I have had the greatest attraction towards art that has been created for social advocacy and change. I am awe-struck when reading about historic art movements that helped to define and move society towards change. The movement that continues to hold my interests in this way is the Mexican muralist movement. The Mexican muralist movement was the artistic reaction to post-revolutionary Mexico. National rejection of the dictator Porfirio Diaz in 1910 sparked an intense social and cultural upheaval lasting until the 1920s. Ignited by a kaleidoscope of ideologies, the Mexican Revolution involved those associated with labor, agriculture, and revolution insisting Mexico fight for social justice and collective labor rights. The stability, yet continued struggles after the Revolution carried Mexico to a new era of social change. The popularity of the Mexican muralist rose whilst the people of Mexico strove for social change.
The three major figures of Mexican muralism were Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Jose Clemente Orozco. They used art as a tool to maintain a national identity for the people of Mexico. Aesthetically pleasing, marvelously proud, Siqueiros declared, “the art of the Mexican people is the most wholesome spiritual expression in the world, and this tradition is Mexico’s greatest treasure.” These three young artists were referred to as ‘Los Tres Grandes,’ the three great ones. Committed to forming an art of national identity, the muralist remained unapologetically loyal to the history, culture and psyche of the Mexican people. This is the genius of the Mexican Muralist movement I applaud, for it was genuinely born from the social consciousness.
The artists of this movement worked from a deep social awareness stemming from Mexico’s cultural and historical situation. Based on an upbringing during a dictatorship, to the rise of the Mexican Revolution, the muralists of the early 20th century hold a distinctive position in the art world. It is referred to as the “mural renaissance” in the visual arts for it characterizes Mexico’s history, ideology and nationalism. The muralists took art out of the museums and used public buildings as canvases in order to ensure the peoples exposure to, and stimulation by, these large-scale works. With the support and funding of Jose Vasconcelos, the president of the University and Minister of Education at the time, the artist worked liberally, free of any artistic rules or constraints. The murals educated as well as inspired anyone who looked at them; from workers and farmers, to the educated and uneducated as well as government officials and political rebels.
