caracas, 1979–90)] and by TAGA (Taller de Artistas Gráficos Asociados, Caracas, de 1976 hasta la fecha) [Workshop for Associated Graphic Artists, from 1976 to date]. It can be said that the workshop of Luisa Zuloaga de Palacios (1923–1990) began the process of bringing artists together within the field; and that both CEGRA and TAGA were the result of the crystallization of that experience. Nevertheless, when Paolillo interviewed Meneses, those initiatives had not yet produced a consolidated generation of engravers who experimented with techniques. Meneses states: “no siento [en los artistas contemporáneos] la investigación del grabado por el grabado mismo. La mayoría de nuestros grabadores trabajan con criterio de pintores.” [I do not see (contemporary artists) experimenting with engraving for the sake of engraving. The majority of our engravers work within the field of painting.] Meneses feels the need to juxtapose her experiments with those of other artists. She recognizes that within  CEGRA and TAGA there exists the seed of a needed engraving tradition.

For a review of this artist’s work, see the ICAA digital archive: “Gladys Meneses,” by Iván Torres and F. Valladares (doc. no. 1155685)]. Also see the interview by journalist Miriam Delgado, “Del papel al acero: Gladys Meneses sigue rindiendo culto al Delta” [From Paper to Steel: Gladys Meneses Continues Worshipping the Delta]  (doc. no. 1155645); and the text by Lucía Quintero Yanes, “Grabados de Gladys Meneses” [The Engravings of Gladys Meneses] (doc. no. 1155664)].