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Mexican Muralists. Mexican Muralists. What is a Mural? A mural is a painting or work of art done on a wall or other permanent surface. Mexican Muralists
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Mexican Muralists • What is a Mural? • A mural is a painting or work of art done on a wall or other permanent surface. • Mexican Muralists • The revolution that took place in Mexico during the early 20th century brought chaos and violence, but it also inspired many artists. The Mexican Revolution took place between 1910-1920, and after it ended the government paid muralists to reassure the people of Mexico. The Mexican muralists wanted the huge images they created in public places to have an effect on their country’s people. Three of the most famous artists; Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Siquieros created many murals. Today you will be helping recreate a Mexican mural. • 8th grade mural • Diego Rivera wanted his art to explain what he felt had taken place during the struggle. He also wanted to encourage the Mexican people to take pride in their heritage. • 7th grade mural • Jose Clemente Orozco painted the reality of war. He “chose key moments in Mexico’s history- ones that he believed represented the country’s essence”. • 6th grade mural • David Siqueiros took an active part in the revolution as a protester and soldier. He wanted “to create an environment that would surround the onlooker and make the viewer part of the mural”. • Information courtesy of “Scholastic Art” March 2008
History • Mexico in 1910 was a country in despair. Foreign domination had been replaced by the tyranny of President Porfirio Diaz. Two-thirds of the people lived in abject poverty and slavery was growing at a faster rate than in the days of the Conquistadores. On Independence Day in 1910, President Diaz kept the Indians off the street so as not to mar the joyous festivities. • In the midst of this misery a small but significant intellectual community emerged. Three of its members - Antonios Curo, Alfonso Reyes, and Jose Vasconcelos - established an institute called The Athenaeum. These men were cultured and highly educated. On the one-hundredth birthday of Mexico's independence, they issued a manifesto. "The community that terrorizes over man forgets that men are 'persons,' not biological units". • Those words, along with the populist engravings of Jose Guadalupe Posada and the political zeal of the artist, Dr. Atl, influenced an entire generation of painters who were to change the face of Mexican art forever. Three artists would be at the forefront of this change - David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, and Jose Clemente Orozco.
Vocabulary • Mural: a large wall painting, often executed in fresco (see illustration). • Repetition: a series of repeated elements having similarity. • Value: the lightness or darkness of a color; contrasts between light and dark. • Unity: and organization of parts so that all contributed to a coherent whole. It is the combined result of all principles of design.
David Alfaro Siqueiros • Born: Dec. 29, 1896 in Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico • Died: Jan. 6, 1974, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico • Communist and Stalinist, Activist, protester, union official and organizer • Youngest of the three, Studied under Orozco • Wanted to create an interactive environment • Viewed art as a means of social change • “One cannot create modern art with outdated techniques.”
Diego Rivera • Born: Nov. 8, 1886 • Died: Nov. 24, 1957 in Guanajuato, Gto. • Social realist, Active communist • Married Frida Kahlo • Divided narrative into separate self-contained panels (related by subject) like a comic book • The most important of the three • The son of two school teachers, Studied art in Europe • “I want my murals to reflect the life of the Mexican people, as it was and is now.” Diego Rivera
Jose Clemente Orozco • Born: Nov. 23, 1883, Zapotlan el Grande (now Ciudad Guzman) Jalisco • Died: Sept. 7, 1949, Mexico City, Mexico • Social Realist • Most complex of the three • Common theme was human suffering • Influenced by symbolism • “A painting should not be a commentary, but the fact itself.” Orozco
