Imagine walking down the streets of Mexico as a child, staring at the fresco artwork plastered on the walls of old colorful buildings, and wondering who they belonged to. Mexico has always been my favorite place to travel to. Some say it’s dangerous and that I have to appreciate what I have here in America, but Mexico has such a natural and original beauty, it’s hard to compare. The art, the passion, the style- it’s all so original. Sophomore year of high school I went to Mexico in December, and when I came back to America and sat in art class, I was given a magazine about Mexican Revolutionary artist Diego Rivera. That afternoon I learned Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera, was a fresco painter, architect, communist, and revolutionary idol during the Mexican revolution. Born December 8th, 1886, he studied art at the San Carlos Academy in Mexico City, worked his entire life painting, studying the Mexican people, and influencing the world with his brush strokes. Taking one look at the cover, I already saw one of his works I’ve seen painted on a wall in Mexico City. The style was Fresco, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. It had feeling, it described the hard work and labor Mexicans obtained, and it felt like home. Diego Rivera has been my favorite artist since. To better understand his legacy and his importance to the Mexican Revolution Artist movement, we must first learn about how Diego became the artist that he was.
Diego Rivera was born December 8th, 1886. Son of María del Par Barrientos and Diego Rivera Acosta. Diego had a twin brother named Carlos. Carlos died at the age of two, and Diego Rivera began painting a year and a half after his brothers death. Growing up, Rivera would draw on the walls of his home. Instead of his parents punishing him, they embraced his creative imagination and placed chalk boards and canvas on the walls. At the age of three, Diego Rivera began to showcase traits of an artist. “By the age of ten, Rivera decided he wanted to attend art school, despite his father’s desire that he pursue a military career” (The Art Story Contributors, 2017). At the age of twelve, Diego enrolled full-time at the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts. There, he received training modeled on conservative European academies. He was trained in traditional techniques in perspective, color, and the plein air method. While at school, he trained with Gerardo Murillo, one of the ideological forces behind the Mexican artist revolution and a staunch defender of indigenous crafts and Mexican culture (The Art Story Contributors, 2017). With the support of his professor, he was awarded a grant to travel Europe in 1906.
In Paris, he was introduced to cubism, which he regarded as “a true revolutionary form of paining.” However. Rivera often quarreled with other artists in that style of painting, therefore he moved onto other styles. Rivera subsequently shifted his art to the Neoclassical artists, such as Ingres. Later, Rivera was awarded another grant and moved to Italy, where he was fascinated by the 14th and 15th century frescos of the Italian Renaissance. While traveling the world in 1919, Rivera had a daughter named Marika, with another artist by the name of Marevna Stebelska. In 1921 Rivera returned to his home country where he began to paint with the skills he’d now acquired. In 1922, Diego painted his first mural, entitled Creation, for the National Preparatory School in Mexico City. In 1927, Diego visited the Soviet Union, settling in Moscow for six months to teach monumental painting at the School of Fine Arts. When returning to Mexico, Diego began his infamous relationship with fellow artist, Frida Kahlo.
“Never before had a woman put such agonizing poetry on canvas as Frida did” (Diego Rivera Paintings, Murals, Biography, Quotes, 2010).
