Polonia despierta

Date: c. 1952

Medium: Linocut

Dimensions (cm.): 31.8 x 22.6

Alternate titles: Deportista; Juegos Olímpicos de Helsinki

Published edition: Unknown

Contemporary publication: Unknown

References: Academia de Artes 1824

Commentary: In this print, Méndez may have come as close as he ever did to comply with the tenets of Soviet socialist realism. Although the print has been registered with the alternate title Juegos Olímpicos de Helsinki, that title is unlikely to be accurate. The star and the large portraits of leaders, possibly Polish president Bolesław Bierut and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, in the background suggest the location is more likely Poland or another Soviet-bloc country. (Peter Schneider)

Catalogue record number: 769