DIEGO RIVERA

DIEGO BIO

• Make art that reflected the lives of the working class and native peoples of Mexico.
• Born on December 8, 1886, in Guanajuato, Mexico
• He began drawing as a child. Around the age of 10, Rivera went to study art at the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts in Mexico City.
• In 1907, Rivera traveled to Europe to further his art studies.
• Diego Rivera had some success as a Cubist painter in Europe

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

• His twin brother Jose Carlos Maria, was born on 8 December 1886
• They were the two eldest sons of Diego Rivera and Maria del Pilar Barrientos. Both the parents were teachers.
• The father was of Creole origin and Diego's mother was one-quarter Indian.
• In 1896, he began attending evening classes at the San Carlos Academy of Art.
• Two years later, he enrolled at the Academy full-time, despite the wishes of his father, who wanted a military career for his son.

PERSONAL LIFE AND DEATH

• Diego Rivera lost his wife, Frida Kahlo, in 1954.
• The following year, He married Emma Hurtado, his art dealer.
• He had traveled abroad for cancer treatment, but doctors were unable to cure him.
• Diego Rivera died of heart failure on November 24, 1957, in Mexico City, Mexico.
• Since his death, Diego Rivera is remembered as an important figure in 20th century.

ART STYLE

• painted murals, focusing on Mexican heritage and using a strong style
• often flattened three-dimensional elements into two dimensions
• He coined this style of art Mexicanidad, of which he is known to be the founder.
• Mexicanidad uses Mexican culture and heritage, uses broad, sturdy imagery and can appear in mural form.

La Mujer del Pozo

• La Mujer del Pozo was painted in 1913.
• The mix of abstract art and Aztec imagery are just a few ways to describe this painting.
• The woman’s oval shaped face and sullen look combined with her traditional dress add to the paintings appeal
• The juxtaposition of the shapes and surfaces helps to invoke a series of emotions.
• The cubist technique is executed beautifully.

Indian Girl with Coral Necklace

• Diego wanted to prove that Mexicans need to be proud of their roots
• He really liked when Frida was wearing the traditional Mexican dresses
• He also painted this little girl in the Mural located at the San Francisco City College.

SYMBOLIC LANDSCAPE

• presents a very poetic view of the circumstance through symbols of the natural landscape
• takes on the sensuous shape of a woman's torso with her back arched in intense emotion
• The stone takes on many shapes including a man's face and tightly gripped fist.
• The furrowed brow and clenched teeth of the stone face possess two very symbolic objects
• The stones that hold the hands and the face are crowded in around the tree.

SIMILAR ARTISTS/MURALIST

• Pablo Picasso
• Georges Braque
• Frida kahlo