Untitled (Composition for a Peace Poster)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
c. 1950
"Untitled (Composition for a Peace Poster)" is a two-sheet linocut created in Mexico around 1950. The work was designed by Elizabeth Catlett and executed by Alberto Beltrán as a collaborative project associated with the Taller de Gráfica Popular. Printed in black ink on cream wove paper, the two-part print served as the composition for a poster promoting the Primer Congreso Nacional por la Paz (First National Peace Congress).
The imagery depicts a giant hand seizing a bundle of rifles fitted with bayonets, symbolizing the resistance of the Mexican populace against war. Below the raised arm and hand, a gathered group of workers and peasants is shown, prominently featuring a mother holding a child in a protective and defiant posture. The overall work spans two sheets: the top sheet measures 70 by 94.8 cm with an image area of 64.7 by 89 cm, while the lower sheet measures 70 by 95 cm with an image area of 63.5 by 89.5 cm. Graphite inscriptions on the lower sheet include "ALBERTO BELTRAN" at the upper left and "2 parts / Beltran" written upside down at the lower left.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Elizabeth Catlett and Alberto Beltrán were members of the Taller de Gráfica Popular, joining the workshop in the post–World War II period. The design reflects the collaborative ethos of the workshop and its active engagement in antiwar causes throughout the 1950s. The image was utilized for a poster advertising the Primer Congreso Nacional por la Paz held in Mexico City in May 1951.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Linocut in black on two sheets of cream wove paper
- Dimensions
- Top sheet, image: 64.7 × 89 cm (25 1/2 × 35 1/16 in.); Top sheet, sheet: 70 × 94.8 cm (27 9/16 × 37 3/8 in.); Lower sheet, image: 63.5 × 89.5 cm (25 × 35 1/4 in.); Lower sheet, sheet: 70 × 95 cm (27 9/16 × 37 7/16 in.)
Technical characteristics
- Inscriptions
- Inscribed lower sheet, upper left, in graphite: "ALBERTO BELTRAN"; lower left in graphite, upside down: "2 parts / Beltran"
- Maker recorded
- Alberto Beltrán (Mexican, 1923-2002), Elizabeth Catlett (American, active in Mexico, 1915-2012)
- Place recorded
- Mexico
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Art Institute of Chicago collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Untitled (Composition for a Peace Poster)
- Museum object number
- 2014.582
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.