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{{Short description|Mural by Diego Rivera in Mexico City, Mexico}} |
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[[File:Palacio Nacional Murals view.JPG|thumb|''The History of Mexico'' – mural in the [[National Palace (Mexico)|National Palace]] in [[Mexico City]]]] |
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'''''The History of Mexico''''' is a [[mural]] in the stairwell of the [[National Palace (Mexico)|National Palace]] in [[Mexico City]] by [[Diego Rivera]]. Produced between 1929 and 1935, the mural depicts Mexico's history from ancient times to the present, with particular emphasis on the struggles of the common Mexican people fighting against the Spanish, the French, and the dictators that controlled the country at different points in its history. |
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| name = Diego RIvera |
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==History== |
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{{see also|Mexican muralism}} |
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Government-sponsored murals were commissioned after the end of the [[Mexican Revolution]], mainly in Mexico City and surrounding areas between 1923 and 1939 to celebrate the overthrow of the [[Porfiriato|Porfirio Diaz dictatorship]].<ref name="chicano">{{cite thesis |type=PhD |last=Kenny |first=John Eugene |title=The Chicano Mural movement of the Southwest: Populist public art and Chicano political activism |publisher=University of New Orleans |year=2006 |oclc=3253092}}</ref> The government commissioned various artists, most famously [[José Clemente Orozco]], [[David Alfaro Siqueiros]], and Rivera himself to paint scenes about Mexican history.<ref name="Desmond">Rochfort, Desmond. Mexican Muralists. United States: Chronicle Boks LLC, 1998. Print</ref> Rivera began painting ''The History of Mexico'' in August 1929 in the stairwells of the [[National Palace (Mexico)|National Palace]]. It took six years to complete.<ref name="Leonard">Folgarait, Leonard. Mural Painting and Social Revolution in Mexico, 1920–1940 ''Art of the New Order''. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1998. print</ref> |
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| birth_date = December 8, 1886 |
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The mural consists of three distinct sections across three walls, thematically divided in chronological order: ancient Mexico, the colonial past to the present, and the future. The murals are huge, some as large as 70 meters by 9 meters. |
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| birth_place = [[Guanajuato]], Mexico |
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| death_date =November 24, 1957 |
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===North wall=== |
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| death_place = [[Mexico City]] ,Mexico |
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This section of the mural depicts ancient [[Aztec]] culture. An image of the sun, which was the center of the world in the [[Aztec religion]] is shown. Below the sun are a pyramid and an Aztec leader. The everyday lives of the Aztecs are also shown in detail: artisans weaving and making [[pottery]], mothers carrying babies, painting on scrolls, and [[calligraphy]]. Religious practices such as dances to the [[Tōnatiuh|Sun God]] and the worship of snakes and jaguars are also shown. Rivera also included geographical features such as the volcanoes around the [[Valley of Mexico]], as well corn and other crops. |
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| nationality = Mexican |
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| spouse = [[Frida Kahlo]] |
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===West wall=== |
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[[File:RiveraMuralNationalPalace.jpg|thumb|300px|''The History of Mexico'']] |
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The west wall forms the central part of the mural and summarizes the history of Mexico as a series of conflicts, rebellions, and revolution against oppression. Common Mexicans and Indians revolt against the [[Spain|Spanish]], [[France|French]], and various dictators, especially [[Porfirio Diaz]]. |
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| works = Painter, [[Muralist]] |
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The bottom of the wall shows Aztecs and other Indians fighting valiantly against [[conquistador]] [[Hernán Cortés]] and his army.<ref name="Lozano">Rivera, Luis-Martin Lozano & Juan Rafael Coronel. ''Diego Rivera The Complete Murals''. Italy: TASCHEN GmbH, 2008. Print</ref> In the middle, the Spaniards attempt to destroy the Aztec religion by obliterating sacred books and religious images during the [[Inquisition]]. The left and right sides of the wall depict the colonial period, including the rape of a Native American woman by a Spaniard conquistador.<ref name=" Lozano"/> This section also illustrates the Natives that supported the Spanish in their conquest. Adjacent are scenes of Natives working as slaves for the Spaniards, making weapons, constructing walls and buildings (including the National Palace itself), and providing food.<ref name="Lozano"/> This part also portrays the destruction and attempted assimilation of Native American culture by the Spaniards, including a depiction of Catholic conversion. |
