Julio Málaga Grenet: The power of images
An author who revived interest in caricature in 20th-century Peru
[Manuel G. Abastos] ([1957]) by Julio Málaga GrenetNational Library of Peru
Grenet's work in two stages
Grenet's early works are evidence of the revival of caricature, which had previously been based on the deformation and zoomorphisation of characters.
The schematic style
Málaga did not take notes, he would interact with the people and then go back to his studio and draw them.
Analysis
Here is a caricature that shows Georges Rouma, a Belgian intellectual and director of the Casa Latino América in Brussels, who donated books from his country to the National Library in 1947.
Notice the differences between the two illustrations. It is the same author, but his drawings are different. What do you think?
Although the first one is a magazine cover (1906) and the second one a portrait (1947), in the first we notice, for example, the volume of the bodies and the texture of the clothes, created by drawing thick black lines in certain areas.
In the second one, we see a schematic, simplified caricature. The result is achieved through clean lines.
[Mamerto Urreolagoitia] (Published June 3, 1951) by Julio Málaga GrenetNational Library of Peru
The protagonists of social and political life
Grenet's work, full of humour, was critical of the rulers and powerful families of Peru.
The Peruvian politicians portraits
He painted portraits of Peruvian politicians, but also of personalities from the world of national and international culture.
Losada - a mathematician and mining engineer
He was Minister of Education in 1947 during the administration of President Bustamante y Rivero and Director of the National Library of Peru between 1948 and 1961.
Working queens
While it may seem shocking today, in 1948 La Crónica held a beauty contest for its female workers as a way to encourage female participation in the workforce. This illustrates how much societal views on women and their role in the workplace have evolved.
Readers' votes and Malaga's portraits of the winners.
Rosa Amelia I, representative of the Santa Rosa shoe shop, won the first competition in 1948.
Caricature of an employee of the National Library of Peru
Málaga portrayed the personalities of his time, but in his work we find this caricature of Mr José Jara Aguilar, the director of the National Library for 50 years without interruption. It is mentioned that his anniversary was celebrated and that the Minister of Education was present.
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