Grinding Maize, Cuautla
1947
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph in black on wove paper
Dimensions
image: 35.08 × 28.58 cm (13 13/16 × 11 1/4 in.) sheet: 44.61 × 38.42 cm (17 9/16 × 15 1/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Bequest of Frank B. Bristow)
Accession Number
2015.19.1313
Art Historical Context
Leopoldo Méndez's *Grinding Maize, Cuautla* (1947) captures a timeless moment of Mexican rural life, depicting a woman engaged in the traditional labor of grinding maize—a staple of indigenous cuisine and culture—in the town of Cuautla, Morelos. This black-and-white lithograph, measuring 35.08 × 28.58 cm, exemplifies Méndez's commitment to social realism, drawing from Mexico's muralist tradition while making art accessible through printmaking. As a founding member of the Taller de Gráfica Popular (People's Graphic Workshop) in 1937, Méndez used lithography's precision and reproducibility to c...