Mexican Art and Artists

Between the Spanish conquest and the early Twentieth century, Mexican fine arts were largely in imitation of European traditions. After the Mexican Revolution, a new generation of Mexican artists led a vibrant national movement that incorporated political, historic, and folk themes in their work. The painters Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, Federico Cantú and David Alfaro Siqueiros became world famous for their grand murals, often displaying clear social messages. Rufino Tamayo and Frida Kahlo produced more personal works with abstract elements.

Culture of Mexico. (2009, August 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:55, August 3, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Culture_of_Mexico&oldid=305765060

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Diego Rivera (1886-1957): A well-known Mexican painter and muralist. Important murals of his are found in the Palacio de Cortés in Cuernavaca, Morelos, and in the National School of Agriculture in Chapingo, D.F.

The Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum is found in Mexico City at Calle Museo 150, Col. San Pablo Tepetlapa, Coyoacán, Mexico D.F. (between División del Norte and Pacífico). Website: www.anahuacallimuseo.org

Tel/Fax: +52 (55) 5617 43 10 and(55) 5617 3797

All visits to the museum must be with a guide and there is a specific guide schedule (approximately every half hour) between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. (4:15 on Fridays), Tuesday through Sunday, and excepting official holidays. Groups accommodated by advance reservation only.

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Kahlo, Frida: Las Dos Fridas

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954): A popular painter born in Coyoacan, D.F., of whose works many are self-portraits. She is quoted as saying, “I paint self portraits because I am the person I know best.” She married Diego Rivera in 1929 when she was 22 and he 43.

In the Coyoacan area of Mexico City, the Frida Kahlo Museum, also known as La Casa Azul, is located at Calle Londres No. 247 (at Allende ) opens from Tuesday through Sunday, 10am – 6pm, and exhibits personal collections and the effects of the artist and her husband.

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Rufino Tamayo (1899 – 1991): Oaxaca-born painter and muralist, heavily influenced by Cubism and Impressionism. Tamayo integrated molded textures and lithography into artwork to form paintings with a rich, three-dimensional quality.

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Jose Clemente Orozco (1883 – 1949): Mexican realist, lithographer and social painter whose works include many of the bold murals found in prominent buildings in Mexico. He, along with Diego Rivera, spearheaded the Mexican Mural Renaissance. Works include “The Elements” at the National Preparatory School, and “Omniscience” in the House of Tiles, both in Mexico City, and frescos painted for the Hospicio Cabañas in Guadalajara.

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David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896 – 1974): Muralist whose most notable works include “From Porfiriato to the Revolution” (Museum of National History) and the murals at the Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros in Mexico City. Siqueiros is one of the prominent muralists of the Mexican Mural Renaissance.

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Miguel Covarrubias (1904 – 1957): A characturist, Mexican historian and ethnographer whose incisive drawings have been published in magazines such as The New Yorker and Vanity Fair.

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Juan O’Gorman (1905-1982): Architect and muralist, many of O’Gorman’s paintings are depictions of Mexican history and natural landscapes.  One of his notable works is his massive mural on walls of the Central University library  — a building of his own design — at the UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico).

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Jesús Guerrero Galván (1910 – 1973): Muralist and figurative painter who is considered one of the foremost of Mexico’s portraitists.  He was a founding member, along with Raul Anguiano, Carlos Orozco Romero and Juan O’Gorman, of the Unión de Pintores y Grabadores de México

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Related articles by Zemanta

• Frida Kahlo Takes Berlin: A Huge Retrospective in Germany (time.com)
• They Mingled in the Metropolis (online.wsj.com)
• Frida Kahlo painting unseen for 72 years to be sold at auction (telegraph.co.uk)
• Marika Rivera obituary (guardian.co.uk)

Originally posted 2009-07-31 17:20:15.