Graphic design in Peru at the beginning of the 20th century: The avant garde posters by Elena Izcue, 1930-1940

Abstract

Elena Izcue is known for her artistic and graphic studies of the pre-Columbian art iconography. However, it is important to rescue and make visible her graphic proposals for posters made between 1930 and 1940, which moved away from the ingrained Peruvian iconographic concept to enter into a formal and compositional exploration taking as references the European artistic and graphic manifestations. That experience allowed her to make creative and innovative proposals that dialogued with the language of the avant-garde, which she later intertwined with the local visual language. It was an interesting process of visual transculturation in which the international avant-garde influenced Izcue through posters, which later gave her a sense of identity when she returned to Peru.