El Fusilado (The Shot), 1950 by Leopoldo Mendez (1902-1969), Mexico

El Fusilado (The Shot), 1950Leopoldo Mendez (1902-1969), MexicoLinoleum block print, signed in pencil17.5" x 21.5" paper size This linoleum-block print is one of five Leopoldo Méndez created to serve as backdrops for the credits to the 1950 feature-length film Una Día de Vida (One Day of Life), by the renowned Mexican director Emilio Fernández. The five prints were presented in a portfolio, and depicted key scenes in this story of the Mexican Revolution. El Fusilado (The Shot) depicts a dignified peasant martyr killed by firing squad.  Méndez is widely considered the finest printmaker in the history of Mexico. In 1937, Méndez, Luis Arenal, and Pablo O’Higgins founded the Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP). Established in Mexico City, the TGP (The People’s Print Workshop) was active through the 1960s, creating thirty-five major portfolios of woodcuts, linocuts and lithographs, and a total output of over 4,000 prints.  Mendez worked quietly. Preferring to be relatively anonymous during hi