Rafaela Arocena de Ussia, Coyoacán, Mexico
Thence by descent to present owner

Mexico City, Sala Nacional Palacio de Bellas Artes SEP/INBA, 50 años de labor artística Exposición Homenaje a Rufino Tamayo, December 1, 1967, n. 51
Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Tamayo Peintures, 1960-1974, November 27, 1974-February 2, 1975, n. 21, illustrated
Florence, Palazzo Strozzi, Rufino Tamayo, March 1-April 30, 1975, p. 55, n. 17, illustrated in color

Juan Garía Ponce, Tamayo, Mexico City, 1967, illustrated in color
Diálogos vol. 4, n. 7-9, February 1968, Mexico City, p. 11, illustrated
Octavio Paz, "Tamayo en la Pintura mexicana en Rufino Tamayo gloria de la pintura mexicana" Mujeres, March 31, 1971, p. 33, illustrated
Emily Genauer, Rufino Tamayo, New York, 1974, n. 87, illustrated
Juan García Ponce, "Rufino Tamayo", Guadalimar Revista mensual de las artes, año 2, n. 16, Octubre 10, 1976, Madrid, p. 78, illustrated

This painting has never been removed from its original stretcher. The stretcher is slightly twisted but this can be corrected when hung on a wall. The paint layer has never been cleaned yet while it might be slightly dirty, cleaning pictures by this artist is difficult and not advised. The variety of textures and painting techniques are all in full view, including scratching, abrasions and all kinds of applied texture. There is a small chip in the pink area in the center of the left edge which may be a paint loss and also possibly a tiny dot of paint loss in the upper torso of the figure in the purple. There is a small speck of white paint in the upper center which might not be original. Other than this there are no other areas which require restoration and the remainder of the picture seems to be exactly as Tamayo painted it. There is some atmospheric dirt on the surface which, given time and patience, could be removed extremely carefully. Overall the painting is in excellent condition. This condition report has been provided courtesy of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.)
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The peculiar quality of many of Rufino Tamayo's female figures goes beyond stylizations, reconstructions and syntheses to show aspects of a more extravagant appearance. Such is the case of Mujer morada whose extraordinarily thin and long neck becomes one of her most attractive qualities. She is immersed in a harmony of elegant and delicate chromatic contrasts that give way to a gusty atmosphere where the exuberance of the gold and gr꧂ays contrast with pink, lavender, purple and red tones, evoking a garden where we find the rare beauty of this naked woman. Our Venus shows a thick body with long upper extremities and an attitude that could be associated to the female sensuality expressed in the cadent and slow movements of a rhythmic, even ritual, dance. The theme could be a new version of the ecstatic dancers that emerge in Tamayo's paintings during the forties and fifties, where sleepwalking figures dance at midnight or the overjoyed and lively dancers that fill his canvases in the following decade. Like in those pieces, this woman appears to be intensely focused, in a state of ecstasy and pure self-absorption. Her schematic nature does not take away eloquence and attention from the movement of the body, which is enriched by her belt, turgid breasts, and the bodily adornment that encompasses the upper part of her body.

The opulent sensuality of the paint application is achieved with long and diluted brushstrokes and strong and gestural lines. The rapid mark-making could constitute in themselves a painting that can be associated with the best and most characteristic work of the informalismo, an aesthetic current at the൲ time of the execution of this painting.

Nothing in this work is incidental in the perfect harmony of form and content. Beyond the magnificent prese🅷nce of the female nude, there is also an intention to evoke with delicate distance the inner life of this genre. A chain of d✅elicate emotions innate to the female nature permeate this canvas.

 

Juan Carlos Pereda

Art Historian, Mexico City