Diego Rivera

Diego Rivera was born on December 8, 1886, along with his twin, José Carlos who died at one and a half. He was christened Diego María de la Concepcíon Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodrígez. María del Pilar Rivera was born in 1891. He and his parents, María de Pilar Barrientos Rivera and Diego Rivera, lived in Guanajuanto, Mexico; his father moved the family to Mexico City in 1892. By the time Diego was three he was already making sketches of the world around him. "One of my earliest memories of my youth is that I was always drawing." said Rivera of his childhood.

Five years after the Riveras moved to Mexico City, Diego attended the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts. Diego attended night classes for a couple of years; when he won a scholarship he was finally able to enroll in regular day classes. While at the academy, it was María Velasco that greatly influenced Rivera. Although Diego learned his understanding of structure and composition, a major influence on his work and life was the printmaker José Guadalupe Posada.

In 1902, Rivera led his classmates in the president of the reelection of President Porfirio Diaz and were temporarily expelled. He decided to begin his independent career. During this period it seemed as if he was trying to express his own free style. He experimented, painting many landscapes.

Diego left his beloved Mexico to travel to Spain (1907- 1908), then to France where he spent almost ten years. Lastly, he went to Italy. All the while in Europe, he studied artists such as El Greco and Cézanne. His work was greatly influenced by his European studies. At one point he was even part of the Cubist's circle.

In 1921 he retuned to Mexico and began his mural work. His first murals weren't a big success because he hadn't yet found his own style which included the culture of his native land. His favorite subject to paint was the Indians. He captured moments in Mexican history such as the Earth, the farmer, the laborer, costumes and popular characters. His work was simple and colorful. He claimed that he was interested more in content than form, but his technique was without compare. He used almost perfect symmetry. Many critics believe his best work was done on the walls of the Agricultural School at Chapingo.

From 1930 -1934 he traveled to the U.S. He painted six murals, some in San Francisco, Detroit and New York. Although he received acclaim from many, his work was not always welcomed. His work at Rockefeller Center no longer exists; it was torn down because Diego's communist beliefs were displayed.

Facts:

1. He was born on December 13, 1886, in Guanajuanto.

2. He died on November 24, 1957, in Mexico City.

3. Marriage 1. Angelina Beloff, 1914, with one son.

4. Marriage 2. Guadalupe Marin, in 1932, with two daughters.

5. Marriage 3. Frida Kahlo, in 1929, divorced in 1939 and remarried in 1940.

This is a self-portrait of Frida Kahlo.