Existing comment:
Nude
1931
oil on canvas
Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase
While in New York, Tamayo likely saw Giorgio de Chirico's 1928 exhibition at the Valentine Gallery. Like de Chirico, Tamayo experimented with atemporal scenes that juxtapose the ancient past with his modern surroundings. In this example, a female nude, modeled after the generous proportions of pre-Columbian sculpture, is set within a complex evocation of Mexico's past and present. A rock wall and a sleeping dog point the viewer to pre-Hispanic iconography, while bricks and telephone wires return us to the industrialized present. This nonnarrative approach set Tamayo apart from his Mexican muralist peers. |