Diego Rivera's historical vision
By Nadia Ugalde Gómez. Excerpt from the book 'Rivera. The Complete Murals'
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The subject was a synthetic vision of Mexican history, starting in the pre-Columbian period and culminating in the 1917 constitution. For the first ten panels, Rivera wanted to capture precise images of the indigenous spirit: images through which one could hear the bustle of work and the chatter of local languages. In short, he wanted these panels to be an obsidian-tipped ritual arrow aimed at awakening the Indian part of the mestizo viewer. The pre-Hispanic past, which he had already depicted in the stairwell, figured as the (historical) starting-point for the construction of the Mexican nation and its national identity.
In his panels on pre-Hispanic Mexico, Rivera focused on the agricultural and trading methods and arts and artifacts of the Mesoamerican cultures. This coincided with the promotion of mexicanidad by a government anxious to recover the splendor of the indigenous past and demonstrate the relevance of its spiritual legacy. His perspective on the pre-Conquest world combines a broad knowledge of its cultures with his own ideas and interests. Lacking historical rigor, it is nevertheless realistic in even the tiniest details. Rich in color and shape and masterfully composed, the panels are divided into two sections by treatment and color. The lower part, resembling a frieze, presents scenes in grisaille that complement both individual episodes and the composition as a whole. […] Colonization, the humiliation of the indigenous peoples, their feelings about the conquest and the everyday splendor of pre-Hispanic cultures: these are the governing motifs of Rivera’s unfinished "essay" about the past in the lobby of the Palacio Nacional.
The history of Mexico with the concision and drama of a short story
In 1946, Rivera was commissioned to execute a mural for the Hotel del Prado which - as a result of economic and administrative problems and changes in ownership - was still incomplete 14 years after construction had begun. The building stood at the heart of Mexico City on Avenida Juárez, a stone’s throw from Alameda Park. The architect was Carlos Obregón Santacilia, with whom Rivera had worked years before. He invited Rivera to paint three works: one in the main dining room and two in the lobby. Given the hotel’s proximity, Santacilia suggested that the emblematic 300-year-old Alameda Park should be Rivera’s subject.
The following year Rivera painted Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park), whose original title was Sueño de un domingo en la Alameda (Dream of a Sunday in Alameda Park). Like the Palacio Nacional mural, it represents the history of Mexico with the concision and drama of a short story. Mexico City was an increasingly popular tourist destination and Rivera wanted the hotel guests to encounter these images from his dreams and memories. Conceived as the narrative of a dream-stroll through the park, it is divided into three main parts and respects chronological order. The successive groups include more than 140 figures, making it an encyclopedia of Mexican history. Most of the figures are well known to the collective imagination of Mexico and all of Mexican society is reflected. The mural is set during the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
The subject was a synthetic vision of Mexican history, starting in the pre-Columbian period and culminating in the 1917 constitution. For the first ten panels, Rivera wanted to capture precise images of the indigenous spirit: images through which one could hear the bustle of work and the chatter of local languages. In short, he wanted these panels to be an obsidian-tipped ritual arrow aimed at awakening the Indian part of the mestizo viewer. The pre-Hispanic past, which he had already depicted in the stairwell, figured as the (historical) starting-point for the construction of the Mexican nation and its national identity.
In his panels on pre-Hispanic Mexico, Rivera focused on the agricultural and trading methods and arts and artifacts of the Mesoamerican cultures. This coincided with the promotion of mexicanidad by a government anxious to recover the splendor of the indigenous past and demonstrate the relevance of its spiritual legacy. His perspective on the pre-Conquest world combines a broad knowledge of its cultures with his own ideas and interests. Lacking historical rigor, it is nevertheless realistic in even the tiniest details. Rich in color and shape and masterfully composed, the panels are divided into two sections by treatment and color. The lower part, resembling a frieze, presents scenes in grisaille that complement both individual episodes and the composition as a whole. […] Colonization, the humiliation of the indigenous peoples, their feelings about the conquest and the everyday splendor of pre-Hispanic cultures: these are the governing motifs of Rivera’s unfinished "essay" about the past in the lobby of the Palacio Nacional.
The history of Mexico with the concision and drama of a short story
In 1946, Rivera was commissioned to execute a mural for the Hotel del Prado which - as a result of economic and administrative problems and changes in ownership - was still incomplete 14 years after construction had begun. The building stood at the heart of Mexico City on Avenida Juárez, a stone’s throw from Alameda Park. The architect was Carlos Obregón Santacilia, with whom Rivera had worked years before. He invited Rivera to paint three works: one in the main dining room and two in the lobby. Given the hotel’s proximity, Santacilia suggested that the emblematic 300-year-old Alameda Park should be Rivera’s subject.
The following year Rivera painted Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park), whose original title was Sueño de un domingo en la Alameda (Dream of a Sunday in Alameda Park). Like the Palacio Nacional mural, it represents the history of Mexico with the concision and drama of a short story. Mexico City was an increasingly popular tourist destination and Rivera wanted the hotel guests to encounter these images from his dreams and memories. Conceived as the narrative of a dream-stroll through the park, it is divided into three main parts and respects chronological order. The successive groups include more than 140 figures, making it an encyclopedia of Mexican history. Most of the figures are well known to the collective imagination of Mexico and all of Mexican society is reflected. The mural is set during the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Diego Rivera. The Complete Murals
Hardcover, 29 x 44 cm (11.4 x 17.3 in.), 674 pages
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Diego in detail. The most comprehensive study of Rivera's work ever made
Water, the Source of Life (detail), Cárcamo del Río Lerma, Mexico City.
The Totonac Civilization (detail), Palacio Nacional, Mexico City.