Puente de Brooklyn

Date: c. 1953-54

Medium: Linocut

Dimensions (cm.): 31.0 x 41.7

Variants: Impressions were printed in black ink and red-brown ink.

Alternate titles: Nueva York-1880; Nueva York en 1887; Brooklyn; El puente

Published edition: Unknown

Contemporary publication: Intertitle in film La rosa blanca, (dir. Emilio Fernández, 1954)

Principal references: Academia de Artes 1834; Exposición de Homenaje 493; Exposición de Homenaje 561 (illus.)

Selected additional references (illustrated): Caplow 2017, 208; Carrillo Azpeitia 1984, pl. 97; Maples Arce 1970, pl. 46

Selected public collections: AA; Estanquillo (with block); IAGO; NMMA

Commentary: Méndez used an intricate graphic style for the 1954 film La rosa blanca. The prints for the film reconstruct scenes from the life and travels of the nineteenth-century Cuban revolutionary writer, José Martí (1853-1895), and Méndez employed a graphic style that corresponded to the era in which Martí lived. The prints are among the most detailed that Méndez ever produced, with delicate, fine lines and accurate perspective. Catedral de la Habana (Havana Cathedral), Puente de Brooklyn (Brooklyn Bridge), and Vista de Zaragoza (View of Zaragoza) reveal Méndez’s skill in delineating architectural form and texture as well as his ability to create atmospheric effects. (Deborah Caplow)

Cataloging note: Méndez based the composition on a 19th century steel engraving.

Related works: Méndez made a series of prints for La rosa blanca (1954), of which five were ultimately used in the film.

Obras relacionadas: Méndez realizó una serie de grabados para La rosa blanca (1954), de los cuales cinco se utilizaron finalmente en la película.

Catalogue record number: 210