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The catalog of the work of Antonio Trejo Osorio
–not being exhaustive–, has been compiled in order to
bring to the public eye a collection that has remained almost unknown;
and in an attempt to prevent this work from dispersing and being
forgotten over time.
Notwithstanding the author never having aspired to the exhibition of his work, much less its possible commercialization, we consider access to be of value both for the public and for investigators of the arts in Mexico in the second half of the XXth century. Above all else, Antonio Trejo was a teacher of drawing, printmaking and painting in various art schools in the cities of Morelia, Guadalajara, and Mexico City. There was also an administrative period while he served as Director of the National School of Fine Arts (Academy of San Carlos), from 1966 to 1970. Parallel to these activities his work developed on a personal level, though not always with the continuity he could have wished for. It was through dedication and experience gained with diverse techniques for painting and printmaking that he was able to create pieces of great quality. As a printmaker, he benefited from the teaching of Carlos Alvarado Lang, whom he succeeded in the printmaking program at the Academy of San Carlos. This medium was to provide enormous opportunities for technical and artistic development, with great care and precision about the drawing, and full dominion over the various tools and materials. The themes and subject matter of his work speak of a solid assimilation of his youthful experiences in the Valle del Mezquital, in contrast to his later, more dubious situation in what is called the Mexican School of Painting. The arid scene, the loneliness and the drama of the Otomí people have found expression in some of his prints and paintings. Although his work is essentially figurative, it is not illustrative or congenial as a rule. It is quite common to find human faces of very little definition. The internal tension in his painting is not resolved through particular gestures, but by the structure, always demanding and direct, that sustains the composition itself. We see in the character of his work a strong association with the earth and the natural elements, with the magical aspect of life and death, the gregarious condition of man and also with man’s playfulness. The work of Antonio Trejo Osorio calls for investigation and specialized analysis. This initial compilation is in preparation for such an undertaking. (Our gratitude to Mónica Uribe Flores for her contribution in these comments on the work of Antonio Trejo Osorio.)
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