Vértigo
Enrique Guzmán
Vertigo
By age 30, Enrique Guzmán had achieved a certain stylistic solidity as a painter, as well as the attention of local gallery owners and critics. His style combined appropriations of Surrealism and Dadaism in his use of references and techniques, in addition to a highly unusual version of pop art mixed with ironic references to religion and Mexican identity. Such elements were later described as neomexicanismo.
Olivier Debroise indicates the presence of “visualized verbal metaphors” in Guzmán’s work, while Teresa del Conde alludes to a constant access to “his own labyrinth.” Vértigo is a piece from the final phase of his career that contrasts with his earlier style, confronting us with intimate, impossible architectures. Carlos Blas Galindo describes this period of his work as “a series of tectonic sculptures in which he alludes, among other things, to perceptual modifications of space and time through drug use.” These elements grant the work a certain sense of existential drama. His interest in erratic lifestyles and explosive behavior associates Guzmán with the generational concerns expressed in the literatura de la Onda, (a literary exploration of rock, generational rupture, and substance use), by authors like Parménides García Saldaña and José Agustín.
ENRIQUE GUZMÁN (1952- 1986)
Vértigo, 1975
Vertigo
Oil on canvas
Acquisition, 2007
