Mendoza visited Toledo, Spain and was inspired by its imposing presence and geometry. As you can see from this photo, it’s a mishmash of vibrant geometric lines and shapes. His painting, “Toledo,” (view in the site’s Art Gallery) was similar to a painting done by the artist El Greco entitled “A View of Toledo.”
Although Mendoza’s love for color and light developed after his return from Europe, certain themes would thread themselves through his work during his lifetime: 1) geometric designs; 2) portraits of women; and 3) portraits of fighters.
Aside from a few moderate lines that sketch out the landscape around the fortified city, Mendoza creates volume, movement and light through geometric shapes. Circles, squares and triangles. These are the basic shapes that build up the whole painting. This was a seminal painting that would resonate throughout his future paintings and mosaic murals.
(Note: The painting in this website’s Art Gallery was originally painted in color but is displayed as a black and white image.)