Inmaculada, Francisco Quintanar, 2019

In Inmaculada, Francisco Quintanar reclaims the sacred with quiet subversion. A nude female figure — printed in a haunting, cyanotype-like blue — stands within a gold mandorla, her body upright, arms raised, eyes turned skyward. The reference is unmistakable: the Virgin of Guadalupe’s iconic silhouette, reimagined without veils, dogma or idealization.

Printed in 2019 at Gabinete Gráfico, a printmakers’ collective in Oaxaca known for its politically engaged work, this woodcut resists easy classification. Is it devotional? Is it feminist? The power of the piece lies in that ambiguity. Quintanar replaces Marian purity with bodily truth, sanctity with sovereignty. The gold leaf glows against a deep violet-black background, elevating the central figure into something mythic — ancient and utterly contemporary.

The presence of the Opus Eight embossed seal and the artist’s signature further affirm the print’s origin in the artisan scene of southern Mexico, where spiritual traditions meet radical visual language. A rare and luminous piece in a very limited edition.

Technical Sheet

• Object: Woodprint with gold leaf
• Title: Inmaculada, Woodprint
• Artist: Francisco Quintanar
• Date: 2019
• Technique / Printing Method: Woodblock print, hand-pulled, with applied gold leaf
• Medium / Materials: Ink on cotton paper, gold leaf
• Edition: 4/22
• Signed: Yes
• Framing: Unframed
• Dimensions: 19 x 15 cm
• Condition: Excellent
• Provenance: Gabinete Gráfico, Oaxaca