Imaginaries of resistance and utopia in Uruguayan graphic art  during the dictatorship, 1969–1985

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Published: 2026-08-10
Keywords:
graphic art, popular music and resistance, Uruguayan dictatorship, visual rhetoric, imaginary and music

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Marita Fornaro Bordolli
Universidad de la República
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9884-8995 (unauthenticated)

Abstract

Graphic art was a key tool in the strategies of resistance groups both within and outside Uruguay during the civil-military dictatorship that the country endured between 1973 and 1985, and in the years immediately preceding it. In this paper, I examine the almanacs published by the Club de Grabado de Montevideo, an institution that played a significant role in cultural resistance, and posters from various sources. The latter corpus includes handcrafted pieces, particularly from the late 1960s and the early years of the dictatorial regime, as well as works by prominent professionals such as Blankito and Carlos Palleiro. I focus particularly on the posters preserved in the Alfredo Zitarrosa Archive. I identify the main iconographic themes in these materials, amongst which the guitar stands out as a musical motif and barbed wire as a general motif. I develop an analysis based on visual rhetoric: the presence of metaphors, synecdoches, allegories and their relationship with the ideology that accompanied these activities of resistance, denunciation and solidarity.

Editorial History:


Received: April 17, 2026


Accepted: June 29, 2026


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Article Details

Issue

Vol. 27 No. 1 (2026): Dossier: Old songs, new perspectives. Imaginaries of Latin American political song

Section

Dossier
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Author Biography

Marita Fornaro Bordolli, Universidad de la República

She holds a PhD in Musicology from the University of Valladolid and a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Music and Performance from the University of Salamanca, as well as a Diploma in Anthropology of Contemporary Societies from the same university. She also holds degrees in Musicology, Anthropological Sciences, and Historical Sciences from the University of the Republic of Uruguay. She works at this university, where she currently serves as Head of the Research Center for Musical and Performing Arts. She previously served as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Musicology at the University School of Music (1985–2021) and as Director (2008–2012). She is a member of the National System of Researchers of Uruguay. She was awarded the 2020 Casa de las Américas Musicology Prize. She served as President (2010–2012) and Secretary (2012–2014) of IASPM-AL and is the ICTM Liaison Officer for Uruguay. He is responsible for an R&D group in Uruguay and is part of several international research groups.

How to Cite

“Imaginaries of Resistance and Utopia in Uruguayan Graphic Art  During the Dictatorship, 1969–1985”. 2026. Revista Argentina de Musicología 27 (1): 101-33. https://www.ojs.aamusicologia.ar/index.php/ram/article/view/580.

References

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