Martín Fierro and his children retire to the field. Buenos Aires. 1929.

Wood engraving signed on the block -in the lower left corner- and in pencil, on the base, next to the title of the work. Measures. Engraving: 26 x 19.2 cm / 10.23 x 7.56 in. Paper: 30.5 x 23.4 cm / 12 x 9.21 in. Copy in very good condition, framed.

As indicated at the bottom, the scene is part of the illustrations that enriched Martín Fierro by José Hernández, in the edition of Amigos del Arte (Imprenta de Francisco A. Colombo, 1930, in folio, 481 p), considered one of the best versions of the famous gaucho poem, with 120 of his woodcuts. However, this copy was not part of the book -not even its header-, making it more attractive with the original handwritten text and the author's signature at the bottom of it.

And after those words

That already reveal the intention,

Looking for presents

that there be no quarrel,

They got in the way

And the thing was quiet.

Martin Fierro and the boys

avoiding strife,

They mounted and step by step,

Like the one who does not carry fear,

On the shore of a stream

They came to land.

They unsaddled the horses

And they sat in a circle, (...)

Observe in the engraving the stream and its coast, the three rhythmic horses and their downcast riders, Martín Fierro with guitar. The sun radiates its last rays to the west. The scene refers to the moment before setting foot on land, unsaddling the pingos, and spending the night under the stars “Referring to each other, infinite trifles”.

Adolfo Bellocq made the drawings that he finally transferred to the quebracho to stamp his marvelous woodcuts. This is part of The Return of Martín Fierro, whose first edition dates from 1879. Before being published, they were exhibited in October 1929 at the Friends of Art Association.

Adolfo Bellocq (Buenos Aires, 1899 - 1972) was an Argentine painter and printmaker. He began his training in a self-taught way, from 1911 to 1917 he carried out apprenticeships and technical practice in graphic workshops, and in 1922 he traveled to Europe. He was head of the engraving workshop at the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes Ernesto de la Cárcova from 1928, and professor of engraving at the Escuela de Artes Decorativas de la Nación. He organized the First Exhibition of Argentine Engraving in 1931. He won the First Prize for engraving at the XIX National Exhibition in 1929, and the Silver medal at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1937. His work is represented at the National Museum of Fine Arts , and in those of La Plata, Rosario, Santa Fe and Paraná. In addition to this emblematic Martín Fierro, he illustrated various other books, such as Airampo by Juan Carlos Dávalos, Historia de arrabal by Manuel Gálvez and Sueño de una noche de castillo by Ángel de Estrada.

We appreciate the information provided by the antiquarian bookseller Víctor Aizenman.

S.O. XV-GHM