In Chillida’s practice, his graphic output and his sculptures are closely bound. In the late fifties, the artist began to research and experiment with engraving techniques. Just like in his sculpture, in his works on paper Chillida played with opposing concepts, like light and shadow, form and content, line and plane.

All those premises are at play in this work from the series Inguru, printed in 1968 and published by Gustavo Gili. The edition is made up of etchings and aquatints based on an interplay of thick black lines that gives rise to white ones in between them. The outcome is a coherent ensemble that has a forceful presence on the paper. The categorical black marks contrast with the fine white lines, generating a puzzle of sorts, an element equally visible in some of his stone sculptures as well as in other works on paper in the BBVA Collection, such as Zeihartu II. With this approach Chillida distances himself from his early more linear and ethereal prints which reflected his interest in Eastern calligraphy. The significance of the plane would gain greater weight to the point of covering most of the printed area.

The title chosen for this series evinces the importance of Basque culture in Chillida’s life and work: “I have my roots here, I create my work here, and it does not belong to me. I feel it with a desire for it to become a more universal culture by the day, but from our roots”. Indeed, his Basque roots are equally visible in the titles of his works, most of them in Basque. The title of this piece, Inguru, alludes to concepts such as “turn” and “surroundings”, strongly related with his gaze as a sculptor, a gaze that knows and at once discovers the piece by conceiving it from all viewpoints.

The artist explores each material to make the most of its possibilities. In this work, apart from , he uses , a technique that allows him to create a subtle difference of tone. Besides, engraving on a vegetal paper superimposed on another paper of higher weight increases the quality of the .

Inguru III is an interesting example of Eduardo Chillida’s graphic work which, in spite of its delicate support, showcases the same visual and conceptual power as his three-dimensional pieces.