The Muralist Painters of Mexico
Mural painting is one of the oldest and most important forms of artistic, political and social expression. Mexican muralists, Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros revived this form of painting in Mexico. Their murals were based on the political and social conditions of the times. During the beginning of the 20th century, Mexico went through a political and social revolution and the government began to commission a number of huge frescos to celebrate its achievements. The muralist movement would not only have great effect on their own country but the rest of the world as well.The first modern artists from a Hispanic country in the Western Hemisphere whose art attracted worldwide attention were these painters known as Mexican muralists. The best known of the Mexican muralists, Diego Rivera filled the walls of public buildings in Mexico and the United States with enormous murals praising social revolution. David Alfaro Siqueiros was another of the great Mexican muralists, and also very active with the political revolutions of his country. Jose Clemente Orozco was the third famous muralist and is thought to be more crude and cynical than Rivera and his pictorial language may be less sophisticated, but he is
They used themes of rewriting history, commenting on social and political issues and creating a common national identity, even though they did not hold the same viewpoints. Rivera also drew on pre-Columbian sources and the traditions of Mexican Folk art in murals that he did for the National Palace in Mexico City (1930-32). This role was a result of political structures in Latin America failing to support a sense of national identity, causing the common people to turn to literature and visual arts to discover the real truths about themselves. It was due to this deep respect for artists that the majority of Mexican Muralists felt compelled to work on subjects of importance to the general public, e. Instead of taking on traditional religious connotations though, the piece instead focuses on "the central figure, who is not Christ as redeemer but Emergent Man". General Alvaro Obregon, who was one of the many Revolutionary leaders struggling for power after the war, helped establish a political and social environment for the muralists to emerge. In artistic terms, the Muralists were the first Latin-American artists to gain international recognition. Mexican painter Saturnino Herran used symbolism in his mural project, Our Gods, (1904-18) which nobly posed native Mexicans as powerful symbols of Mexican identify. These moments also inspired photography and the graphic arts toward social realism, or the depiction of the common people in a politically charged context. His style was simplistic, narrative, and intentionally primitive. This was not simply an indication of generous arts support. He articulated ideas of the artist's social and political responsibility. After the Revolution, the government supported the ennoblement of indigenous culture, with the indigenism of Rivera's mural's providing the model. " (Frank, 36) He regarded himself as a natural Communist but was frequently on bad terms with the Soviet Union. The muralist movements were unique from more mainstream art because they did not deal with individual's experiences, they were dealing with society.
Common topics in this essay:
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Latin America,
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