Diego was well known for his many affairs he had with his women. As a result, he had several children in and out of wedlock. Throughout his life he would have only four marriages, but the longest and most special relationship was the one he had with Frida Kahlo. Diego stated many times that he loved Frida, and that her art was almost as beautiful as she was. During their lifetimes Rivera and Kahlo dominated the Mexican art world as well as stirred trouble waters because they were an “open book” when it came to their views on their controversial political beliefs. Kahlo and Rivera first met when she was an art student of his, after her injury in a bus accident resulting in her damaged back which caused her to dedicate her spare time to laying in her bed painting, and while he was still married to his second wife, Lupe Marin. She was twenty years younger than Rivera but that only seemed to agree more with their relationship as the time they spent together grew. According to Diego Rivera Paintings, Murals, Biography, Quotes (2010), their marriage was said to be like that of an elephant and a dove, referring to Rivera’s large stature and Kahlo’s sylph-like appearance. In an interview by Chris Carlsson, he interviewed Artist Pelé DeLappe, who met the couple when she was fifteen. She stated that, “regardless of my age, I was looked as at a total equal” (DeLappe, 1930). Both Rivera and Kahlo were engaged in detrimental affairs including Kahlo discovering Rivera with her beloved sister Christine, resulting in the couples divorce later that year. In return. Frida participated in an affair with the exiled Leon Trotsky while they offered him refuge in their own home. Despite the turmoil, their relationship was a bedrock for Rivera in matters of love. Their love influenced his art, and his passion showed through. A year and a half later, they remarried and their love continued to blossom like flowers in their artwork, even during The Great Depression.
At the height of the Great Depression, Rivera travelled to Detroit in 1932, where, with the approval of Henry Ford, he began to inspect the American worker and began to paint them on the walls of the Detroit Institute of Arts. In 1933, he completed a simple piece of work that depicted industrial life in the United States, and the hard-working men engaged and concentrated on the car plant workers of Detroit. Rivera’s radical politics and independent nature had begun to draw criticism during his early years in America. Though the fresco was the focus of much controversy, Edsel Ford, Henry’s son, defended the work and it remains today Rivera’s most significant painting in America (American Masters, 2006). In New York City, Rivera also did a piece for John D. Rockefeller. In 1933, the Rockefeller’s commissioned Rivera to paint a mural for the lobby of the RCA building in Rockefeller Center. “Man at the Crossroads” was to depict the social, political, industrial, and scientific possibilities of the twentieth century (American Masters, 2006). In the painting, Rivera included a scene of a giant May Day demonstration of workers marching with red banners. It was not the subject matter of the panel that inflamed the patrons, but the clear portrait of Lenin leading the demonstration. In 1934, Diego’s genius artwork was chiseled off the wall. A Detroit News editorial called the murals “coarse in conception … foolishly vulgar … a slander to Detroit workmen … un-American.” Many people criticized Rivera’s work when it was presented to the public. Rivera painted people of all colors, side by side, working together, in different cultures, religious views, etc. The naked women and men in the mural were called “pornographic” and one panel was labeled blasphemous by some members of the religious community (Gonyea, 2006). “It was a bad decision for everyone, but it’s about politics,” co-curator Pablo Ortiz Monasterio says. “When you have to take a position, there is no other way out” (Gonyea, 2006). Diego’s works truly did have some controversy, but that was how he used his voice to spread awareness to the people, whether they liked it or not. To express himself, he used many different techniques and styles, experimenting with his creative genius.
Diego Rivera’s most well know style was fresco painting. According to American Masters (2006), frescoes are mural paintings done on fresh plaster. Using the fresco form in universities and other public buildings, Rivera was able to introduce his work into the everyday lives of the people. For him, the frescoes’ size and public accessibility was the perfect canvas on which to tackle the grand themes of the history and future of humanity. He painted the Mexican way of life, their hard work, and their stories using these large canvases on the side of buildings, to exploit the culture and emotions of everyday Mexican people. According to The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2016), “these huge frescoes, depicting Mexican agriculture, industry, and culture, reflect a genuinely native subject matter and mark the emergence of Rivera’s mature style” (Britannica Articles, 2016). He would use scaffolds and plywood to set his tools and paint aside, as he drew up his plans, and then portioned them according to his canvas size. Then he would continue the legacy he painted out for himself.
