• Rufino Tamayo (roo•FEE•noh tah•MAH•yoh) was a Mexican artist from Mexico.
• He mixed ancient Zapotec and his Mexican heritage into modern style of art.
• He invented mixografia, a printing technique of adding sand in the paint for earthen-texture.
• He focused on themes of the cosmos and the human condition, instead of 1940-50’s politics.

1899-1991: Rufino Tamayo was a Zapotec-Mexican artist known for his international success and commitment to indigenous traditions. He lived in New York and Paris, distancing himself from the overtly political muralist movement to develop his own style.

Tamayo’s style focuses on a “sobriety of color,” using a limited palette to achieve greater force and meaning. He pioneered “Mixografia,” a patented printing process that creates three-dimensional, high-relief works with immense texture. By mixing sand into his paint, he created earthy, tactile surfaces with a sculptural quality. His work blends European modernism with pre-Hispanic aesthetics, emphasizing the “Sun” as a constant influence that distinguishes his unique Mexican identity.

Dos Personajes Atacados por Perros is a masterwork created using the Mixografia process. This piece perfectly demonstrates Tamayo’s famous style by utilizing high-relief texture and solid materials to create a 3D effect that makes the vibrant, earthy colors appear as physical, sculptural objects.