El fin del zopilote
Date: 1944
Medium: Wood engraving
Dimensions (cm.): 18.0 x 14.0
Alternate titles: El zopilote ahorcado; Zopilote ahorcado; La ejecución del zopilote
Published edition:
Incidentes melódicos del mundo irracional, p. 59. Illustrated book published by La Estampa Mexicana and printed at the Talleres Gráficos de la Nación, 1944, in an edition of 1,200, 178 of which were numbered. Promotional materials stated that the images were printed from the original blocks.
Méndez 25 prints: portfolio of 25 images from Incidentes melódicos, hand-printed at the TGP on china paper, in an edition of 25 numbered portfolios, 7 unnumbered portfolios. Published by La Estampa Mexicana, 1945. This image is number 24 in the portfolio. Each impression signed in graphite, lower right, and annotated 24 in graphite, lower right corner.
Additional impressions, signed and unsigned, were printed outside the edition. Number of impressions unknown.
Contemporary publication: Incidentes melodicos del mundo irracional. See above.
References: Academia de Artes 1886; Exposición de Homenaje 488 (illus.); Prignitz 490; included in Prignitz 498-523
Commentary: An illustration for the book Incidentes melódicos del mundo irracional (Melodic Incidents of an Irrational World), El fin del zopilote is a grim reminder of the fate that awaits evil-doers. In the foreground, Don Zopilote hangs from a dead tree in darkness, while in the distance the campesinos celebrate his demise. The crowd is quite individualized, as in other of Méndez’s depictions of masses of people.The image of hanging was particularly potent in Mexico, as summary executions by hanging were extremely common during the Mexican Revolution. Several well-known images of these events exist, among them, documentary photographs from the Revolution, and most notably a Posada print, Campesino ahorcado (Campesino Hanged), itself based on a photograph. These images would have been familiar to Méndez. (Deborah Caplow)
Comentario: Una ilustración para el libro Incidentes melódicos del mundo irracional, El fin del zopilote es un sombrío recordatorio del destino que aguarda a los malhechores. En primer plano, Don Zopilote cuelga de un árbol muerto en la oscuridad, mientras a lo lejos los campesinos celebran su muerte. La muchedumbre está bastante individualizada, como en otras representaciones de masas de Méndez. Las imágenes de la horca fueron especialmente potentes en México, ya que las ejecuciones sumarias fueron muy comunes durante la Revolución Mexicana. Existen varias imágenes conocidas de estos acontecimientos, entre ellas, fotografías documentales de la agencia de Agustín Victor Casasola, y tambien un grabado de Posada, Campesino ahorcado, basado a su vez en una fotografía. Estas imágenes habrían sido conocidas por Méndez.
Catalogue record number: 529