The publication El Mate was closely tied to the ideology of the Grupo Toledo Chico, a group that advocated local art with social and rural theme. It was committed to supporting theoretical work and exhibitions in Uruguay that took an innovative stance against “isms, ruptures, affirmations, negations […], and—mostly—confusion.” To that end, artist and editor-in-chief of El Mate Joaquín Aroztegui (b. 1943) begins this article citing an unnamed Italian critic important to understanding the group’s thinking: “Why are we told to look at these things? It’s none of our business.” The author explains artistic changes in terms of historical changes, drawing parallels between transformations in science and in art that have modified language. According to the text, the Grupo Toledo Chico safeguards traditional vernacular values, though it is also involved in new visual languages that lie beyond the scope of this text’s reflection.
[For further reading see, in the ICAA digital archive, the following documents published by the Grupo Toledo Chico: released by the Federación de Estudiantes Plásticos del Uruguay (FEPU) “2ª exposición al aire libre en homenaje a Stalingrado” (doc. no. 1210566); “Ha muerto Felipe Seade lloran las paredes blancas” (doc. no. 1193080); by J. Aroztegui (editor-in-chief) “Hacia el encuentro del hombre” (doc. no. 1194504); “Un mate para despedir el 66 y recibir el 67” (doc. no. 1194176); and “El XV Salón Municipal de Artes Plásticas” (doc. no. 1193049)].