A Jig Beyond the Grave (El Jarabe en Ultratumba) by José-Guadalupe Posada (Interpretation and Analysis)

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A Jig Beyond the Grave
Source: Museum of Modern Art

Today is the last day of Mexico’s famed Day of the Dead festival, and, to celebrate, I want to share a rather wonderful print by Mexican illustrator José-Guadalupe Posada. Although The Day of the Dead has only recently become well-known in American pop-culture (and is drastically misunderstood), it is in fact an ancient festival with roots in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures.

The iconography surrounding the festival is similarly well-established. However, there are few artists who have had a bigger impact on how we see the Day of the Dead than José-Guadalupe Posada. Posada was primarily an illustrator, creating over twenty thousand drawings and lithographs for pamphlets and books. However, he returned to one theme over and over again: calaveras. Calaveras are decorative skulls that are often used to celebrate the Day of the Dead.

Posada included them in much of his work, using them as a means to express cultural and political criticism. He also used them to express humorous satire and to represent scenes of everyday life. A Jig Beyond the Grave depicts a group of skeletons enjoying a party. They enjoy food, drink, and music while two skeletons perform a traditional dance called a jarabe.

It is widely believed that the barriers between the world of the dead and the world of the living are weak around this time of year. Thus, the spirits of the dead can return to Earth to indulge in the things they enjoyed in life. A Jig Beyond the Grave refers to this idea. Here, we see the dead celebrating a festival with all the traditional trappings of everyday Mexican life.

It’s an entertaining and charming scene, and it is the perfect piece of art to celebrate the Day of the Dead!

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

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