Antro de fósiles (Den of Fossils)

The early work of Maruja Mallo was the subject of an article in issue 17 of Gaceta de Arte (1933), illustrated with two works, one of which, Antro de fósiles (Den of Fossils), was part of Cloacas y campanarios (Sewers and Bell Towers), the second series Maruja Mallo embarked upon after working on her Verbenas. In the work, she relinquishes the vibrant colours, the costumbrista subject matter and the human figures that characterise the early period of her career, focusing instead on exploring more temperate tones and lugubrious themes, such as destruction, death and absence. Some scholars have pointed to how this drastic change of interest was influenced as much by events in the real world (a time in which Nazism was on the rise) as her personal mood. Attention has also been called to the artist’s relationship with the Escuela de Vallecas, and her interest in a telluric, and seemingly sombre and cathartic, view of nature. Maruja Mallo discussed the series in 1992: “At that time nature had an impact me, but removing the plundering of the past, the inflamed and sodden earth. Sewers pushed by the wind, bell towers knocked down by storms; the world of things that move and frequently stumble over the seasons of circulation…”.



Raúl Martínez Arranz