Diego Rivera: Social Realist or El Discutido?

Diego Rivera had a very interesting life, or at least that is what he led the world to believe. Rivera aimed to make a social impact through his art. He was able to achieve this through his love of controversy and his miles of murals. In fact, Rivera was so controversial that his nickname was el discutido. This leads into Rivera being a womanizer. This is ironic because Rivera was an unattractive man. Women might have been attracted to him because of his success. Rivera thoroughly enjoyed his public scandals with numerous women. With questionable political standing and a secure grasp of history, Rivera would distort his images in order to support his views. Biographers had a difficult time keeping record of Rivera’s life because he was a good story teller along with a compulsive liar. Rivera was thoroughly involved in international politics as well as Mexico’s. He maintained a friendship with Leon Trotsky and was an anti Stalinist. Rivera, like many artists, was deeply involved with his art. It was the most important part of his life. No woman or political stance would ever be able to fulfill him the way that painting could. Frida Kahlo, one of Rivera’s wives, knew this better than anyone. She knew that art was top priority in his life and always would be. Because Rivera was so devoted to painting he enthralled himself in various styles such as cubism, impressionism, and pointillism. Did Rivera’s questionable standing with women and political parties transfer into his paintings? In order to evaluate his impact as an artist his murals, their locations, symbolism and what was happening historically must be analyzed. By looking at a variety of Rivera’s portraits and murals alike the type of character he portrays and how it relates to his own can be examined.

1) Based on my presentation on Diego Rivera, how do you understand his personality and character?

2) What strengths and weaknesses did you find in my presentation?

3) After hearing my presentation what questions or comments do you have about Diego Rivera?

4) Looking at either the Portrait of Martin Luis Guzman, or Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park, or both, write a short story that portrays the life, or character, of a subject in the portrait.