Clock without Time

1977

Clock without Time, 1977. Rufino Tamayo (Mexican, 1899–1991), printed by Taller de Gráfica Mexicana. Mixograph (bronze plate case from wax); overall: 56 x 74.2 cm (22 1/16 x 29 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Pamela Elizabeth Ward in loving memory of her parents, William E. and Evelyn Svec Ward 2005.124 © Tamayo Heirs / Mexico / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Rufino Tamayo rejected the political imagery of many of his Mexican contemporaries, such as Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco. Like much of Tamayo's art, this print draws inspiration from his native region, which was known for its indigenous culture into the 1900s. The artist created it using Mixography, his own technique of printing from a cast bronze plate that embossed texture and dimensionality into paper. The earthy tones and simple shapes of this image suggests decorations on early pre-Colombian pottery.