This article by Carlos Mérida (1891-1984) on the work of Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) was published in the newspaper El Universal de México in July 1948, coinciding with the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes’ tribute to the Oaxacan painter that celebrated 20 years of his artistic endeavors. It covers the retrospective show of 82 works then being shown at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in June of that same year. At the time, some articles that were severely critical of Tamayo’s work were being published; among them, such as those by Antonio Rodríguez, who considered the artist “foreign,” “purist,” “without social content” and “bourgeois.” Mérida’s essay could be considered a response to Rodriguez’s observations, especially those voiced in“¿México tendría hoy una escuela de pintura propia, de haber seguido a Rufino Tamayo?” [“Would Mexico have a school of painting of its own today, if it had heeded Rufino Tamayo?”] (See doc. no. 758248).Through his writings, Mérida spans more than six decades of the art milieu in Mexico. His vision, fiercely critical and seductive, reflects the thoughts of a person who not only shared the space and time of the diverse developments of art in the world, but who also contributed new readings and distinct analytical viewpoints from those that marked his era. The painter not only wrote about the evolution of the visual arts in Mexico, but also on the topics of caricature, photography, dance, film, design and folk art both in Mexico, as in his native Guatemala. In addition, Mérida also wrote profound reflections on the composition, meaning and function of art.