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The center of the wall is a [[Coat of arms of Mexico|large eagle with a serpent in its mouth]], a symbol of both Aztec culture and modern Mexico. |
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The upper corners of the wall depict the [[Second French intervention in Mexico]] and the triumph of president [[Benito Juarez]] over emperor [[Maximilian I of Mexico|Maximilian]], whose execution is shown. The upper center shows images of the Mexican Revolution itself and the victorious peasant armies of revolution leaders [[Emiliano Zapata]] and [[Pancho Villa]], adorned with a red banner displaying the anarchist slogan "[[¡Tierra y Libertad!|Tierra y Libertad]]" ("Land and Liberty"). |
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===South wall=== |
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This part of the mural depicts an imaginary future of Mexico. It shows factories, the Soviet flag (Rivera and [[Institutional Revolutionary Party|the government]] at the time were [[socialists]]), workers, [[Karl Marx]] the [[Communist Manifesto]], and an image of Rivera's wife [[Frida Kahlo]]. Kahlo and her sister [[Cristina Kahlo|Cristina]] are shown as socialist teachers bringing a glorious future to school children.<ref name= "Lozano"/> |
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==River's The History of Mexico== |
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==Interpretation== |
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Art historian Leonard Folgarait notes that Rivera depicts the rich and foreigners who took over Mexico as evil, while the poor, peasants, Native American, farmers and workers are on the side of good and freedom.<ref name= "Leonard"/> Given the context of post-Revolutionary Mexico, the mural could thus be seen as a declaration that the revolution had finally brought justice to the Mexican people who had long been oppressed by foreign powers and national dictators, while simultaneously emphasizing his vision of the culture of Mexico – bright colors, rich traditions, and old customs.<ref name= "Leonard"/> |
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==selected artwork== |
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* ''History of Mexico'' |
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==See also== |
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[[Diego Rivera]] is Mexico's most famous artist. Rivera was a Communist radical who criticized the Mexican government and foregign domination. These themes are prominent in perhaps his best-know work, [[murals]] called '' The History of Mexico.'' The [[murals]] are located in the stairway and stairwell of the [[National Palace]] in [[Mexico City]]. The subjects of the [[murals]] are Mexico's history from ancient times to the present. The [[murals]] depict the many struggles of the common Mexican people to fight against the [[Spanish]], the [[French]], and the [[dictators]] that controlled them. |
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==About Diego== |
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Rivers was born to a rich Jewish family in [[Guanajuato]], Mexico, although he became an [[atheist]]. Rivera studies in the [[San Carlos]] Academy, a prestigious art school in [[Mexico City]]. <ref name=" Andrea"> Kettenmann, Andrea. Diego Rivera A Revolutionary Spirit in Modern Art. Germany: TASCHEN GmbH, 1997. Print</ref> He was married to [[Frida Kahlo]], another internationally famous Mexican artist. After studying at the [[San Carlos]] Academy Rivera went to [[Europe]] where he learned about [[Cubism]] and [[Renaissance frescoes]]. He returned to Mexico and applied his ideas about Cubism and other European and Mexican art traditions to the Mexican mural movement. The murals were supported by the Mexican government. |
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Even though Rivera’s painting was sponsored by the Mexican government he always rebelled against authority of any kind. His paintings were highly political and rejected capitalism and glorified the Indian cultures of Mexico including the [[Aztecs]] and the [[Zapotecs]]. His first important mural was Creation. It took a year to complete and covers 1000 square feet. Creation contains 20 foot high figures concerned with the history of religion. In addition to murals, Rivera was a prolific painter. The main subjects of his paintings were Cubist portraits of human figures, self-portraits, the traditions and culture of Mexican Indians, flowers and nature, landscapes, and scenes from everyday life. |
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==Background of Diego== |
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In August 1929, Rivera began painting his huge murals in the large stairways and stairwells of the [[National Palace]], the center of the Mexican government and nation.<ref name="Lenonard'>Folgarait, Leonard. Mural Painting and Social Revolution in Mexico, 1920-1940 Art of the New Order. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1998. print</ref> The [[National Palace]] stands where [[Moctezuma]], the [[Aztec]] king ruled Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish. The [[National Palace]] is located on the [[Zocalo]], the central plaza in [[Mexico City]]. The Mexican government commissioned Rivera and other famous Mexican artists including [[Orozco]] and [[Siquieros]] to paint scenes about Mexican history.<ref name="Desmond"> Rochfort, Desmond. Mexican Muralists. Unites States: Chronicle Boks LLC, 1998. Print</ref> Rivera was hired by the government to portray Indians in a better light, and to criticize the Spaniards. They did this to celebrate the Mexican Revolution, the overthrow of the Porfirio Diaz dictatorship, and the new government. The History of Mexico mural consists of four main sections. The murals are huge, some as big as 70 meters by 9 meters. |
