“Rius” left us the Mexican caricature Bible: Boligán

Caricature artist Eduardo del Río, "Rius" , has left us a huge legacy, a type of Bible of the Mexican caricature, according to Ángel Boligán during an interview.

“It has been a tough year for caricature”, said Boligán, remembering that Rogelio Naranjo passed away last November.

“Two of the most outstanding caricature artists in Mexican history are gone. Two great friends, but I'm certain they leave behind a huge legacy and that they will always be with us.”

Tough, rough, honest, willing to admit his mistakes, controversial, critic, full of humor, that's how Boligán remembered Eduardo, who died at age 83. This Tuesday, the funeral rites will take place at a funeral home in Sullivan.

“He left us a type of Bible of the caricature because his work had a broad spectrum: politics, religion, vegetarianism. There is much to see in his work, much to analyze. He left us the task of questioning the world we live in. The caricature, his Bible, I'm certain we will go over it from time to time to see what he said and questioned.”

Boligán said Rius was one of the three great caricature artists in Mexico during the second half of the 20th century and the current one, together with Rogelio Naranjo and Helio Flores.

On his work method, Boligan said Rius created a style which wasn't based just on the text or image, but that made reading easier through a collage incorporating several graphic elements, drawings from other colleges, and that his books were – to a point – almost handcrafted.

Boligán added he met Rius when he was almost a kid, in Cuba , where the Mexican artist went to partake in the festivals. Upon remembering this era, Boligán said Rius was someone who knew how to rectify his ideas, considering that in the case of Cuba, his first book on the subject “Cuba para principiantes” (“Cuba for Beginners”), with the years became “Lástima de Cuba.” (“Cuba, What a Shame”).

"It's so sad he passed away, it's sad that Naranjo also passed away, but they won't entirely leave us. Their work is so vast it's impossible to say they are dead.”

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