Zócalo de la tragedia

Beatriz González

1983

A linoleum-cut print in red and black that turns a flattened, posterlike image of a reclining woman into a public emblem of grief and tragedy.

Bold, spare outlines and smeared two‑color ink give the reclining figure the brittle look of a weathered poster—her head thrown back becomes a stark silhouette set between decorative red bands and areas of distressed printing.

One of a set of six linocuts made in 1983, the work exemplifies Beatriz González’s use of vernacular graphic language to record and mourn public violence, helping to steer Latin American art toward civic memory and social testimony.

Palette

Art Terms

Linoleum cut Relief print Print Figurative Poster Popular culture

Exhibitions

Committed to Print

1988

New Acquisitions: Latin-American Art

1942

Latin-American Art, 1931–1966, from the Museum Collection

1967

Mexican Art

1978