Diego Rivera Research Paper
Although Diego Rivera was a Mexican painter, influenced much by his historical roots in Mexico, his contributions to American society throughout the first half of the twentieth century were great. Rivera wanted his art to influence the world enough to change it (Howlett 20). During an era of revolutions in both politics and technology, Rivera was one of the many inspired to create work that was socially radical at the time (Stevens 72). His views of support for Communism, his outlook on Capitalism, and his portrayals of the industrial revolution around the world caught the attention and eyes of entire nations. “Rivera’s work seemed like it was leading directly to today’s cultural wars” (Aguilar 36). Throughout the early 1900’s, Rivera had become an icon for cultural transactions between North and Central America (Hughes 78). His controversial art helped open the minds of Americans to be more culturally diverse and help see the different opinions and aspects to the world. When portraying himself, Rivera always painting himself realistically with harsh honesty in all of his self-portraits (Howlett 2). He sought to capture the aura of a subject, concentrating on the unique physical features of an individual (Howlett 2). Over his time as a muralist, Rivera’s style had changed. From Mexico’s realistic, pre-Colombian work (Mujica 30) to abstract modernism learned over in Europe (Howlett 1), Rivera’s signature style was his mastered displays of form and composition, as well as a large concern for texture and his usage of vibrant, contrasting colors (Mujica 29). Read more…