The painting entitled `Zapata con el caballo de Cortés` was painted in 1931, eleven years after the end of The Mexican Revolution, by the Mexican muralist – Diego Rivera. It represents the social economic and political revolution in Mexico led by peasants under the conduct of Emiliano Zapata against the authoritarian regime of the former president - Portfolio Diaz. In this analysis I will focus on the characters, the setting, the colours and the way they communicate in the painting.
Emiliano Zapata occupies a central place in this painting. He was the main leader of the peasant revolution in Mexico. At the back of the painting we can see his army which is mainly formed of common people. They are armed with bows, arrows and machetes in contrast to their leader, carrying only a sickle, used for cutting sugar cane. This displays that the people are soldiers and they are ready to fight to death for their freedom from the suppressors . Also it expresses their full devotion towards Zapata.
…show more content…
He represents the enemy and it suggests that the army of peasants is going to overpower the invaders. It also implies that there is a greater chance of bringing a change in the way Mexico is governed by uniting as many people as it is possible against the dominating rulers. Diego Rivera illustrates Emiliano Zapata as a powerful political figure who has a huge influence over people`s lives. The painting reveals that the power of the President Diaz`s government is only one simple manipulation of people`s minds.
In terms of colours, the white colour dominates in this painting. It signifies purity, freedom and change. In the past the rulers have dominated over the people but now the prevailing power is in the hands of the peasants. The large green leaves, echoing the horse`s mane in the painting symbolise the revival of the human mind and notify of the arriving change in people`s lives.
In conclusion, through his mural paintings full with complexity and depth, Diego Rivera recreates a new reality for the audience. `Zapata con el caballo de Cortés` is one of his most influential art pieces , significant in the process of understanding The Mexican Revolution
Wayne, transforms this painting into a three dimensional abstract piece of art. The focal point of the painting are the figures that look like letters and numbers that are in the front of the piece of art. This is where your eyes expend more time, also sometimes forgiving the background. The way the artist is trying to present this piece is showing happiness, excitement, and dreams. Happiness because he transmits with the bright colours. After probably 15 minutes on front of the painting I can feel that the artist tries to show his happiness, but in serene calm. The excitement that he presents with the letters, numbers and figures is a signal that he feels anxious about what the future is going to bring. Also in the way that the colors in the background are present he is showing that no matter how dark our day can be always will be light to
...e live seem to be too dangerous for them to fell happy. However, they are against the evil and violence, ignorance and lie. Corchado is quite unsure about the future of Mexico, but he also sees that these people are strong willed and they have chance to make some change in the way they live. He doesn’t pay attention to politics, instead of that he relies solely on people, their courage and strong will. We should all be so strong enough to change, what we want to change, and preserve what we need to preserve. Alfredo Corchado showed us the example of how brave hearted a person should be and how much we should all love our motherland. After reading this book, you won’t remain ignorant about Mexico and the journalism in general.
Catlett and her husband were deeply involved in activism and politics. In her article titled----, Herzog writes that “ The Taller de Grafica Popular, was known to progressive artists here as well. Like the paintings of the Mexican muralist, the work of the Taller had its ideological roots in the expressions of indiginism and national cultural identity known as Mexicanidad , or ‘Mexicanness’. ” Because one of their goals was to produce a national identity, their art was made for everyone, including poor people. At the taller, they did linoleum print because the linoleum print was an inexpensive medium and thus was perfect for public art. In addition, most of Catlett`s work focused on portraying women of
...n, Gonzalez states his identity; "I am Aztec Prince and Christian Christ." This combination of culture is the basis of his poem, which can be found at http://www.pbs.org/chicano/joaquin.html, and is representative of the heritage of Mexican Americans. The concept of Aztlan is explained in Chicano!, and the mural ‘Corazon de Aztlan,’ found in Chicano Park (http://chicanopark.org/murals/north/n8.html ), reinforces the importance of this image in the lives of Chicanos. The myth of Aztlan symbolizes centuries of culture and struggles of Mexican Americans who went through incredibly difficult times throughout history, but never lost hope and always stayed strong, determined to one day be treated equally as citizens of the United States of America.
Mexico City in the Age of Diaz is a literary illustration of one country’s struggle to define itself as a modern, cultured nation. Written mainly in the upper class point of view, the poor masses are defamed as lesser, indigenous beings. This anxiety of the Westside population and “President” Diaz lead not to reform but to exploitation and ignorance of social dilemmas. Europe and the United States served as a model for these citizens who craved status and acceptance due to the inherent inferiority complex gained by a historically conquered people.
The connection between emotions and art is magnificently represented in each artwork. Painting for example, is a form of art and expression, it can illustrate and represent the deepest feelings and concerns of artists regarding personal experiences and conflicts. Every color, media, shape and drawing symbolize a special meaning to the painters. Many artists also decide to express their opinion towards social and political chaos in their surroundings through painting. With this purpose, the well known Colombian painter, Fernando Botero, creates in 1999 the masterpiece" El Cazador" (The hunter), In which he demonstrates very graphically his feelings and critics towards the long term conflict in Colombia with the revolutionary armed forces.
