José Luis Cuevas made etchings, illustrations, sculptures, and paintings, though he was perhaps best known for his drawings; Cuevas explained, “perhaps because I was born in a paper mill and pencil factory, paper has always had a great fascination for me.” Though he briefly attended the eminent Mexican institution Escuela de Pintura, Cuevas considered himself a self-taught draughtsman in search of an alternative to the Mexican Muralists and their social messages. Cuevas said that his drawings represent the isolation of man and an inability to communicate; many of his drawings feature distorted human figures, or figures that transform into animals. He was particularly inspired by the graphic styles of Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso, and José Guadalupe Posada. He also expressed interest in the works of the Catalan Romanesque, 19th-century Romanticism, and German Expressionism.