Like many of his Mexican contemporaries in the early 1940s, Mérida embraced his ancient, indigenous roots through modern cultural expressions. The lithographs combine Abstract Expressionist gesture influenced by European artists such as Paul Klee and Joan Miró with interpretations of linear drawings found in Mayan murals.

Alison Rossi, Director of Learning and Community Engagement, 2020.

Carlos Mérida’s Estampas del Popol-Vuh are inspired by the ancient Mayan creation story, the Popol-Vuh, and correspond with its narrative sequence. Abstracted, linear profiles of the hero twins Hunahpú and Xbalanquém float in fields of saturated color with energetic animal forms. Like many of his Mexican contemporaries, Mérida fuses modernist styles with ancient indigenous traditions of the Americas.

Inspiradas en la cosmografía milenaria de los mayas en su expresión llamada el Popol Vuh, las Estampas del Popol-Vuh de Carlos Mérida corresponden a su secuencia narrativa. En campos de colores saturados flotan los perfiles abstractos y lineales de los héroes gemelos Hunahpú e Xbalanquém con energéticas formas animales. Como muchos de sus contemporáneos mexicanos, Mérida fusiona estilos vanguardistas con las antiguas tradiciones indígenas de las Américas.

From the exhibition: Mexican Modernism: Revolution & Reckoning, August 29, 2019 - August 30, 2020.
Alison Rossi, Director of Learning and Community Engagement, 2019.