It is called mask to the element that is used to cover the face . It can be a mask , a mask or a similar piece. For example: "A man with a mask of Barack Obama stormed a bank in the provincial capital", “At the costume party I will use a gorilla mask”, “I need a mask to hide my sleeping face”.
The masks can cover the face totally or only partially . They are usually used for the purpose of entertainment , at parties and social events, although there are also individuals who use masks to hide their identity with other objectives (commit crime , to cite a case). In ancient times, the use of masks was linked to rituals and ceremonies .
There are also masks that are used as protection . The fencing They wear a mask so they don't get punched in the face. Who work with bees On the other hand, they usually use a mask and a special suit to avoid the bites of these animals.
The notion of a mask, on the other hand, has several symbolic uses. The expression "Take off the mask" refers to acting without hypocrisy or falsehood : "Stop lying! Take off your mask and tell me what you feel ”, "This journalist would have to take off his mask to say what he thinks".
In Argentina , the mask is named person false or who likes to appear: "Don't be a mask and come to play football with your friends", “Marcos is a mask: he says he likes rock but loves to dance bachata and merengue”.
Also in Argentina there was a weekly called Faces and masks , which was published between 1898 and 1941, with a return four decades later that lasted only one edition and one in 2005, which extends to the present. The category in which it is framed is the political humor.
Although this publication is associated with Argentina, its origins are in Uruguay, more precisely in Montevideo, where a weekly newspaper with the same name was founded in 1890, characterized by a coverage of current issues stained with humor and satire politics , all crowned by photographs and cartoons. Its director, Eustaquio Pellicer, moved to Buenos Aires when the weekly reached number 144, and it was then that he began publishing it in the neighboring country.
Faces and masks he enjoyed great popularity, especially in his early years, partly because of the high quality of his images and the boldness with which his articles were written, with a fusion of journalism serious and humor that was very attractive to deal with the political, social and cultural problems of the country without falling into depression.
In Spain it was also well received during the first half of the 20th century. his director and correspondent was Mariano Miguel de Val, who also worked in the direction of the magazine Athenaeum, and got the weekly to reach many readers.
Given the nature of the magazine Faces and masks, it goes without saying that one of the fundamental roles has always been played by cartoonists; Among them are Alejandro Sirio, Hermenegildo Sábat Lleó, José María Cao Luaces and Manuel Mayol.
One of the reasons why the magazine Faces and masks It is so respected in the literary community that several acclaimed writers began their professional career in their pages; for example, it was there where Horacio Quiroga He published his first stories. In 2004, a exposition In charge of the Museum of Drawing and Illustration at the National Library, where about one hundred and a half original drawings were presented, prepared by more than forty illustrators who had participated in the weekly.
