dimanche 6 avril 2014

About A Mexican Painter And His Inspiration

By Darren Hartley


Huge wall paintings in fresco are the Diego Rivera paintings. The establishment of the Mexican Mural Renaissance is what they are known for. Three characteristics of Diego Rivera are his being a world famous painter, active communist and husband to Frida Kahlo.

Initially embracing cubism, Diego Rivera paintings later on shifted towards Post Impressionism. This is shown in their simple forms and large patches of clear colors. These forms and patches were inspired by the Cezanne paintings. Displayed at several exhibitions, they began to attract the attention of their viewers.

The first mural of note amongst the Diego Rivera paintings was entitled Creation. It was experimentally painted in encaustic in 1922. Other murals painted by Diego were done purely in fresco. Reflecting the Mexican revolution of 1910, they focused on the Mexican society.

On the basis of large, simplified figures and colors, the Diego Rivera paintings reflected a native style development. This started in September, 1922. There was a sprinkle of Aztec influence noted in these paintings as well.

Diego Rivera paintings tell stories. Diego's mural, In the Arsenal, shows Tina Modotti holding an ammunition belt, facing Julio Antonio Mella, in a light hat and Vittorio Vidale behind, in a black hat. This was interpreted by some as evidence of Diego's prior knowledge of the murder of Mella by Vidale.

Between 1932 and 1933, the Diego Rivera paintings consisted of a series of 27 fresco panels entitled Detroit Industry. His mural, Man at the Crossroads, in 1933, contained a portrait of Vladimir Lenin. He repainted it in 1934 and retitled it as Man, Controller of the Universe.

Forming the bridge between 19th century Impressionism and early 20th century Cubism were the Cezanne paintings. They laid the foundations for the transition from the creation of artistic endeavour in the 19th century to a new and glaringly different art work in the 20th century.

Paul Cezanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter, often called the Father of Modern Art. Cezanne paintings demonstrated a mastery of design, color, composition and draftsmanship. They featured repetitive, sensitive and exploratory brushstrokes that are highly characteristic and clearly recognizable.

Building up to the formation of complex fields are the planes of color and small brushstrokes presented in Cezanne paintings. The sensations of the observing eye as well as the abstractions from observed nature are directly expressed in these paintings. Other than conveying Paul's intense study of his subjects, they also show Paul's searching gaze and his struggle in dealing with the intricacies of human visual perception.

The ideal mixture of naturalistic representation, personal expression and abstract pictorial order is what Cezanne paintings aim at. Because early Cezanne paintings were done in dark tones supplemented by heavy and fluid pigments, they subsequently implied the moody and romantic expressionism imbued by previous generations of painters.

Gradually, Cezanne paintings transfigured into a commitment to contemporary life representation. Without concern for thematic idealization and stylistic affection, they presented the world on the basis of Paul's own observation of it.




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