Mexican artist Diego Rivera, whose biography is full of controversial events and facts, is one of Mexico's most scandalous and prominent cultural figures. His work, political views and personal life were the focus of attention throughout the first half of the twentieth century and are still being discussed.
Childhood and youth of the artist
This artist is a muralist, revolutionary and destroyer of female hearts, was born on December 8, 1886 in the Mexican town of Guanajuato. He was to become the founder of the Mexican school of national painting and lead critics into a frenzy with a mixture of styles. The boy was not distinguished by excellent health, rumors circulated that he had barely survived in childhood. Diego Rivera was a fan of telling tales, but it is known for certain that in 1893 his family moved to the capital of the country - Mexico City. After 5 years, having successfully graduated from school, the young artist entered the San Carlos Academy of Arts. This institution gave the young man such an excellent education that at its completion he was able to receive a scholarship. Taking the opportunity, he went on a trip to Spain. Then he visited England, Belgium, Holland and Italy.
The personal life of the "cannibal"
For his passionate love for women and countless connections, Diego Rivera was nicknamed the "cannibal." He himself loved to portray himself as a fat frog, squeezing someone's heart in his paw. Natural fullness and heavy eyelids made the resemblance even outwardly noticeable. Describing the personal life of a rebel artist, they usually talk about his marriage to Frida Carlo. But she was not the first, and even more so the only woman in the life of the creator. In his first marriage, young Diego Rivera entered into a passionate love for the Russian artist Angelina Belova in 1911. They had a son. But obsessed with endless passions and betrayals, the husband left Angelina, leaving for Mexico. The second short marriage ended in a relationship with Lupe Marin. The union was fruitful and gave the world two daughters.
Wife and girlfriend
By 1929, when the second marriage had already broken up, he met the main woman of his life - Frida Carlo. Diego Rivera married a girl much younger than him. In 1939 there was a divorce, but already in 1940 they were again married. Throughout his life, Rivera remained macho and a passionate lover of women. He cheated on wives with lovers who gave birth to illegitimate children.
The relationship of Diego and Frida was full of passion, love, jealousy and sometimes assault. Frida was very patient with her husband's antics, idolized her idol, painted a lot of his portraits. But when he cheated on Frida with her sister, she could no longer forgive, and by 1939 the relationship broke up. Very soon, the husband, who insultingly demanded a divorce, begged his wife to return to him on any terms. He provided her with financial support and ceded to her main demand. The condition for re-marriage was the signing of a marriage contract, providing for a complete rejection of intimate relations between spouses. In his personal life, the triangle of Diego Rivera, wife and lovers remained.
This couple did not have children, 2 Frida's pregnancies ended in miscarriages. In 1954, Rivera became a widower, later there were suggestions that he had helped his wife to die, but this was nothing more than rumors. Until the last days, the spouses were united by communist ideas and communication with prominent Russian political figures.
Political Artist
Since the beginning of the 30s, Diego Rivera has become the undisputed leader among Mexican muralists. He is undoubtedly one of the most famous and controversial artists whose political sympathies for communism, irresistible monumental murals, violent creative activity and social life created the appearance of a genius. The founding father of a new trend in the art of the twentieth century increasingly attracted the attention of the world community.
The monumental debut in America will take place in 1930 in the city of San Francisco, and in December 1931, with his tremendous excitement, his personal exhibition will be held. In the entire history of the museum, this was the second exhibition of the same author. The first such honor was awarded to Henri Matisse. After the exhibition, the artist goes to Detroit, where he was personally invited by Edsel Ford. Here, in the very center of American industrial thought, the artist Diego Rivera receives an order for a fresco for the Institute of Arts on the theme of the Detroit Industry. Henry Ford had a reputation as an adamant anti-communist. Between 1929 and 1930, several thousand strikers remained unemployed at Ford factories. It is curious that, despite this, Diego Rivera, who positioned himself as a fighter for the rights of the proletariat, accepts the order and payment from the industrial magnate.
Part of the fresco with the plot composition “Vaccination” seemed a reference to the iconography of the Nativity of Christ, which provoked a storm of indignation and protest in the press and church circles against murals. Loud resonance in society became an integral part of the fresco, and then brought Detroit great fame.
Man at the crossroads
The political views of the artist were reflected in his work and sometimes caused violent conflicts with customers. The fresco "A man at a crossroads, looking with hope for a choice of a new and better future" became the occasion for one of such cases. Work on it began in March 1933. The debate took place already at the stage of choosing the palette, and as a result, the mural became colored at the insistence of the author. It consisted of three parts. In the center is a man - the master of the elements. As the work progressed, the mural became more and more complex and, as a result, it represented two worlds opposed to each other. On the one hand, the charms of socialism, and on the other, the horrors of capitalism. Among the characters, even someone very similar to Lenin appears. The mural was to be presented to the public at the opening of the Rockefeller Center on May 1, 1933. But the growing scandal did not allow this to happen, and despite the fact that the Rockefeller family was considering the option of preserving the mural outside the building, a decision was made to destroy it. It was Rivera's biggest defeat in creativity and politics.
Impact on world art
“Diego is worrying me. He gave up fame, preferring to do what he is doing now, ”said Alfonso Reyes about his close friend. The transition to cubism is significant for Diego Rivera. The paintings “Adoration of the Mother of God” and “Girl with Fruits” reflect the author’s movement in this direction. A feature of recent works has become a deformed understanding of space, although far from cubism. In all his works, the artist emphasized the movement and richness of the landscape.
Significant influence on the formation of Diego Rivera had a classic European style in painting. It was the murals of the period XIV - XVI centuries that gave a lot of food for thought and contributed to the success of Diego's frescoes. Beginning in the 1940s, he achieved considerable success in fresco painting, thanks to which he was invited to work at the World Exhibition in San Francisco, and later was attracted by the government to paint the National Palace in Mexico City.
Completion of the path
Diego Rivera passed away on November 24, 1957 in Mexico City and was buried in the Rotunda of renowned creators. He was controversial in everything. He readily fulfilled the orders of the capitalists, glorifying socialism, adhering to communist views. He loved women, but destroyed their fates and lives with the same passion with which he painted their portraits. Diego Rivera, whose style was neither before nor after, was able to be repeated by any of the painters, left behind so many secrets and mysteries that several centuries will not be enough to solve them.
Passing away at the age of 70, he survived a little his beloved wife - Frida and left an invaluable legacy in the culture, history, politics and hearts of those who loved him.