
Literature : PEREDA, Juan Carlos et al. Rufino Tamayo Catalogue Raisonné Gráfica / Prints 1925 - 1991. México. Fundación Olga y Rufino Tamayo, CONACULTA, INBA, Turner, 2004, pág. 224, catalogada 280.
'Personaje en la ventana' by Rufino Tamayo is a 1980 etching measuring 76 × 56 cm. A mauve, textured figure — its circular head set atop a rectangular torso, two small dots marking eyes, and a curved line suggesting a mouth — is positioned against a mottled blue-grey ground. Two ochre bands cross the composition at right angles, forming a grid that frames but does not confine the figure. The title translates as 'Figure at the Window,' and those gold bars read as a window frame, situating an archetypal human presence behind glass. The simplified, near-featureless face reflects Tamayo's sustained engagement with pre-Columbian figural forms, translating ancient sculptural prototypes into a modernist graphic register. The mottled textures across both figure and ground — a quality particularly well-suited to his printmaking practice — give the work a worn, almost lithic surface that reinforces that dialogue between the archaic and the contemporary.
Rufino Tamayo (Mexico, 1899–1991) blended modernism with Mexican heritage, creating bold, color-driven paintings and prints. Influenced by Zapotec culture, he avoided political narratives, focusing instead on universal themes and textured surfaces. His innovative use of color and form helped redefine 20th-century Mexican art beyond muralism.
Personaje en la ventana, 1980
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Literature : PEREDA, Juan Carlos et al. Rufino Tamayo Catalogue Raisonné Gráfica / Prints 1925 - 1991. México. Fundación Olga y Rufino Tamayo, CONACULTA, INBA, Turner, 2004, pág. 224, catalogada 280.
'Personaje en la ventana' by Rufino Tamayo is a 1980 etching measuring 76 × 56 cm. A mauve, textured figure — its circular head set atop a rectangular torso, two small dots marking eyes, and a curved line suggesting a mouth — is positioned against a mottled blue-grey ground. Two ochre bands cross the composition at right angles, forming a grid that frames but does not confine the figure. The title translates as 'Figure at the Window,' and those gold bars read as a window frame, situating an archetypal human presence behind glass. The simplified, near-featureless face reflects Tamayo's sustained engagement with pre-Columbian figural forms, translating ancient sculptural prototypes into a modernist graphic register. The mottled textures across both figure and ground — a quality particularly well-suited to his printmaking practice — give the work a worn, almost lithic surface that reinforces that dialogue between the archaic and the contemporary.
Rufino Tamayo (Mexico, 1899–1991) blended modernism with Mexican heritage, creating bold, color-driven paintings and prints. Influenced by Zapotec culture, he avoided political narratives, focusing instead on universal themes and textured surfaces. His innovative use of color and form helped redefine 20th-century Mexican art beyond muralism.
What is late modernism?
Late Modernism refers to the continuation and evolution of Modernist principles in art, architecture, and literature from the mid-20th century into the late 20th century. This movement maintains a focus on form, abstraction, and the rejection of traditional styles, but it often incorporates more complexity and ambiguity compared to early Modernism. Late Modernism explores themes such as alienation, identity, and the fragmentation of reality, reflecting the social and cultural shifts of the post-war period. It is seen in the works of architects like Louis Kahn and artists like Francis Bacon, who pushed the boundaries of Modernism while responding to the changing world around them.

Rufino Tamayo
Personaje en la ventana, 1980
76 x 56 cm
























