Carlos Merida
(1891-1984, Guatemalan-Mexican)
"La Endecha," 1978
Screenprint in colors on paper
Edition: Artist Proof
Signed and numbered in ink in the lower margin: Carlos Merida
Image: 25" H x 21" W; Sight: 26" H x 22" W
Other Notes: Born Carlos Santiago Ortega on December 2, 1891, in Guatemala, Merida grew up in a culturally rich environment, influenced by Guatemala's indigenous Mayan heritage and vibrant artistic traditions. Of mixed Spanish and Mayan-Quiche ancestry, Merida would take his father's surname, as did his siblings later on.

Merida's artistic talent was evident from a young age, but not in the visual arts. Merida's father fostered a love of music, and his first foray into the arts was through the piano. A malformation in his ear ended his musical training, and he pivoted to painting. While Merida was able to host his first exhibition of art at the offices of the newspaper El Economista in 1910, he found the art world in Guatemala lacking. He and friend and fellow artist Carlos Valenti boarded a German steamship bound for Paris.

Between 1910 and 1914 Merida immersed himself in the burgeoning Modernist art movements in Europe. Merida became acquainted with Piet Mondarian, Pablo Picasso, and other artists from Latin America who were studying in France at the same time, including Diego Rivera and Angel Zarraga. After exhibiting and traveling throughout Europe, including a retreat from artmaking after the death of friend and companion Valenti, Merida returned to Guatemala in 1914. Feeling rejuvenated after his time in Europe, Merida found new appreciation for the arts in his homeland. In 1919, as the Mexican Revolution was quieting, Merida moved to Mexico City to work with Diego Rivera.

As an artist, Carlos Merida can best be described as a synergist. His studies abroad in Europe, his ties to Mexican muralists, his travels and exhibitions in the United States, and his quest for commissions all melded into a singular artist style and voice, albeit sometimes at odds with the artist circles he conversed with. Like Renoir with the French Impressionists, Merida did things his own way, occasionally struggling because of it. A muralist, he moved away from representational deceptions to large-scale works of abstracted shapes and forms. A lover of music and dance, his work often shows inspiration from sonic rhythms and compositions of dance movements. Merida is often hailed as one of the first Modernists to fuse the European movement through a Latin American perspective. Committed to uplifting and defining a unique voice influenced by European art but not beholden to it, Merida filled his canvas and murals with Mayan and Mexican indigenous motifs. His work coincided with the rediscovery of lost and abandoned Mayan historical sites, and he took the chance to showcase and celebrate a uniquely Guatemalan expression of Modernist art.†

As one of the premiere Latin American artists of the 20th century, Carlos Merida's renown is widespread. Inspired and interested in almost anything artistic, Merida's work ranges from painting and murals to printmaking, theater production, and interior design. From numerous exhibitions of small works throughout Europe and the Americas, to murals gracing edifices in Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States, to an illustrious teaching career, Merida's unique artist voice continues to resonate.

Overall good condition. With margins. The colors fresh. Not examined out of the frame.

Framed under Plexiglas: 33.25" H x 29.25" W x 1.25" D Condition reports are offered as a courtesy and are typically published in Moran's catalogue or can be made available upon request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of others. Buyers are responsible for determining to their own satisfaction the true nature and condition of any lot prior to bidding. Though buyers are not legally required to inspect lots prior to purchase, failure to do so may constitute a waiver of complaint that an item was not delivered in a condition equal to the existent condition at the auction.