Biography
The Taller de Grafica Popular (The Workshop for Popular Graphic Art) was founded in Mexico City in 1937 by artists Leopoldo Mendez, Pablo O'Higgins and Luis Arenal. All three men had been involved with the Mexican Mural Movement, under the leadership of Diego Rivera. Other artists joined the TGP and soon the membership grew to a constant twelve to fifteen members. (see list below)
The basic premise of the group was to be a center of collective work and to provide both pragmatic and philosophical support to its members. Pragmatically, because most of the artists were poor and could not afford the equipment necessary to create prints, the TGP provided working quarters and basic equipment in a well lit, orderly atmosphere. Philosophically, the collective provided a constant source of shared expertise and la critica colectiva, in which members reviewed and critiqued each other's work. The collective was run as a business, with an executive board and weekly member meetings to discuss common concerns. There was also an established structure for the commission and sale of member's work. Members would receive two-thirds of the sale price of individual prints and the TGP one-third. The intent was that the workshop would pay for itself and generate revenue for the individual artists.
The Taller produced editioned prints, pamphlets, illustrated books and films. Primarily, however, the work of the TGP was a continuation of the school of Mexican printmaking begun by Jose Posada. Posters, or broadsides, depicting the basic needs of the working and peasant classes were the most prolific product of the TGP. Like Posada, TGP artists found that the imagery of the corridos and calaveras were the most successful way to communicate with a largely illiterate audience. Bold, black and white images with densely printed surfaces are typical of the TGP iconography and reflect the artists' admiration for Mexican folk art and Pre-columbian relief sculpture.
From the guide to the Engravings and posters, 1848-1964, (Stanford University. Libraries. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives.)
