Stacy Knecht

03/10/2020
ART 1010
P. Bingham

Artist Report

Objective: Investigate the artist whose work inspires you to replicate his/her style.

Personal life

Name of Artist: Diego Rivera

Birth Date: December 8, 1886

Birthplace: Guanajuato, Mexico

What later life events (marriage, children, deaths, etc.) had a major influence on the
artist?
Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato, Mexico; a rural city in the middle of the country
and about 5 hours north west of Mexico City by car. Close to the time Rivera was born,
the Porfirio Diaz regime came into power and stayed in office until 1910 when the
Mexican Revolution took place. Rivera was raised with an appreciation for agricultural
workers and those who labored to bring others their comforts. This would later establish
Rivera as an active figure in the Communist Party. After graduating art school in 1906,
Rivera set out on a quest to take in and learn different styles of art. In 1907 Rivera
travelled to Europe for the first time. While there, Rivera develops a reputation for
loving many different women and begins his first well known affair with Russian artist
Angelina Beloff. During this period Rivera moves back and forth several times from
Mexico and Europe. By now he’s lived in Mexico, Spain, and Paris. While the world is
at war, Rivera devotes his time to art, women, and political activism in the Communist
Party. He begins and ends several more marriages and affairs, and in 1928 establishes his
relationship with his soon to be bride, Frida Kahlo. Rivera and Kahlo endure a rocky
relationship in which they divorce and remarry again, until 1954 when Kahlo dies. All
the time Rivera is painting scenes of the working class, several which he paints as murals.
After remarrying in 1955, Rivera dies of heart failure on November 24, 1957.

Time Period

Describe what prevailing style of art was popular when the artist first started?
At the time of Rivera’s graduation from art school, not only was the world ready for
revolution, but art was beginning to change drastically as well. The French Impressionist
movement was winding down and Expressionism was on the rise. Artist were exploring
feelings transposed in art with color, shape, line, and movement.

What ‘new’ style did the artist start, or get involved in?
In 1911 Rivera moves from Mexico to Paris and begins to explore Cubism. It’s
documented that Rivera met Pablo Picasso, one of the world’s most famous abstract
artists, in 1914.

What important historical events happened during the artist’s lifetime that influenced one
or more pieces?
As mentioned previously, Rivera was majorly influenced by the working class, a group
that he’d grown up around. Rivera was very familiar with the struggles of poor working
laborers who were often not given fair pay and protection from the governments that
were supposed to supply these rights. It’s well documented that he had several visits and
relationships within the Communist Party in Russia. The Mexican Revolution, the
Russian Revolution, and WWI all started in the same decade. All these conflicts were
started based on larger powers trying to oppress smaller powers. It’s estimated that all
conflicts combined, 28.5 to 36 million men died fighting. War and the oppression of the
working class made Rivera a staunch supporter of those who were the underdog. He
fully believed that food, housing, education, and healthcare were basic human rights and
all things should be equal and common. This is evidenced in his mural titled In the
Arsenal 1928. This mural depicts working men clothed in denim and farmers gathering
weapons and ammunition in the arsenal. Women and children help to distribute the guns
and make the bullets.

Select one piece that your artist did

Name of the piece: El Vendedora de Alcatraces

What is it about?
This painting depicts a flower vendor on her knees carrying a heavy load of calla lilies.
Traditionally calla lilies are used when someone dies. Some may think that Rivera is
making a statement on the death of the native Mexican culture.

Why did you choose this piece?

I chose this piece for a couple reasons. First, Rivera is well known for his calla lily
paintings. They are a recurring theme in many of his paintings. Second, I grew up in
Southern California which has a rich history of Mexican Americans. This painting
reminds me of home.

Name two elements of design that the artist used in this piece:
Rivera uses shape and value. He repeats the shape over and over in the large bouquet of
flowers. He uses value by having the background a dark black, making the bright yellow
and white calla lilies the center of attention.

Name one principle of design that the artist used in this piece:
Rivera uses emphasis and proportion. The eye is immediately drawn to the brightness of
the flowers against the dark background. And he uses proportion by scaling the flowers
to be larger than life, making them appear as an impossible load to carry.

When you first looked at this piece what was your reaction to it?
I was attracted to the simplicity and beauty. The simple organic lines of the calla lilies
that appear to weigh down the women. The contrast of color and smooth appearing
shapes speak to the simplicity of the life of a flower vendor.

Did your reaction change as you studied this piece?

After learning more about the artist and understanding his views on government it
changed my understanding of the painting. I began to think about the heavy burden of
laborers trying to earn enough money to live. I began to empathize more with the subject
being a woman in a patriarchal society. It made ask questions like how old is this
woman, is she just a child, is she taking on this difficult physical work because she has
mouths to feed?

Sources
List two sources you used to gather your information

1. Reef, Catherine. Frida & Diego: Art, Love, Life. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
2014.

2. Krull, Kathleen, and Kathryn Hewitt. Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces,

Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.