A torero placing banderillas into the bull's shoulders while two men stand behind the bull

Art Historical Context

In the electrifying scene of *A Torero Placing Banderillas into the Bull's Shoulders while Two Men Stand Behind the Bull*, Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada captures the raw intensity of a bullfight. Created around 1890–1910, this zincograph depicts a matador boldly thrusting barbed sticks into the bull's shoulders—a pivotal moment in the corrida that weakens the animal and heightens the drama. Two assistants stand poised behind, ready to intervene, embodying the high-stakes teamwork of this traditional spectacle. Posada, a master of Mexico's popular print tradition, was renowned for his bold, satirical broadsheets that critiqued society through stark black-and-white imagery. His zincograph technique, a form of lithography on zinc plates, allowed for affordable mass production, making his works accessible to everyday people via newspapers and flyers. This print reflects bullfighting's cultural prominence in late 19th-century Mexico, imported from Spain and embraced as thrilling entertainment amid the Porfiriato era's social upheavals. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, 1946), this compact 3 3/4 × 5 3/8 in. sheet exemplifies Posada's enduring influence on Mexican folk art and later movements like the graphic works of Diego Rivera. It invites viewers to ponder the blend of bravery, ritual, and spectacle in a vanishing world.

About the Artist

José Guadalupe Posada · 1852–1913

José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) was a Mexican printmaker and engraver who revolutionized popular art and created some of the most iconic images in Mexican culture. Working primarily with publisher Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, he produced over 20,000 images during his career—inexpensive broadsheets sold for a penny on colored paper that made his art accessible to even the poorest workers. He transform...