Dibujo en cinco lecciones [Drawing in Five Lessons]

Uruguay’s deteriorating economy and increasingly authoritarian politics in the 1960s led to a coup d’état in 1973. In this context, the members of a movement known as El dibujazo developed an expressionistic style of drawing imbued with social criticism. Having studied cinematography, Haroldo González joined this group to explore the relationship between drawing, audiovisual experimentation, and language. “We want to change the artist’s position in society—that’s what we’re fighting for,” he said, modeling a role for artists as instigators of social uprising. Presented for the first time in December 1972—six months before the military took power—this interactive installation instructs us in the use of the basic elements of drawing through lessons that parody the restriction of freedom. Thirteen slides define the elements of drawing, synchronized with sounds of clapping, typing, gunfire, and laughter on an accompanying audio track.