The Murals of Revolutionary Nicaragua, 1979–1992

by David Kunzle

In the years following Nicaragua's 1979 Sandinista Revolution, more than three hundred murals were created by Nicaraguan and international artist brigades. David Kunzle was profoundly moved by the aesthetic and political power of these murals, and when he saw that they were being destroyed after the Sandinistas were voted out in 1990, he resolved to document them. This visually exciting, emotionally compelling book is the result of his efforts.

Today many of Nicaragua's murals have been obliterated, and Kunzle's book may be the only record of these works. Approximately eighty percent of the murals are reproduced here, many with extensive commentary. Artistic styles from the primitivist to the highly sophisticated are represented, showing themes of literacy, health, family, and always the Revolution.

Kunzle outlines the historical conditions in Nicaragua—including U.S. interference—that gave rise to the Revolution and to the murals. He chronicles the politically vindictive destruction of many of the best murals and the rise and fall of Managua's Mural School. Kunzle also refers to other Nicaraguan public media such as billboards and graffiti, the great mural precedent in Mexico, and the more recent attempts at socialist art in Cuba and Chile.

Nicaraguan murals became blackboards of the people, a forum for self-image, self-education, and popular autobiography. Kunzle pleads for the restoration of the surviving murals and for the revival of the mural movement, for it is, he says, "art that belongs to and benefits us all."

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 1995

Reviews

[Yaotl Altan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remembered Chile's composer Victor Jara was killed during the first days of the fascist dictatorship in that South American nation. Jara represented a people whose songs made become anger several military officials becaus of the high revolutionary contents they expressed.

A similar concept happened with the murals in Nicaragua when hospitals, medical centers and murals were classified as military targets by the US-backed vassal Contras. Then, the right-wing goverment that followed the Sandinista era erased many of those beautifull murals which had the influence of and old famous Mexican muralist: Diego Rivera.

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely phenomenal. The roughly 70-page introduction details everything you would want to know about the context, such as the 20th century history and political situation, who the muralists were, the roles of local communities, the clergy, and foreigners, the shifting government attitudes towards murals, artistic themes and inspirations. I enjoyed every page of it.

The actual catalogue is roughly 200 pages of murals, photos which the author took in the wake of their removal or vandalization in the post-Sandinista governments. Every image has a caption with abundant details and explanation. My only complaint is that roughly half the murals are black-and-white; I wish they'd all been colored.