This powerful mid-century print, dated 1959, showcases the artist’s mastery of the figurative form. The work is characterized by the "monumental" style synonymous with the Mexican Modernist movement, depicting a profile with heavy, sculptural features and a stoic expression. The piece is rendered on a sage-green toned paper, utilizing deep black ink and white highlights to create a high-contrast, three-dimensional effect.

Visible plate marks around the perimeter of the subject indicate a professional printing process, likely a lithograph or a soft-ground etching designed to preserve the grainy, gestural quality of a charcoal original. The signature "J.M. MARTINEZ" and the year "'59" are integrated into the lower right of the composition. This piece represents a significant era in Latin American printmaking, where the intersection of indigenous identity and modernist abstraction was at its peak.

Specifications

• Artist:Ricardo Martínez (Signed in plate)

• Date: 1959

• Medium: Two-color print (Black and White) on toned wove paper

• Features: Visible plate marks, deckled edges (where applicable)

• Dimensions: H: 21 in x L: 16 in

• Style: Mexican Modernism / Figurative Expressionism

Keywords: Ricardo Martinez de Hoyos, Mexican Modernist Print, 1959 Lithograph, Intaglio Print, Plate Marks, Latin American Graphic Arts, Mid-Century Printmaking, Profile Portrait, Indigenous Archetype, Two-Color Print, Mexican School of Painting, Collectible Art Print, Toned Paper Art.