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===Main Stairwell=== |
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This is the central part of the [[murals]] and summarizes the history of Mexico as a series of conflicts, rebellions and revolution against [[oppression]]. These are scene of hatred and war. Overall the mural depicts the violent but beautiful history of Mexico. Common Mexicans and Indians revolt against the [[Spanish]] and [[French]] and various dictators, especially [[Porfirio Diaz]]. At the bottom, we see the Spanish conqueror [[Cortes]] defeating the [[Aztecs]] and other Indians who fight valiantly against the [[Spanish]]. <ref name="Lozano"> Rivera, Luis-Martin Lozano & Juan Rafael Coronel. Diego Rivera The Complete Murals. Italy: TASCHEN GmbH, 2008. Print</ref> In the middle, the [[Spaniards]] attempt to destroy the [[Aztec]] religion and their emperors. Also in the center [[Spanish]] priests during the Inquisition try to obliterate the sacred books and other religious images of the Indians. The central image is a large eagle with a serpent in its mouth which represents the [[Aztec]] culture. This symbol is now the main image that symbolizes the modern Mexican. The top of this part of the mural shows the victorious peasant armies of [[Zapata]] and [[Villa]] who led the Revolution that supposedly restored the people to power. The red banner saying [[Tierra y Libertad]] (Land and Liberty) portrays the long struggles of poor Mexicans to regain their homeland. |
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===Lobes of the Central West Stairwell=== |
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This section of the mural displays the richness of the ancient [[Aztec]] culture including the people and their traditional costumes. It shows an image of the sun, which was the center of the world in the [[Aztec]] religion. Below the sun is a pyramid and an [[Aztec]] leader. The [[Aztecs]] believed that sacrifices must be done every 52 years to the Sun God in order to renew the world. They built the [[pyramids]] and temples to the sun. Rivera depicts these main motifs and the everyday life of the [[Aztecs]], including the volcanoes around the Valley of Mexico, corn and other main crops, artisans weaving and making [[pottery]], mothers carrying babies, art and artisan activities including painting on scrolls, and [[calligraphy]]. The section also illustrates the [[Aztecs’ religion]], including worship of snakes and jaguars. [[Aztecs]] rituals are also shown in which men consume alcoholic beverages made from cacti and dance in honor of the Sun God. |
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===The Far of the Central Staircase Mural=== |
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Rivera shows the execution of [[Maximilian]], the Austrian emperor who controlled Mexico in the 1860s. This symbolized the end of [[European]] rule of Mexico. This mural also emphasizes [[Benito Juarez]], Mexico’s only Indian president and the one considered the founder of the new Mexican nation. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{Diego Rivera|state=expanded}} |
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{{Frida Kahlo}} |
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{{Public art in Mexico City}} |
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{{Artists related to Mexican muralism}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Mexico Mural}} |
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[[Category:Murals in Mexico]] |
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[[Category:Paintings by Diego Rivera]] |
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[[Category:Arts in Mexico City]] |
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[[Category:1930s murals]] |
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[[Category:Eagles in art]] |
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[[Category:Horses in art]] |
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[[Category:Cultural depictions of Frida Kahlo]] |
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[[Category:1920s murals]] |
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[[Category:Works about Mexico]] |
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[[Category:Works about colonialism]] |
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[[Category:Works about slavery]] |
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Latest revision as of 17:00, 13 November 2024
The History of Mexico is a mural in the stairwell of the National Palace in Mexico City by Diego Rivera. Produced between 1929 and 1935, the mural depicts Mexico's history from ancient times to the present, with particular emphasis on the struggles of the common Mexican people fighting against the Spanish, the French, and the dictators that controlled the country at different points in its history.
