Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by José Guadalupe Posada. It dates from 1910 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1910 by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, this untitled broadside combines relief engraving with letterpress printing. The work measures a modest size typical of inexpensive street publications and is presently part of the collection at the Museum of Modern Art. Its graphic composition presents a single, humorously rendered skeleton engaged in a precarious act.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a skull‑headed figure perched on a unicycle, arms outstretched for balance, one foot on the rim and the other dangling. Rather than evoke terror, the skeletal rider is rendered with a wide grin, turning the traditional Mexican calavera motif into a light‑hearted satire that suggests death is indifferent to skill, speed, or human concerns.
Technique & Style
Posada employed a relief engraving process to carve the design into a metal plate, then printed the image using letterpress on a broadside sheet. The stark black‑and‑white contrast and simplified line work echo the visual language of early 20th‑century popular prints, giving the piece the appearance of a single frame from a comic strip intended for mass distribution.
History & Provenance
The broadside was produced for the cheap, widely circulated street papers that circulated in Mexico during the early 1900s, a common venue for Posada’s socially engaged imagery. After changing hands through private collections, the work entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings, where it is displayed as an example of Mexican popular print culture.
Context
Posada’s oeuvre frequently employed calaveras—skeletons that appear in Day of the Dead celebrations—to comment on social and political issues. This particular print aligns with his broader practice of using humor and the macabre to critique everyday life, reflecting the vibrant visual tradition of Mexican popular art in the years preceding the Revolution.
Artist & collection
