Mexican Muralists

by Desmond Rochfort, -. Rivera Orozco

In Mexico in the early 1920s, a growing, collective social consciousness gave rise to a revolutionary furor focused on liberating the country's workers from harsh conditions and poverty. In 1921, Mexican artists Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros were all commissioned by the government to create educational paintings on the walls of public buildings. After that initial experience, they devoted themselves almost exclusively to painting these large-scale murals--forming the foundation of a movement that would last 50 years. The muralists' work took up the themes of society and revolution. Often the paintings depicted historical vignettes like the story of Cuernavaca and Morelos crossing the barranca, or Mexico's ancient Indians. They satirized contemporary society, created ideal visions of peaceful families, and built up dark, imposing industrial cityscapes then leveled them by depicting the debauchery and death of the capitalist industrialists. The paintings themselves reflect diverse artistic influences--surrealism, cubism, and illustration, most notable among them. Their bold colors and strong imagery practically bound out of the 150 color plates in this book. Mexican muralist and scholar Desmond Rochfort lucidly traces the development of the movement to place the work in context and provides a solid history of each of the artists' social and artistic influences. This is an excellent overview of work that should appeal both to fans of the individual artists and Mexican art in general. --Jordana Moskowitz

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, History

Paperback

Published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Lis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Orozco, like Siqueiros, and think Rivera is a bit overrated. The three famous Mexican muralists together in a book is wonderful. If you know nothing about them, this would be a good book to learn about them, as it has most of their famous works. Their styles were so distinct and seeing them next to each other is probably the best way to get to know them as a group and as individuals.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

este libro tiene una fotografia impresionante de los murales de estos grandes artistas, vale la pena!!!!!!!!!!

[John G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dense, serious book delving into important topics of oppression, revolution and liberation. Mexican history and revolutionary struggle in Latin America are topics I know very little about, so there were some historical and political lessons in here for me. Very interesting examination of the motives, personal histories and ideologies of each muralist, my fave by far being the evocative images of Orozco. Interesting observation, the cynical bleakness of Orozco might have a parallel in the literature of Nathanel West, a contemporary of the 1930's.

[Pedro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the most entertaining book I've read, but it provides a detailed and respectable summery of the movement. That being said, I absolutely love these guys. I've always been a fan of Rivera, but now I really want to check out some of the other stuff.

[Vincent Fong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blended historical backgrounds with the biographies well.

Sad to see the inevitable limits of paper printing on the presentation of Siqueiros's fluid murals.

[Manuel Leal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Está muy interesante.

Gran parte de los nombres de personas hispanas están mal escritos...

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

an amazing pictorial analysis of the 3 greats. this is more than just a picture book.

the author describes the dynamic history of the Mexican peoples, from pre-columbian to revolution to the countries place in a global realm. the motives of these artists to find a visual national identity is illustrated through the varying social and political experiences of each artist.

before this, i never understood mexican muralism. i saw it more as a civic art filled with dizzying figures and events. the author strongly emphasizes the countries struggle for identity and the re definition of culture which i am quite interested in. after reading this book i am eager to travel to Mexico and parts of the Americas to see the works first hand.

[Meia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect book to understand the 3 most influential artists during the Mexican Muralist movement and Mexican Revolution. You'll never look at murals the same again. I did favor Orozco the most, personally.

[Guillermo Galvan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about the Mexican legends. Big beautiful pictures with informative text. I was assigned this book to read for my Mexican Art History class and I never sold it back. It's too good. Why would I want to give it away just like that? 5 stars.

[Door Person · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice overview of the Mexican Muralists, great full-color images.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

murals in a book like the sea in a bottle

[JBedient · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful artbooks in print...

[Teddy Farias · Rating 3 out of 5]

great collection of pictures, colorful, descriptive. Now I wanna go to Mexico city to check out some murals!