Untitled 

Manuel Felguérez made this Untitled artwork using a combination of painting techniques and the application of gold leaf. The build-up of texture and varied patinas suggest an active engagement with the material qualities of the substances he employed. Felguérez, associated with the Generación de la Ruptura, embraced abstraction in reaction to the dominant Mexican muralist movement. This artwork demonstrates his experimental approach. The central form is ambiguous, a burst of energy or perhaps a landscape seen through a fractured lens. The artist’s hand is evident in the layering of color, the delicate application of gold, and the bold gestural marks. The use of gold leaf could be seen as a link to traditional craft practices, or indeed as a comment on the value we place on materials. Ultimately, this work blurs the boundaries between different artistic traditions. By bringing a craftsman’s sensibility to painting, Felguérez challenges us to reconsider the distinctions between art and craft, between process and product.