El Peinado ('The Hairstyle' or 'The Combing')

Francisco Zuniga

A seated Mexican woman works on a new hair style for a young woman, perhaps a mother and daughter. It is printed in black ink on a brown/beige paper which provides a warmth to the composition.

Zuniga worked with Brewster Editions in New York to publish this image, printed at Kyron in Mexico City in three states. The first state was published in an edition of 70 plus 20 various proofs. The second state, such as this image, was printed in an edition of 30 plus 7 proofs on a brown/beige Richard de Bas paper. The third state was printed on Arches paper in an edition of 30, plus 7 proofs and a cancellation proof.

Internationally acclaimed sculptor and printmaker Francisco Zuñiga was born in Guadalupe, Costa Rica on December 26, 1912. The son of a religious sculptor and woodcarver, he studied with his father early on before turning to formal education. His attempt to study classical art in Europe was thwarted by the Spanish Civil War, and he traveled instead to Mexico. He studied drawing, stone sculpture, and engraving at the School of Fine Arts in San Jose. Later, in 1936, he studied stone carving at La Esmeralda in Mexico City.

He was appointed to the faculty of La Esmeralda where he remained until his retirement in 1970. Zuniga's art reflects a love and respect for Central American people and traditions, and illustrates the beginning of the powerful influence of traditional Mexican and Latin culture on the world of art.

In 1972, he created his first lithograph. As a complement to his emotionally powerful sculpture, Zuniga's prints articulate the sensitivity and sensuality of the human figure - in particular, the strong, powerful figure of the matriarchal female of his cultural heritage.