Throughout his lifetime, his art presented him many opportunities to travel the world. He often visited America, Europe, the Soviet Union, and many other places, painting, studying art, working with other famous artists, and learning new techniques. He spent most of his time in Mexico in his small art studio with Frida Kahlo by his side, working on art. Or often partying with other artists, politicians, and friends as they discuss art, politics, and their family recipes. They were well-known for their wild parties and delicious food, often family recipes passed down from generation to generation. In an interview of Diego Rivera’s daughter, Guadalupe Rivera Marin, she was asked about her fathers favorite foods when they would party. She stated, “My dad loved all the strange foods. There was always a sense of discovery of the real way of cooking from the Mexican pueblo. He liked trying everything that was local and characteristic of the different regions” (Marin, 2014). His wild taste buds and adventurous ways were perfect when traveling the world, experiencing new foods and working with new styles.
Even today, the Mexican people struggle to express their beautiful and unique culture to the other cultures around them. Even today, in the times of Donald Trump, others look down on the Mexican culture. Diego Rivera’s art shares political views, economic powers and faults, the struggle of the people, and the voice of the unheard. He loved to paint, he loved to express himself. That is why Diego Rivera painted. He gave a voice to those who didn’t have one. He was the voice of the people, the voice of the artists, and was an inspiration to his family and to strangers. Diego Rivera once wisely said, “When art is true, it is one with nature. This is the secret of primitive art and also of the art of the masters—Michelangelo, Cézanne, Seurat, and Renoir. The secret of my best work is that it is Mexican..” (The Art Story Contributors, 2017).
Since the 1940’s, the Mexican people’s voice is louder. It is heard. According to The Art Story Contributors (2017), “Rivera saw the artist as a craftsman at the service of the community, who, as such, needed to deploy an easily accessible visual language.” This concept greatly influenced American public art, inspiring and helping shed light, and give a purpose to governmental initiatives such as Franklin Roosevelt’s Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration, whose artists depicted scenes from American life on public buildings, showing their hard work and labor he witnessed everyday (The Art Story Contributors, 2017). Rivera remained a central force in the development of a national art in Mexico throughout his life. In 1957, at the age of seventy, Rivera died in Mexico City. After his death, the art world was greatly impacted. Other artists decided it was time to take a stand and follow the footsteps of the legendary Diego Rivera. His legacy greatly impacted the art world, and the Mexican people. It also impacted the American people as well as other countries, encouraging them to tell their stories and let their voices be heard.
Perhaps one of his greatest legacies, however, was the impact he showcased on America’s conception of public art, depicting scenes of American life plastered on public buildings. When he would work on his art on buildings, he provided many working jobs to those willing to help him. He will forever influence people of all nationalities, countries, and cultures.
Diego Rivera not only influenced the art world on a huge impact, but he also portrayed himself in his own murals! Giving it the illusion that he was a part of the people, and he was one of them. It is known that some artists do portray themselves in their own work, but is it for selfish reasons? Is it selfish for Rivera to place himself in the middle of a crowd? He paints and sketches their faces to his liking, and the setting is described as:
Rivera defines his solid, somewhat stylized human figures by precise outlines rather than by internal modeling. The flattened, simplified figures are set in crowded, shallow spaces and are enlivened with bright, bold colours. The Indians, peasants, conquistadores, and factory workers depicted combine monumentality of form with a mood that is lyrical and at times elegiac. (Britannica Articles, 2016)
Diego also supported and encouraged his wife Frida Kahlo’s work as well. He once said, “July 13, 1954 was the most tragic day of my life. I had lost my beloved Frida forever. Too late now I realized that the most wonderful part of my life had been my love for Frida” (Diego Rivera Paintings, Murals, Biography, Quotes (2010). In today’s society, equality is a huge factor in our day-to-day lives. Women demand it, the government enforces it, and we as women appreciate it. Today, Diego’s wife is a symbol to young, powerful women. The couple treated everyone as equals, regardless of age, gender, nationality, etc. She encouraged women to embrace themselves and is idolized by head strong women who are empowered by her existence. Diego and Frida were a “power couple,” meaning they were powerful and towered over everyone else in the art world, yet staying humble and true to their origin. Their legacy continue on to today, and their work must be appreciated for everything that it is. They have helped establish organizations, empower the youth, create art, inspire their surrounding, create a voice out nothing, create an uprising that brings attention to the more needed economic situations that need light shed on. Furthermore, why not remember them? They were the most epic couple, and most audiences are a sucker for a good love story.
