3.20.2014

A Study Of A Mexican Painter And His Inspiration

By Darren Hartley


Diego Rivera paintings are large wall works in fresco. They help established the Mexican Mural Renaissance. Diego Rivera was a world-famous Mexican painter, an active communist and a husband to Frida Kahlo.

Cubism was the initial focus of Diego Rivera paintings. With their simple forms and large patches of colors, they began to shift towards Post-Impressionism, a shift inspired by the Paul Cezanne paintings. As they began to attract the attention of their viewing public, they were ultimately displayed at a number of painting exhibitions.

The first mural of note amongst the Diego Rivera paintings was entitled Creation. It was experimentally painted in encaustic in 1922. Other murals painted by Diego were done purely in fresco. Reflecting the Mexican revolution of 1910, they focused on the Mexican society.

There was a development of a native style in the Diego Rivera paintings, starting in September, 1922. The basis of this style was large, simplified figures and colors, with a tinge of an Aztec influence.

Diego Rivera paintings tell stories. Diego's mural, In the Arsenal, shows Tina Modotti holding an ammunition belt, facing Julio Antonio Mella, in a light hat and Vittorio Vidale behind, in a black hat. This was interpreted by some as evidence of Diego's prior knowledge of the murder of Mella by Vidale.

Detroit Industry, a series of 27 fresco panels, consisted the Diego Rivera paintings between 1932 and 1933. Containing a Vladimir Lenin portrait was a Diego Rivera mural in 1933 entitled Man at the Crossroads. This particular mural was retitled Man, Controller of the Universe, after it was repainted in 1934.

Cezanne paintings laid the foundations for the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different 20th century work of art. They formed the bridge between late 19th century Impressionism and the early 20th century Cubism.

Paul Cezanne was often referred to as the Father of Modern Art. He is a French artist and a Post-Impressionist painter. There was a mastery of design, color, composition and draftsmanship present in Cezanne paintings. These featured brushstrokes that are repetitive, sensitive and exploratory. This feature is highly characteristic and clearly recognizable as works by Cezanne.

Building up to the formation of complex fields are the planes of color and small brushstrokes presented in Cezanne paintings. The sensations of the observing eye as well as the abstractions from observed nature are directly expressed in these paintings. Other than conveying Paul's intense study of his subjects, they also show Paul's searching gaze and his struggle in dealing with the intricacies of human visual perception.

The development of an ideal synthesis among naturalistic representation, personal expression and abstract pictorial order is the objective of Cezanne paintings. A suggestion of the moody and romantic expressionism of previous generations is the dark tones of the early Cezanne paintings. These tones were applied with heavy and fluid colors.

Cezanne paintings gradually developed into a commitment to contemporary life representation. They painted the world as observed by Paul sans concern for thematic idealization and stylistic affectation.




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