David Alfaro Siqueiros Painted for the People of Mexico

DECEMBER 29, ON THIS DAY

\”Art is a weapon that penetrates the eyes, the ears, the deepest and subtlest human feelings. The artist must paint as he would speak. I don\’t want people to speculate what I mean, I want them to understand.\”

David Alfaro Siqueiros

David Alfaro Siqueiros was a Mexican painter, muralist, and political activist who is considered one of the three great muralists of the 20th century, along with Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco. Siqueiros was a leader of the Mexican Mural Movement and the founder of the Taller de Grafica Popular (People’s Graphic Workshop), which was dedicated to the production of affordable prints and posters that allowed for the wider distribution of political and social messages. His works are characterized by a bold, colorful style and a focus on social and political themes. He is most well-known for his large-scale murals, which are often found in public spaces throughout Mexico and the United States.

Jose de Jess Alfaro Siqueiros was born in Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico on December 29, 1896 and grew up in a time of great political upheaval in the country. He was introduced to anarcho-syndicalist ideas at a young age, and at the age of fifteen, he took part in a strike at the National Academy of Fine Arts to oppose the institution\’s conventional, Eurocentric curriculum. At the age of 18, he and a number of other former academics enlisted in Carranza\’s army to oppose the Huerta regime. After Huerta was overthrown in 1914, he joined other revolutionary forces led by Zapata and Pancho Villa. Siqueiros visited Europe in 1919 and was influenced by the Quattrocento fresco masters as well as the Cubists. Siqueiros returned to Mexico in 1923 and became involved in the Mexican Communist Party, which led to his imprisonment and exile. After his release, he dedicated himself to painting murals, which he saw as a way to reach a broad audience and raise awareness about social and political issues.

Siqueiros is best known for his large-scale murals, which he painted on the walls of public buildings and other structures throughout Mexico and beyond. His murals were often highly political, reflecting his socialist and communist beliefs, and were designed to inspire the Mexican people to continue the struggle for social justice and political change. Siqueiros was also a prolific painter of easel paintings, and his works can be found in museums and private collections around the world. His one of the most famous work of art ‘America Tropical’ is a large-scale mural located in downtown Los Angeles. The mural is a powerful statement about the injustices and violence inflicted upon indigenous people in Latin America. The mural depicts a native man hanging from a cross, with a vulture hovering above him. Another mural ‘The March of Humanity’ is considered one of Siqueiros’s major works and is located on the outside wall of the David Alfaro Siqueiros Cultural Center in Mexico City. The mural depicts a procession of people marching towards the future, with scenes of industry, war, and human labor depicted in bright and vibrant colors.

He was known for his bold, dramatic style and his use of bright, vibrant colors, and his murals can be found throughout Mexico and Latin America. Siqueiros was a controversial figure during his lifetime, and his work was often censored or banned by the Mexican government. However, he continued to paint and speak out against injustice and inequality until his death in 1974. Today, Siqueiros is widely recognized as one of the greatest Mexican painters of the 20th century and an important figure in the history of public art.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Alfaro_Siqueiros
2. https://www.theartstory.org/artist/siqueiros-david-alfaro/
3. https://www.thecollector.com/david-alfaro-siqueiros-mexican-muralist-inspired-pollock/