Calavera Tapatia n.d.

Editor: This is "Calavera Tapatia," a lithograph by Manuel Manilla, undated. The artwork is very striking—almost like a poster. The central figure, a skeleton in a suit, immediately grabs your attention. How would you interpret the artistic composition of this piece? Curator: Immediately, what arrests my attention is the spatial organization. Notice how the composition orchestrates planes of depth that deny a clear picture-making space; in so doing it flattens, offering us symbolic shapes, particularly the proliferation of skulls as ornament and design element, even typography. A suite of visual events each jostling with the next. The linear work creates tonal variety without relying on a deep illusionistic space, quite remarkable! What do you see as the visual hierarchy? Editor: Well, the skeleton figure is certainly the largest and most detailed. It commands attention, with all the smaller skeletal images and textual elements filling the space around it, giving it the feel of organized chaos. Curator: Precisely. And how does Manilla handle the tonal range, given the graphic nature of the print medium? Observe, there are flat zones but these are contrasted by a density of closely interwoven line. In this piece, the tonal variety contributes to its thematic elements by lending it weight but also delicacy. Consider the balance, too. How are your eyes led through the piece? Editor: My eyes jump around. They are pulled from skull to skull, trying to piece everything together like a puzzle, only for it to always slip away. Curator: Indeed, you point toward the work resisting easy, narrative interpretation. The structure operates formally and associatively to delay the possibility of resolution. I now note more of its power... Editor: Yes, there’s a great interplay here, the work appears to create the effect through geometry and symbolism and careful ordering of tonal events and relationships. Thanks!