Fermín Revueltas, Illustrator of Modernity

Abstract

This article examines the role of Mexican artist Fermín Revueltas (1901-1935) as illustrator in different graphic projects of the early 1930s. In these editorial collaborations, the painter highlighted his avant-garde side, in keeping with the goals of intellectual and political networks of the postrevolutionary regime. Looking at a little-known folder of drawings and watercolors by Revueltas, presumably from the 1920s and showing echoes of his participation in Stridentism, the article contextualizes his artistic work with the Intellectual Workers Block (Bloque de Obreros Intelectuales, BOI), itself a vehicle for government policies. Revueltas’s illustrations and designs for the BOI contrast with his work with the publishing house Cvltvra. The works analyzed here reveal the artist’s creative processes in different moments, highlighting the innovative contribution of a talented professional.

Keywords: Mexican art, visual arts, cultural policy, modernity, visual culture.