Essay Sample on Diego Rivera: From Childhood to Iconic Artist of the Mexican Muralist Movement

Introduction

By the 20th century, Diego Rivera was one of the most memorable artists at his prime. He was one of the key members of the Mexican Muralist Movement. The movement was founded to work in an allegorical and figurative style that dealt with radical, social, and political themes. The rise of Rivera from childhood to adulthood still remain deserted. Rivera's personal background played a crucial role in most of his artwork. One of the most notable artwork is the "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park."

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Movements

Between 1910 and 1920, Mexican citizens experienced suffrage and mistreatment of many laborers. Mexicans were highly mistreated by Porfirio Diaz, a dictator. For that reason, Mexican works towards having a better working environment and other concerns like expanded civil liberties, health care, and public education. The term "Los tres grandes" was a name given to David Alfaro and Diego Rivera (Maslon, 2018). The group strives to promote mural paintings to express political and social messages in places that could be accessed by everyone. Mexican Muralist movements inspired and influenced several countries like the US, where Chicano Art was established. In his entire life, Diego was used to traveling across Europe, where he met other artists like Pablo Picasso.

Diego artwork "Dream of a Sunday evening in Alameda Park" is a 4.8 *15 mural. The artwork was painted on a hotel wall commonly referred to as Hotel del Prado, Mexico city. After the 1985 earthquake, the artwork was transferred to Museo, which demolish the hotel and other structures. In the display of the artwork, there are more than 400 characters with not less than 400 years in Mexico history. Most of the paintings were gathered and stroll via the largest park in Mexico City. Mural contains some elements which seem to be playful and light-hearted like bright foliage and colourful balloons. Other elements in mural are quite darker, which are revealed by the characters and how they are represented.

One can realize on the right side of the painting, and there is a conflict between indigenous families and a policeman, which is dark painted. All the figures in the painting seem to overlap even though they do not interact. They seem not to be separate. This case implies that every figure reveals its own time (Maslon, 2018). Even if they appear to be next to one another, it does not necessarily imply that they belong to each other. However, the figures are as important as others. Such that a figure cannot exist without each other. In his entire artwork, Diego Rivera was never deemed as a surrealist, although this masterpiece may make him join the surrealist movement. In other words, the characters represented in this masterpiece were a feature in the form of the subconscious and a dream.

Formal Elements

Diego Rivera artwork' Dream of a Sunday evening in Alameda Park' has three subsections, namely, the right, middle, and left side of the mural. The middle side of the moral reveals the crucial symbolic events and features that the artist experience in his adult life. On the left side of the painting, it reveals the Mexico conquest by the Spanish people, which was followed by the country's independence. History has it that the revolution lasted between 1910 and 1920, which is displayed at the mural's right side. In the masterpiece, it forms the brightest section. The artist used his skills to combine vital figures to obtain from Mexican history to establish a political statement. In this artwork, Diego gets a chance to make mural personal. One of the most stunning figures is "La Catrinaholding," a name that was common in the early 20th century used to address to an elegant woman dressed in European clothing and belongs to the upper class. In this context, La Catrina bright smile shares the spotlight with other artists such as Diego Rivera and Frida Khalo. Ideally, as a great artist, Rivera one married Khalo, who also became an important figure. When the two artists separated, their connection was lost entirely. The figure displays Khalo as if she holds a Yin Yang symbol. In this context, the Chinese symbol reveals a metaphor revealing the complex relationship between the two great artists. However, Diego Rivera is still Kahlo's political comrades, ex-wife, lover, and mentor, where they both paint one another. In the figure, viewers can observe that behind Rivera and Khalo, there exist many people who are dressed behind them. Ideally, the standing men reveal a social group such as the middle class where the artist was raised.

Reason for Creating the Art Work

The main reason for this kind of artwork is to reveal Mexico's development and what it has become as time progresses. The artist strives to explain the changing events and the lives of many Campesinos, including revolution. Even though viewers might have expected Rivera to place all the figures into one mural, it is surprising how he uses the technique.

At a tender age, Rivera had no memory, but the condition still traumatize him as he grows into adulthood. His mother, Dona Maria, had experienced three pregnancies, which were marred with stillbirths. Although his mother had expected to give birth to twins, she had only Diego and immediately began hemorrhaged ("Rivera, the dream of a Sunday afternoon in Alameda Central Park (article)," n.d.). At a tender age, Diego's condition was very pathetic that forced Doctor Arizmendi to cast him into a bucket to continue with the second baby. After his twin brother was born, Diego's mother collapsed. When the mother failed to show any signs of survival, close members had decided to handle her corpse. Surprisingly, the mother began breathing.

After Rivera's mother recovered, she pursued obstetrics, where she later became a housewife. Before a year and a half, the twin brother, Carlos, died. In the process, Diego also became sick. For that reason, as he tends to grow up, he begins to blame himself and casting a lot of aspersions. At his tender age, Rivera began to have several fantasies about death and birth. At the age of five, Diego had begun to question where babies are gotten (Maslon, 2018). In his mother's next pregnancy, Diego is told that baby shall be delivered by the train contained in a box. Diego became very furious when he learned that his sister Maria was born in his absence. The concept of labor was highly significant to Diego. Diego grew aspiring to know where babies could come from to allow him to compensate for his brother's demise. As he grew, he ended up channeling his passion more constructively by reading Maria's obstetrics.

When her daughter Marika was born, Diego did not accept her as his daughter. However, Diego recognized Marika as an Armistice's daughter. Diego did this for people not to recognize him as a parent. In other words, he was revealing his fear he had towards death as a child (Morton, 2004). Conversely, Diego could not stop having children and lovers. In most instances, he would use art as a consolation or a place where he could reveal his feelings. In 1921, he married Lupe Marin, where he had two daughters. As a father, he created several artworks that reveal his experience as a parent. The use of artwork allows him to be relieved from the shackles of traumatic trails as a father.

Diego becomes more responsible for creating a mural that shows women's bodies sensually and powerfully. In this portrait, it reveals that Diego was willing to forget about his past and assume the responsibility as a father. However, this notion completely changed after finishing his mural piece when he was briefed of his parent's demise.

In response to that calamity, he went and married Frida Kahlo, who was barely 22 years. Although Diego was 42-year-old, Kahlo fantasizes about having a child with him. On the contrary, Diego had not thought of Kahlo as a mother. In their relationship, Kahlo experiences many affairs and miscarriages where she could hardly conceive. The two great artists become encouraged by the pain and the love they endure together during their 25 years of stay.

Medium

Diego Rivera uses his experiences and suffering to establish a masterpiece artwork that viewers can hardly escape. Although this suffering brought him an undeniable legacy, his suffering was great. The death of his brother has significantly influenced his art creation and adult life (Maslon, 2018). In other words, he is considered as a successful moralist based on the price he paid for his unpleasant experience. However, 'Dream of a Sunday evening in Alameda Park' talks most on Diego Rivera's past.

References

Maslon, L. (2018). Hymn for a Sunday Evening. Oxford Scholarship Online.Morton, C. (2004). Dreaming on a Sunday in the Alameda and Other Plays. U of Oklahoma P.Rivera, Dream of a Sunday afternoon in Alameda Central Park (article).

Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/modernity-ap/a/rivera-dream-of-a-sunday-afternoon-in-alameda-central-park