
1960
A barking, wide-mouthed mongrel dog is a subject Rufino Tamayo, an indigenous Mexican artist, often revisited. Fiercely independent, Tamayo rejected the political themes of Mexican muralists like Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, who were viewed as national celebrities. Instead, Tamayo focused on the formal elements of art, such as color, shape, and balance. He was greatly influenced by modern European art movements like Cubism and Surrealism, merging those artistic approaches with themes and subjects from Mexican culture.