Alice Rahon

(Chenecey-Buillon, Doubs, 1904 – Mexico City, 1987)

Judas and the Chimera

1952

oil on canvas

180.5 x 120.5 cm

Inv. no. CAB113

BBVA Collection Mexico



In her paintings, Alice Rahon recreates a subterranean, animist world, rendered in volatile signs and hinted scenes. Her passion for prehistory, whose cave art motifs she imitates, conveys the magical link of the spirit with the realm of the invisible.

In the oil painting Judas and the Chimera, Rahon evokes Mexican celebrations with a both dramatic and joyful sense of humour, in this case the burning with pyrotechnic materials of gigantic papier maché puppets, symbolising evil, in Easter parades (in the Bible, Judas is the apostle who betrayed Jesus). Worth underscoring is the refinement in the execution and the subtle power of suggestion of her imagery. The four elements (earth, water, wind and fire) are the artist’s favourite subject matters, as well as myths and legends from all over the world, be it Ehecatl, the Aztec god of winds, the Phoenix of the Greeks or the Melusine fairy of the Celts.