The Mask

He was an artist that found his main tool in drawing. He built his work based on lines to which he gave values and nuances, materializing the expressions of his fantasy. He did so skillfully, leaving behind a legacy of characters, mostly male, that blend together human and animal features. In many of his works, the faces appear hidden behind a mask that transforms them into fishes, birds or other species. Such is the case of the painting included in the initial collection of the Museum of Art (MUSA), where the face is practically covered by a bird mask with an enormous beak, only providing a glimpse of the mouth of an old man with animal-like features.

His iconography remained constant throughout his artistic career, always focused on revealing the mystery of the human being and on delving into the dark side of appearances. The artist used to describe his work as the point where rationality and irrationality meet, as shown with these accurately outlined figures produced with full conscience, rigor and meticulousness. Despite the intellectual burden the subject matters reflect, instinct’s sinister shadows linger between the lines.

Huerta’s palette was made up of solid colors, without nuances, leaning towards shades of red. The color is bounded by areas well defined by the drawing. His paintings, as well as his drawings and prints, incorporated a classic formality of renaissance echoes, bearer of an elegance that contrasts with the contradictory characters filled with evilness and greatness.