January 20, 2013 is the Centenario of José Guadalupe Posada's Death

 

His work with the burin was great
Thousands of images he did create,
Calaveras and politicos he sent with a din
With novenas and songs to sing
To el gran monton of bones
Giving all homes
Including himself from poor health.

RIP don Lupe y muchas gracias.
 

José Guadalupe Posada and Russian Filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein

It might be said that the events of history are the stones which we of the present use to shape the world in which we live. During the 1920s and 1930s, the famed Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein discovered the images of José Guadalupe Posada who had passed away more than ten years earlier. At the time post-revolutionary Mexico was home to many Mexican artists and intellectuals—and also at least parttime to many ex-patriots including: Francis Toor, Jean Charlot, Upton Sinclair, Orson Welles, Katherine Anne Porter, Paul O'Higgins and Leon Trotsky—who were drawn to the sea change brought about by the upheavel resulting from the Mexican Revolution. Many cultural ideologies were challenged. Old was out and new thinking was called for in many areas of post revolutionary Mexico. During this time the renowned Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein came to Mexico to work on his film ¡Que Viva Mexico!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=bxTaFDYkigY&NR=1 Start watching at the Epilogo approximately 1:17:58.

Noticia Muy Triste: Joaquina Vanegas Arroyo ha Fallecido

At noon on Friday, September 21, 2012 passed from this life Joaquina Vanegas Arroyo, burdened by diabetes that caused the loss of one leg and other related health issues, she is at rest now. Granddaughter of don Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, who collaborated for 22 years with famed artist Jose Guadalupe Posada; beloved sister of Irma and reknowned lucha libre star brother, Arsacio, who together formed a partnership with Fidel and Raul Castro, “Che” Guevara and the Cuban Revolution, just like them, she made history for all of Latin America. She will be missed by those who knew and loved her.

Happy Birthday to La Catrina (1912-2013), Jose Guadalupe Posada's Most Famous Calavera

Perhaps the most famous image that Posada created seen here is known today as La Calavera Catrina, which is the feminine of the Catrin or male dandy. The current year of 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of her first appearance in the publications of Antonio Vanegas Arroyo. Posada never illustrated her in any form other than as she appears here. As far as we know she appeared first in November of 1912, a mere three months before Posada died in January of 1913. But the popular image has since been portrayed countless times in full length. This credit perhaps goes to Diego Rivera who created a full-length version La Catrina in honor of Posada in his mural at the Hotel del Prado in Mexico City.

Museo Posada, Aguascalientes, Mexico

José Guadalupe Posada was born in Aguascalientes, Mexico in 1852. During the 61 years of his life until his death in 1913 he would great a legacy of artistic genius and ultimately become one of the most influencial artists in the history of Mexico let alone the world.

A visit to the museum and the beautiful state of Aguascalientes provides the visitor with an opportunity to see Posada's original engravings and hundreds of images made while in the employ of Antonio Vanegas Arroyo. It is a journey well worth the trip!

http://www.aguascalientes.gob.mx/temas/cultura/espacios/museos/m_posada.aspx

Jose Guadalupe Posada and Sensational Press Images

"Very Interesting News" reads the 1910 headline about the sensational story of Antonio Sanchez who goes berserk with an axe killing his parents, wife and infant son. He then eats his son! The image communicates the horror of the event in no uncertain terms. If Sanchez did devour his son, any question of what it might have looked like is resolved with this image. Although it is unsigned it was likely drawn by Posada and certainly approved by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo. We believe it serves as an excellent example of Vanegas Arroyo's sensational practices and also indicative of the collaborative nature of their relationship. Who directed the body parts with bodies strewn about, the bulging eyes and mad look of Sanchez? Then there is the baby being eaten, not chopped up into bits but eaten whole, perhaps while alive! The shear grotesque look and terror of the image helps to reinforce the moralistic aspects of the story line, which ultimately is warning the reader not to gamble. Sanchez loses all he has gambling and when his father refuses to pay his debt, the tragedy ensues. Eventually Sanchez is apprehended, tried, convicted and put to death. His body is then destroyed by natural elements. It seems justice must be served. Posada throws in some diablitios "little devils" perhaps to show how the devil is around to lead us astray. There are many examples of such sensational images in Posada and Vanegas Arroyo's collaborative work. In Posada's day images could be constructed to portray events or emphasize certain points. Now days we have color photographs and film, digital and immediate appearing via Internet or satellite broadcast but the fundamental sensational elements used by Vanegas Arroyo and Posada are the same that we use today.

Monografia: Jose Guadalupe Posada

Published in 1930, the Posada Monografia was the first major publication devoted to Posada's work. The publisher was Francis Toor of Mexican Folkways and it was really a collaboration of many artists of the time.
    In addition to Francis Toor, Paul O'Higgins (aka Pablo Esteban O'Higgins, b. 03/01/1904 - d. 07/16/1983) pulled prints from the original plates that were at the Vanegas Arroyo Publishing house. Blas and his son Arsacio were running the printing house in those days. Diego Rivera wrote a short forward for the publication and Jean Charlot was also involved. This publication helped bring Posada's name into the spotlight and in many ways could be considered the defining work that allowed many people to see for the first time who the artist was that created so many of the images that had appeared in dozens of publications in Mexico from about 1872 and even after Posada's death in 1913.