“As an artist I have always tried to be faithful to my vision of life, and I have frequently been in conflict with those who wanted me to paint not what I saw but what they wished me to see” (AZ Quotes).
In other words, it is easy to succumb to peer pressure. How about pressure in general? Diego Rivera struggled immensely with the same thing. His art was considered “controversial” for being, vulgar, too political, and not what the people wanted. Diego Rivera did not care what the people wanted to see in art. He knew what they needed to see. He used his art and he shed light to the most needed topics in their society. This showcases to future artists to use your fame to your advantage. Diego Rivera once said:
All art is propaganda. … The only difference is the kind of propaganda. Since art is essential for human life, it can’t just belong to the few. Art is the universal language, and it belongs to all mankind. All painters have been propagandists or else they have not been painters. … Every artist who has been worth anything in art has been such a propagandist. … Every strong artist has been a propagandist. I want to be a propagandist and I want to be nothing else. … I want to use my art as a weapon (AZ Quotes).
His influence teaches us to exploit topics as well as ideas. He teaches us to never succumb to pressure influenced by others. Diego’s art work was torn down plenty of times, even if he refused and fought for his art. He never gave up, and he never stopped. He fought for the voice of the people, and that is why his story and the story of others lives on to this day, and shall continue to live on for many generations to come, teaching us to be independent, and express your voice and ideas in many ways.
Now, imagine being a child walking through the streets of Mexico. Imagine all the art, people, and culture you are experiencing. Now think, all of that is somehow influenced by Diego Rivera. Remember that Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera, was a fresco painter, architect, communist, and revolutionary idol during the Mexican revolution. Born December 8th, 1886, he studied art at the San Carlos Academy in Mexico City, worked his entire life painting, studying the Mexican people, and influencing the world with his brush strokes. Rivera was an inspirational man and he influenced the art world as well as the political world with his expressive passion. His wife also influenced the world hand-in-hand by his side, and together they painted the voices of the people. They travelled the world, mostly during The Great Depression time period, and learned new techniques, influenced new people, and collaborated with many different artists. The legacy that Diego Rivera left behind is a legacy to be truly proud of. As Rivera once said,
“To be an artist, one must . . . never shirk from the truth as he understands it, never withdraw from life” (AZ Quotes).
Works Cited
- Diego Rivera Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story. The Art Story Contributors , n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
- “Diego Rivera.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
- “Diego Rivera’s Famous Quotes.” Quotes by Diego Rivera. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
- [Diego Rivera, full-length portrait, seated in front of mural depicting American “man at the crossroads”]. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <https://www.loc.gov/ item/96523251/>.
- “Diego Rivera, his Life and Art.” Diego Rivera – Paintings, Murals, Biography of Diego Rivera. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
- “Diego Rivera.” PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 24 Sept. 2015. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
- Gonyea, Don. “Detroit Industry: The Murals of Diego Rivera.” NPR. NPR, 22 Apr. 2009. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
- Jinich, Pati. “Diego Rivera’s daughter on her father’s favorite foods – and Frida Kahlo’s parties.” The Washington Post. WP Company, 18 Apr. 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
- “Meeting Frieda Kahlo and Diego Rivera .” Interview by Chris Carlsson . Meeting Frieda Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Chris Carlsson, 22 June 2004. Web. 8 Mar. 2017.
- “TOP 20 QUOTES BY DIEGO RIVERA.” A-Z Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
- Van Vechten, Carl, photographer. [Portrait of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Rivera]. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <https://www.loc.gov/item/2004663505/>.