El Taller de Grfica Popular, A.C.

(English)
English description of one of the oldest and most respected democratic organizations of artists
The Taller de Grfica Popular is an artists organization who commited itself to the defense of the workers, the farmers and democratic movements in the world since 1939. This organization has published many woodprints, linocuts, artwork, posters, postcards and propaganda of popular struggles since 1937. Among his members were Leopoldo Mndez, Alberto Beltrn, Angel Bracho, Alfredo Zalce, Andrea Gmez, Elizabeth Cattlet, Leticia Ocharn, Adolfo Mexiac and many other famous artists.

Authors
Nahum Snchez

The Taller de Grfica Popular (Spanish: "People's Graphic Workshop") was a artist's print collective founded in Mexico in 1937 by artists Leopoldo Mndez,[1] Pablo O'Higgins, and Luis Arenal. The collective was primarily concerned with using art to advance revolutionary social causes. The print shop became a base of political activity and abundant artistic output, and attracted many foreign artists as collaborators.[2]

Contents
1 History 2 Work 3 References 4 External link

History
The Workshop was founded in 1937 following the dissolution of the Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios (LEAR, Revolutionary Writers and Artists League), a group of artists who had supported the goals of the Mexican Revolution. Initially called the Taller Editorial de Grfica Popular, its founders built of a rich tradition of printmaking in Mexico, particularly the legacy of Jos Guadalupe Posada. During the Crdenas presidency, the work of the Taller supported the government's policies,

including the expropriation of oil. In 1940, muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros launched an armed assault on the residence of exiled Russian Revolutionary Leon Trotsky, using the Taller's print shop as a headquarters and including some artists affiliated with the Taller in his squad. [3] There was some collaboration between the TGP and the artists of the New Deal-era WPA, including Rafael Tufio. During the US civil rights movement, Chicano and African American artists such as Elizabeth Catlett produced work at the Taller. The TGP faced financial instability, and had to relocate several times. Since 2010 the TGP has a renewed direction under Alfredo Mereles and several former members who started to publish new engravings and artwork.

Work
During its heyday, the Taller specialized in linoleum prints and woodcuts. It produced posters, handbills, banners, and portfolio editions.[4] The art supported causes such as anti-militarism, organized labor, and opposition to fascism. The art was often made through the collaborative process, and the Taller took the anti-commercial policy of not numbering prints. However, it did sell prints as part of and was the first political publishing workshop in Mexico to do so.[5] Under the brand La Estampa Mexicana, the TGP sold song lyrics, posters of heroes and Mexican culture and Left movements worldwide, and gave rise to a new generation of calaveras, the Mexican tradition of humorous poetry ridiculing politicians and other popular figures.

Current Members
Adolfo Mexiac Alfredo Mereles Amado Pascual Ibarra Andrea Gmez Arturo Garca Bustos Carmen Irigoyen Elizabeth Catlett Helena Huerta Hugo van Oordt ker Larrauri Jess Castruita Jos Tlatelpas Leo Acosta Luis Garzn Chapa Mario Ramrez Centeno Reynaldo Olivares Roberto Lazos Sarah Jimnez Verniss.

Grabado del maestro Alberto Beltrn, uno de los ms importantes grabadores del talelr de Grfica Popular

References
1. Caplow, Deborah (2007). Leopoldo Mndez: Revolutionary Art and the Mexican Print. Austin: University of Texas Press. 2. Prignitz, Helga (1992). El Taller de Grfica Popular en Mxico 19371977. Mexico: Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes. LCCN NE544.6.T34 P754. 3. McCloskey, Kevin (April 2009). "TGP: A Mexico City Pilgrimage" (HTML). CommonSense2: A Journal of Progressive Thought. http://commonsense2.com/2009/04/americas-hiddenhistory/tgp-a-mexico-city-pilgrimage-draft/. Retrieved 2009-11-29. 4. Cushing, Lincoln. "Taller de Grfica Popular" (HTML). docspopuli.org. http://www.docspopuli.org/articles/Bancroft/TGP.html. Retrieved 2009-11-29. 5. Ricker, Michael T.. "El Taller de Grfica Popular". Graphic Witness. http://www.graphicwitness.org/group/tgpricker2.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-29.

External links
An extensive catalog of works from the TGP with over 140 images can be found at Grfica Mexicana. "Taller de Grfica prints and posters" . Princeton University Library Digital Collections. http://diglib.princeton.edu/xquery?_xq=getCollection&_xsl=collection&_pid=gc061.

Retrieved 2009-11-29. "Guide to the Taller de Grfica Popular collection, 1935-1995, bulk 1953-1958" . Online Archive of California. http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt1489q85p. Retrieved 2009-11-29. El Taller de Grfica Popular, A.C.. January 2011. El Taller de Grfica Popular presente en el Centenario y Bicentenario. January 12, 2011. Taller de Grfica, prints and posters Universidad de Princeton. Taller de Grfica Popular, edicin del Fondo de Cultura Econmica. Frente Popular de Organizaciones del Distrito Federal, con grabados del Taller de Grfica Popular. .

Source: Wikipedia (Edited) Published Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License Version 12 Last edited: Jan 13, 2011 Exported: Feb 24, 2012 Original URL: http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/305icgglmbd2v/9