History
[edit]Government-sponsored murals were commissioned after the end of the Mexican Revolution, mainly in Mexico City and surrounding areas between 1923 and 1939 to celebrate the overthrow of the Porfirio Diaz dictatorship.[1] The government commissioned various artists, most famously José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Rivera himself to paint scenes about Mexican history.[2] Rivera began painting The History of Mexico in August 1929 in the stairwells of the National Palace. It took six years to complete.[3]
Description
[edit]The mural consists of three distinct sections across three walls, thematically divided in chronological order: ancient Mexico, the colonial past to the present, and the future. The murals are huge, some as large as 70 meters by 9 meters.
North wall
[edit]This section of the mural depicts ancient Aztec culture. An image of the sun, which was the center of the world in the Aztec religion is shown. Below the sun are a pyramid and an Aztec leader. The everyday lives of the Aztecs are also shown in detail: artisans weaving and making pottery, mothers carrying babies, painting on scrolls, and calligraphy. Religious practices such as dances to the Sun God and the worship of snakes and jaguars are also shown. Rivera also included geographical features such as the volcanoes around the Valley of Mexico, as well corn and other crops.
West wall
[edit]
The west wall forms the central part of the mural and summarizes the history of Mexico as a series of conflicts, rebellions, and revolution against oppression. Common Mexicans and Indians revolt against the Spanish, French, and various dictators, especially Porfirio Diaz.
The bottom of the wall shows Aztecs and other Indians fighting valiantly against conquistador Hernán Cortés and his army.[4] In the middle, the Spaniards attempt to destroy the Aztec religion by obliterating sacred books and religious images during the Inquisition. The left and right sides of the wall depict the colonial period, including the rape of a Native American woman by a Spaniard conquistador.[4] This section also illustrates the Natives that supported the Spanish in their conquest. Adjacent are scenes of Natives working as slaves for the Spaniards, making weapons, constructing walls and buildings (including the National Palace itself), and providing food.[4] This part also portrays the destruction and attempted assimilation of Native American culture by the Spaniards, including a depiction of Catholic conversion.
The center of the wall is a large eagle with a serpent in its mouth, a symbol of both Aztec culture and modern Mexico.
The upper corners of the wall depict the Second French intervention in Mexico and the triumph of president Benito Juarez over emperor Maximilian, whose execution is shown. The upper center shows images of the Mexican Revolution itself and the victorious peasant armies of revolution leaders Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa, adorned with a red banner displaying the anarchist slogan "Tierra y Libertad" ("Land and Liberty").
South wall
[edit]This part of the mural depicts an imaginary future of Mexico. It shows factories, the Soviet flag (Rivera and the government at the time were socialists), workers, Karl Marx the Communist Manifesto, and an image of Rivera's wife Frida Kahlo. Kahlo and her sister Cristina are shown as socialist teachers bringing a glorious future to school children.[4]
Interpretation
[edit]Art historian Leonard Folgarait notes that Rivera depicts the rich and foreigners who took over Mexico as evil, while the poor, peasants, Native American, farmers and workers are on the side of good and freedom.[3] Given the context of post-Revolutionary Mexico, the mural could thus be seen as a declaration that the revolution had finally brought justice to the Mexican people who had long been oppressed by foreign powers and national dictators, while simultaneously emphasizing his vision of the culture of Mexico – bright colors, rich traditions, and old customs.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Kenny, John Eugene (2006). The Chicano Mural movement of the Southwest: Populist public art and Chicano political activism (PhD). University of New Orleans. OCLC 3253092.
- ^ Rochfort, Desmond. Mexican Muralists. United States: Chronicle Boks LLC, 1998. Print
- ^ a b c Folgarait, Leonard. Mural Painting and Social Revolution in Mexico, 1920–1940 Art of the New Order. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1998. print
- ^ a b c d Rivera, Luis-Martin Lozano & Juan Rafael Coronel. Diego Rivera The Complete Murals. Italy: TASCHEN GmbH, 2008. Print