J. G. POSADA: Messenger of Mortality <i> edited by Julian Rothstein (Moyer Bell Ltd.: $24.95) </i>

A survey of the work of the Mexican graphic artist, Juan Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913), whose etchings and engravings include lurid illustrations of murderers and respectful portraits of Emiliano Zapata. His most engaging works are the calaveras, the Mexican Dance of Death. These cheerfully grisly depictions of skeletons engaged in everyday activities expose the follies of human existence: A female skeleton coyly hides her bare skull beneath a shawl while flirting with a posturing macho specter. The book concludes with essays by Jean Charlot and Diego Rivera, who popularized Posada’s work in the United States during the ‘20s.