Diego Rivera was deemed the finest Mexican painter of the twentieth century; he had a huge influence in art worldwide. Rivera wanted to form his own painting fashion. Although he encountered the works of great masters like Gauguin, Renoir, and Matisse, he was still in search of a new form of painting to call his own (Tibol, 1983). His desire was to be capable of reaching a wide audience and express the difficulties of his generation at the same time, and that is exactly what h...
it is unmistakable that life situations inspired Juan Rulfo to write this story. He like no other person had a greater understanding of how to portray the theme of family especially missing a father as a role model, death, survival and revenge. Moreover, through the use of local Mexican language it furthermore developed the society in which peasants had to live during the post-revolution. Additionally Juan Rulfo tries to add all five senses in the story forming magical realism and a vivid picture that the readers can understand. Overall, the readers learn a lot about peasant’s approach to life after revolution that the main drive was
In this sense, the film tests the resiliency of good human nature. The modern world is becoming increasingly set in its extremes, as the lifestyle of the poor vastly contrasts that of the wealthy. The implementation of NAFTA reflects this movement toward separation, despite the fact that it was intended to boost trade between regions and create more prosperity on both sides of the United States-Mexico border. The Mexican elites saw it as their salvation. Others saw it as “ a death sentence.” The Chiapas region itself exemplifies this gap, as well. The region was split between the relatively prosperous west, which was fertile and characterized by commercial development, and the poor, subsistence-oriented east. It was not by accident that the Zapatista movement began in Chiapas as the struggle between ranchers, landowners, and subsistence farmers was intensified by NAFTA.
His head is unnaturally twisted in a painful way while clutching onto a broken sword with his other arm. I would have to say that he was most likely a soldier who died in the battle. His broken sword represents his attempt to fight against the German and Italian engines of modern warfare. However, the fight he put up was sadly not enough to affect the outcome of the bombing of Guernica. It is a powerful image for it which it symbolizes as a sign of defeat. However if you look very closely, there is a flower that was drawn very lightly above the sword, almost unnoticeable. I thought this was an interesting feature of the painting that Picasso added since most of the drawings represented either chaos, despair, or pain but this tiny little flower above the soldier’s severed arm is a subtle symbol of hope. Although the flower is very faint, it is very significant and symbolizes the possibility that there is hope in the future amongst all of the destruction that was currently
Another form of expression and bringing awareness was through the way of art. The style of art and representation solely raised from the Chicano movement. Murals played a big part in the activism and progression people wanted to see. Most, if not all murals represented native Mexicans and their struggles of being oppressed. All murals told a story whether it was Mexico’s poverty or the farming industry. Many popular symbols and images were used again in the Chica...
The painting is organized simply. The background of the painting is painted in an Impressionist style. The blurring of edges, however, starkly contrasts with the sharp and hard contours of the figure in the foreground. The female figure is very sharp and clear compared to the background. The background paint is thick compared to the thin lines used to paint the figures in the foreground. The thick paint adds to the reduction of detail for the background. The colors used to paint the foreground figures are vibrant, as opposed to the whitened colors of the Impressionist background. The painting is mostly comprised of cool colors but there is a range of dark and light colors. The light colors are predominantly in the background and the darker colors are in the foreground. The vivid color of the robe contrasts with the muted colors of the background, resulting in an emphasis of the robe color. This emphasis leads the viewer's gaze to the focal part of the painting: the figures in the foreground. The female and baby in the foreground take up most of the canvas. The background was not painted as the artist saw it, but rather the impression t...
Orozco’s masterwork “The Trench” (1926) is a restrained yet disconcerting representation of the revolution’s violence. Orozco haunted by the carnage and chaos he had witnessed firsthand emphasizes on the death, suffering, and violence brought on by the revolution. Three soldiers are seen as they fall to their death, their falling and lifeless bodies form a tilted cross. The cross, which is another stereotypical and favored symbols of mexicanidad. Orozco implemented this christian iconography in a cubist arrangement which was distinct in the modernist style of twentieth century Mexico. While Orozco was the least politically dogmatic and the most outwardly pessimistic, Diego Rivera idealized the armed struggle of the peasants. Rivera’s
Such controversy that followed him is one of the aspects of his art that made him stand out as a muralist during his lifetime (1). As with most artist his paintings became famous after his death (2) in 1957 due to heart failure in Mexico City, Mexico (1). His radical approach to art and his unique style have created a lasting impression on art and continue to do so (2). Widely regarded as the most influential Mexican artist of the twentieth century (3), Diego Rivera created a legacy in paint that continue to inspire the imagination and mind (2).
The Mexican Revolution was intended to drag the common man from the poverty of lower class society in Mexico, and bestow upon them an equal portion of land and wealth in order to equilibrate the economic and social status in the nation. The ecomienda system allowed a few patrons to hold all of the wealth in a certain area and exert complete control over a city and the people that lived within it. The Revolution was intended to redistribute the land and power to the lower and middle classes, but this was not the case once the fighting ceased. The lower classes moved to urban areas in order to find work and pay while the rural towns that were under the control of one person became a ghost of what they once were. Juan Rulfo lived in Mexico while these events were taking place and wrote Pedro Paramo just after the conclusion of the Mexican Revolution. Juan Rulfo saw the shortcomings of the Revolution and, through the characters of Pedro Paramo, Susana San Juan, and Juan Preciado, critiqued the failures of the Revolution to precipitate the change that it initially promised.