In Mexico, Venezuela, and Argentina, Neofiguration referenced previous themes found in abstraction, such as the informal use of line and color, but also including the human figure.
The political turmoil in Argentina began with a military coup d’état which ousted President Juan Perón from office in October 1955.
However, Frondizi soon backed out of promises made during the election, and a wave of violent strikes ensued, prompting the new president to impose a state of siege.
The police and military seized firearms and explosives in a series of raids, and they arrested hundreds of Perón supporters who protested in the streets.
[3] Though he employed an expressionistic style, Noé conveyed the social commitment of his art in warning against what he considered to be the greatest downfall of expressionism: excessive focus on oneself.
But rather the self in relation to the world: that is, when it ceases being a self and becomes an element in that relationship.” [3] Thus, Noé defined early the mission of Nueva Figuración as a movement that was both expressive in its use of the figure, but also dedicated to the social reality of Argentina at the time.
Rómulo Macció was a self-taught artist, graphic designer, and painter whose first solo exhibition in 1956 predominantly featured art of surrealist themes.
Otra Figuración mirrored the objective of Phases in its desire to branch away from both geometric abstractionism and social realism, calling artists to engage with society, but also to transcend political issues rather than pick sides.
[3] Jorge de la Vega, coming from a background of architecture and abstraction, took the longest of the group before shifting into a more expressionistic style of painting.
His shift to include figures can be seen in 1959, with works such as Los Náufragos in which eyes and mouths can be identified among the complex, flowing lines.
[7] These four artists worked together under the name Otra Figuración from 1961 to 1965, based in an old hat factory which was given to Noé by his father and served as a studio space.
They received some criticism for their ground-breaking development of Neofiguration and their rejection of established art norms, but they generally maintained institutional support.
Their joint work is noted for its radical and spontaneous nature, and the group for their intense commitment to demonstrating expressive freedom and addressing Argentina's most pressing issues.
[2] Contrary to the perspective of muralists like Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros who saw a world composed of either heroes or villains, Cuevas saw individuals as the products of larger forces, such as war and isolation.
He saw oil painting as too slow and correctable, whereas drawing and watercolor embodied a more immediate and personal method of conveying ideas and connecting with the viewer.
[8] Some members of this group included Leonel Góngora (Colombian but based in Mexico), painter Francisco Corzas, and photographer Ignacio “Nacho” López.
However, Nueva Presencia differed from Cuevas in that they were committed to the idea that artists needed to be socially responsible in addressing the pressing issues of the day.
Belkin reviewed this book in the first issue of the Nueva Presencia publication, affirming their shared mission to participate in the larger society.
"[2] Belkin and Icaza published a total of five issues of Nueva Presencia between July 1961 and September 1963, during which time they also produced their own individual artworks.
Though tensions between the conservatives and liberals began in 1946, the beginning of La Violencia is often marked by the assassination of politician Jorge Eliécer Gaitán in 1948.
[2] Fernando Botero's contribution to Neofiguration coincide with his appropriation of the most famous works throughout art history, from the Middle Ages, to the Impressionists, to Picasso and Matisse.
These "inflated" figures are identifiable in all of his works, including not only historical appropriations, but also scenes depicting the violence of Colombia's civil war.