Artwork
Untitled
Artist
Carlos Mérida
(Guatemalan, active Mexico, 1891 - 1985)
DepartmentLatin American Art
Date1925
MediumHand-colored print
Dimensions8 15/16 x 13 3/16 in. (22.7 x 33.4 cm)
Credit LineSan Antonio Museum of Art, purchased with funds from Friends of Latin American Art in memory of Ted Warmbold and from Friends of Contemporary Art
Object number95.54.4
Copyright© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SOMAAP, Mexico City
GeographyPlace madeGuatemala
DescriptionLandscape of mountain and field.Label TextFields of bold color and simplified forms characterize Carlos Mérida’s Images of Guatemala. Commissioned by the Guatemalan government and printed in Paris in 1927, the works join modernist aesthetics with subjects of Mérida’s Maya heritage featuring the landscape, people, and their traditional dress. Mérida moved to Mexico City in 1919, drawn to the vibrant cultural scene that was forming there after the Revolution. Mexico’s renewed interest in its Indigenous art and craft informed Mérida’s work.
(Lana Meador, 2020)
Campos de colores llamativos y las formas simplificadas caracterizan las Imágenes de Guatemala de Carlos Mérida. Comisionadas por el gobierno de Guatemala e impresas en París en 1927, estas obras unen la estética modernista con temas de la herencia Maya de Mérida que presentan el paisaje, la gente y su vestimenta tradicional. Mérida se mudó a la Ciudad de México en 1919, atraído por la vibrante escena cultural que se estaba formando allí después de la Revolución. El renovado interés de los mexicanos por el arte y la artesanía de las comunidades Indígenas tuvo una fuerte influencia en el trabajo de Mérida.
(Lana Meador, 2020)
Exhibition HistoryMaya Blue: Ancient Color, New Visions. San Antonio Museum of Art. Golden Gallery. May 10, 2025 - May 10, 2026.InscriptionsAnnotated lower right: Mexico 1925SignedSigned and dated, lower left: Carlos MeridaNot on view
Collections
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
