Los padres de Ramona [Ramona’s Parents]

Beginning in the late 1950s, Antonio Berni turned to innovative collage and printmaking techniques as he pursued the central goal of his long and prolific career: an art of social engagement. He developed two narrative series based on the lives of imaginary characters Juanito Laguna, a boy from the slums, and Ramona Montiel, a prostitute from the lower class who was seduced by the media’s depiction of the good life. Here, we meet her parents. With their gaudy ornaments and affectations, Ramona’s parents seek material comforts. Behind their coin-spectacled eyes there is little feeling.