More Rivera Murals

As I said this morning, if you climb the stairs of the Secretariat of Public Education building, you will find still more murals painted by Diego Rivera in the 1920s.  There is no mistaking Rivera's political beliefs from these murals.  The bloody Mexican Revolution had recently come to an end, but to Rivera, a member of the Communist Party, the revolution would not be over until capitalism was destroyed and a proletariat paradise was established.  If it were not for Rivera's artistic talents, this series of mural could be viewed as pure political propaganda.

Emiliano Zapata

The revolutionary hero Zapata fought for the distribution of land to the peasants and was assassinated by his opponents.

Here, dressed in robes, surrounded by a halo-like aura, and flanked kneeling worshippers, the martyr takes on a saint-like quality.

Felipe Carrillo Puerto

Carrillo Puerto was the socialist governor of the state of Yucatán.  He also was assassinated by right-wing opponents just four years before this mural was painted.  Rivera gives him a similar saintly treatment.

 The Capitalist Supper

Rivera paints a very unflattering portrait of the upper class while the armed proletariat hovers above them.

Wall Street Banquet

 

Here the Wall Street elite (some of the figures are portraits of U.S. industrialists) sip champagne and watch the stock market ticker-tape.  Ironically this was painted just a year before the stock market crash of 1929.

Orgy

Another unflattering portrait of the corruption and decadence of capitalism.  Again the armed revolutionaries hover just above the capitalists.

Our Daily Bread

In contrast, the working-class family gathered at the table is portrayed with dignity.

In the Arsenal

In one of the most famous panels of the series, Rivera's wife, Frida Kahlo, is shown in the center, handing out rifles to the Communist Revolutionaries.

In the Trench

And the workers' revolution begins.

The Death of the Capitalist

Although Rivera remained a supporter of Leninist ideals, the year after completing these murals, he was expelled from the Communist Party for his criticism of Stalinism and his support of Stalin's rival, Leon Trotsky.