Diego Rivera's Passion For Art
On December 8, 1886 in Guanajuato, Mexico, Diego Rivera was born. His passion for art emerged early on, so at the age of 10 he attended San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts in Mexico City. Years later he traveled to Europe to further his studies, where he befriended many famous artists of his day. As time went on Rivera’s style began to change, because of the events that began taking place. Inspired by the political ideals of the Mexican Revolution (1914-15) and the Russian Revolution (1917), Rivera wanted to make art that reflected the lives of the working class and native peoples of Mexico. He became fascinated in painting murals, finding his muse from the Renaissance frescos in Italy. When he returned to Mexico, the government gave him funding
to create a series of murals on the walls of public buildings that showcased the people of the country and their history. In 1922 he completed the first murals at the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria in Mexico City. Some time after he married fellow artist Frida Kahlo, with whom he shared the same interests in radical politics and Marxism. Rivera painted his several murals in the United States that led to controversy. His most famous controversial painting was the one he did for the Rockefeller family in the RCA building in New York City. The Rockefellers disliked an item in the painting and asked Rivera to remove it, but when he refused Nelson Rockefeller ordered the mural to be demolished. After a slow period in the late 1930’s, he returned to the U.S. in 1940 by painting a mural for the Golden Gate International Exposition held in San Francisco. Rivera lived out the rest of his life painting historic murals in Mexico City until his heart stopped due to cancer on November 24, 1957. Diego Rivera is remembered as an important figure in 20th century art and his childhood home is now a museum in Mexico.
to create a series of murals on the walls of public buildings that showcased the people of the country and their history. In 1922 he completed the first murals at the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria in Mexico City. Some time after he married fellow artist Frida Kahlo, with whom he shared the same interests in radical politics and Marxism. Rivera painted his several murals in the United States that led to controversy. His most famous controversial painting was the one he did for the Rockefeller family in the RCA building in New York City. The Rockefellers disliked an item in the painting and asked Rivera to remove it, but when he refused Nelson Rockefeller ordered the mural to be demolished. After a slow period in the late 1930’s, he returned to the U.S. in 1940 by painting a mural for the Golden Gate International Exposition held in San Francisco. Rivera lived out the rest of his life painting historic murals in Mexico City until his heart stopped due to cancer on November 24, 1957. Diego Rivera is remembered as an important figure in 20th century art and his childhood home is now a museum in Mexico.