The artwork titled “Great Electric Calavera, as a Present to You, A Most Conceited Calavera of Pure Electricity” was created by Jose Guadalupe Posada around the year 1907. It belongs to the Modernismo art movement and is classified within the genre of caricature.
The artwork presents a vivid and somewhat humorous depiction of skeletal figures, a common theme in Posada’s work. Central to the scene is a large skeletal figure in an animated pose, gesturing with an outstretched hand. Surrounding this character are numerous other skeletal heads, creating a dense and chaotic visual field. In the background, a skeletal trolley car filled with skulls and skeletal figures emphasizes the theme of death and the afterlife, adding to the caricatured depiction of mortality. The stylized text complements the image, suggesting a presentation of the concept of death electrified and modernized. The overall tone of the artwork is both whimsical and macabre, capturing Posada’s distinctive approach to reflecting societal themes through the lens of caricature.