In Figure with Arms Akimbo, Rufino Tamayo distills the human form into its most basic shapes. From the head down to the legs, a single thin rectangle represents the full length of the body. Two small light circles at the top of the rectangle create eyes, the only nod to facial features or detail. An open circle forms the curve of the arms, with slightly rounded ends to differentiate the hands placed on the figure’s hips. Among the most reduced figures that emerge in Tamayo’s work, this came to function as a sign representing a man, and subsequently appeared in prints, paintings, and even sculpture, a less common aspect of Tamayo’s production.

For more information see the catalogue entry by Rachel Kaplan in Rufino Tamayo: The Essential Figure, 2019, pp. 58–59.