Posada

Printed on paper of three different colors (green, red, and cream), this book constitutes a uniquely Mexican homage to the great popular engraver. The ample selection of images encompasses all aspects of Posada's work, from his broadsides and calaveras to his religious prints and illustrations for penny press chapbooks and children's books (reproduced in color). With great artistic talent and an effective message, this "chronicler of the big city" depicted the social and political events of his time, portraying and caricaturing the typical figures of the age and holding up a faithful mirror to a period of rapid change and deep contradictions.
The volume includes two detailed essays-one by Montserrat Galí Boadella, who looks at the long tradition of the popular print, and the other by Mercurio López Casillas, who examine Posada's work in its historical context-as well as a useful chronology of the artist.