Atlas de Anatomía (X), 1992

José Hernandez  

Atlas de Anatomía (X) is an original etching from 1992 by José Hernández (1944-2013), one of the leading figures of Spanish fantastic and visionary art. Hernández, a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, built a universe of decaying architectures, hybrid creatures and anatomical fragments rendered with the precision of a Renaissance draughtsman. This plate, the tenth of the Atlas de Anatomía series, borrows the format of the scientific anatomical atlas to present a body dissected and reassembled by the imagination, where organic matter and architectural ruin merge. The meticulous etched line and the dense passages of tone create an atmosphere of silence and mystery that characterises his best graphic work. Published by the Colegio de Médicos de Madrid (Ediciones de Arte 10), the plate measures 34.5 x 24.5 cm on a 56.5 x 37.5 cm sheet and was issued in an edition of 100, hand-signed and numbered by the artist. Hernández's prints are held in major Spanish collections, including the Museo Reina Sofía and the Biblioteca Nacional.