War Horse

Print

Purdue University Galleries

Name/Title

War Horse

Entry/Object ID

2006.12.001

Type of Print

Lithograph

Artwork Details

Medium

Paper

Made/Created

Artist

Luis Alfonso Jiménez

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Tertiary Object Term

Lithograph

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Print, Planographic

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Graphic Documents

Nomenclature Class

Documentary Objects

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Dimension Description

39 1/2 x 49 1/4

Height

25-1/2 in

Width

36-1/4 in

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

"Jiménez's work is deeply influenced by his roots in the Southwest. Born in El Paso, Texas, he was immersed in Hispanic and Native American culture and came of age as an artist during the era of Pop Art. He grew up in the shop of his father, who worked designing animated neon signs in El Paso. Luis Jiménez is best known for his large polychromed fiberglass sculpture that drew on stereotypical images from Mexican and Western art, frequently featuring wild horses and Mexican cowboys. The mustang became a favorite theme, no doubt because the word itself comes from the Spanish word mesteño or monstenco meaning wild or stray, a trait Jiménez clearly admired. His most controversial work was to be his last; while working on the Blue Mustang, an immense sculpture for the Denver International Airport, he was killed when a large piece of the work fell on him. It was completed by his son and now greets travelers as a 32 foot tall metallic blue behemoth with glowing red eyes."