Plate 5

1943

Prints for the Popol Vuh: Plate 5, 1943. Carlos Mérida (Guatamalan, 1894–1985), Graphic Arts Publications Editories. Color lithograph; sheet: 41.4 x 31.3 cm (16 5/16 x 12 5/16 in.); image: 31 x 27.2 cm (12 3/16 x 10 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mitzie Verne in memory of Dr. Daniel Verne 1999.145.5 © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SOMAAP, Mexico City Born in Guatemala, Carlos Mérida depicted his native culture throughout his art. This print belongs to a series related to the Popol Vuh, an ancient Mayan epic that describes the world’s creation. Rather than straightforwardly illustrating the text, Mérida uses bright, overlapping fields of color and dynamic abstract forms to convey the narrative’s drama and grandiosity. More broadly, the striking image suggests the strength of an indigenous culture unaffected by the European conquerors who had attempted to eradicate it. Carlos Mérida issued the series of prints to which this work belongs in a portfolio with text from the Popol Vuh in both English and Spanish.