Synopses & Reviews
Mural Painting and Social Revolution in Mexico, 1920-1940 is the first full-length account of this major movement in the history of Modernism. Following the Revolution of 1910, Mexican society underwent a profound transformation in every sector of political and cultural life. Mexican artists participated in this social revolution during a vital two-decade period through public art programmes funded by the government and other institutions. Applying a social-historical methodology, Leonard Folgarait examines this phenomenon and focuses on the mural paintings of Diego Rivera, Jose Orozco, and David Siqueiros produced during this period. He provides an indepth analysis of the form and meaning of these mural cycles, while documenting the system of patronage, the critical connections between state policy and aesthetics, and the visual strategies devised by patrons and artists in order to maximise the impact of these propagandistic images.
Review
"...this study represents a well-executed, substantial addition to the canon, useful to both generalists and specialists of Mexican art and culture." Choice"Folgarait's interpretations are ingenious, innovative, and virtually unprecedented readings in the critical literature, and Mexican mural studies will benefit immensely from them. With diagrams and many new reproductions, the book therefore is as useful to the new student as it is for the veteran of the social history of Mexican art." Anthony W. Lee, CAA Art Journal"Folgarait's Mural painting and Social revolution in Mexico is a highly significant study. Folgarait does a first-rate job of analyzing the pedagogical project of the education ministry...." Latin American Research Review
Synopsis
A study of paintings in a revolutionary period of Mexico's history (1920-1940).
Synopsis
Mural Painting and Social Revolution in Mexico, 1920-1940 is the first full-length account of this major movement in the history of Modernism. Leonard Folgarait considers the mural paintings of Diego Rivera, JoséOrozco, and David Siqueiros in relation to the political and cultural revolutions of this period.
Table of Contents
Introduction; 1. The system; 2. What is a mural?; 3. The first murals; 4. Revolution as ritual: Diego Rivera's national palace stairway mural; 5. A mural for the Electrician's Union; Conclusion.