Chile is a narrow and long country located in Western South America. A country rich in industrious culture and resource rich lands. Chile stands on top of a tectonic plate boundary and a subduction zone called Peru-Chile trench. Subduction earthquakes are the most strong and damaging of all these types of earthquakes. On January 24, 1939 the country was devastated by a terrible earthquake. It had an intensity of 8.3 magnitude (Richter scale) and it lasted about 3 minutes. Buildings fell, streets ruptured and swallowed whole villages, 60,000 people injured, and around 50,000 people died. Great Britain and the United States sent aid to help those who survived and to rebuild the city. This caused a major impact in the economic, social, and political progress. Evidently, this influenced the depth of the crisis started by the Great Depression (1930s)  in the United States which later influenced Latin American countries such as Chile.  The fact that several tragic events took place in Chile inspired various artists around the world to express their feelings and opinions through surrealist art. This gave them the opportunity to design and demonstrate their own point of view from reality. These characteristics are present in Ithel Colquhoun’s work. 

“Chillan Earthquake – 1939.” Devastating Disasters, https://devastatingdisasters.com/chillan-earthquake-1939/.

Earthquake in Chile (1939) - Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtAPZsvhByY.