Diego Rivera: “I paint what I see”
During the Mexican Muralism movement, murals received strong recognition as a powerful communication tool which was meant to promote opinions of people and to convey social as well as political messages promoting unity (Rochfort, 1987). Diego Rivera, a prominent Mexican painter and revolutionary socialist, helped establish this movement and made several inspiring murals that were often the subject of controversy although they always promoted solidarity, freedom, and hope. For this particular unit, I will focus on one specific mural that caused quite a stir during the 1930s.
In 1932, Diego Rivera was approached by John R. Todd, the official architect of Rockefeller Center, to undertake a mural commission for the building. Knowing Diego’s communist politics very well, the Rockefeller family still did not demur from hiring him as the muralist. However, they had a definite theme in mind for the mural that wasn’t incendiary. The original title was “Man if the Crossroads Looking with Hope and High Vision to the Choosing of a New and Better future” (Rochfort, 1987). In short, this mural was to salvage some political integrity and have aesthetic and social as well as historical value. A sketch of the mural was viewed and approved by the Rockefeller family, and Diego began to paint it in March of 1933. It appeared that all was well until one of the previously unidentified figures in his murals started to look distinctively like the Russian leader Lenin. The sketch originally showed a worker wearing a cap, whose features seemed to represent no one in particular. John D. Rockefeller found this likeness extremely alarming and demanded that Diego remove Lenin’s portrait. Diego refused to do so and replied “rather than mutilate the conception I should prefer the physical destruction of the composition in its entirety, but preserving, at least, its integrity.” (Rochfort, 1987) In response, Rockefeller immediately terminated the work on the mural and had it destroyed. Still, Diego was paid the full commission for his work and he vowed to utilize the money to paint the mural again.
Rivera, Diego (1933) Man at the Crossroads Fresco, 160 x 43 cm, Rockefeller Plaza, NYC
From a visual arts standpoint, a viewer can see that Diego’s composition represented many images of contemporary social and scientific culture, while also reflecting influences of communism. A working class man is painted in the center of the mural who is depicted as the controller of machinery. Right in front of him emerges a giant fist holding an orb which appears to hold atoms and cells that represent the acts of the chemical and biological generation. From this central figure, a viewer can also see four propeller-like shapes stretching to the corners of the composition. These depict arcs of light created by enormous lenses anchoring the left and right edges of its space. Inside of these extended ellipses are painted cosmological and biological forces such as the sun and additional cell-forms. These can be assumed to be discoveries made by the telescope and microscope. In addition, a viewer can see scenes of modern social life. There are women playing cards while smoking on one side while on the other side Lenin can be seen holding the hands of a group of multi-racial workers. There are also images of soldiers and war machinery above the women as well as a Russian May Day flag alongside Lenin. For Diego Rivera, this represented the conflict within the social vision: the dishonest wealthy men are watched by the unemployed while war is occurring and a socialist utopia is escorted in by Lenin. From this message, a viewer can possibly come to understand why Rockefeller found the mural controversial. Moreover, an angry Jupiter statue is depicted raising his hand holding a thunderbolt that had been severed by a lightening strike. On the opposite side of the mural sits a headless Cesar statue. For Rivera, these figures represent the replacement of misconceptions in achieving the scientific mastery of nature as well as the overthrow of authoritarian rule by liberated workers during that time.
It is quite evident that Diego Rivera had a considerable number of ideas to express in his mural and he truly wanted to make a powerful statement that would have been shared for years to come if it had not been destroyed. There are several focal points in this mural, and I do not expect 8th grade students to understand the message in its entirety. I will briefly explain the historical context behind the mural, but our main discussion will revolve around Diego’s mural composition. For example, we will examine his color use, the objects and their positions, its size, light/shade, and so on in order to make our own interpretations and conclusions.
E. B. White, an American writer, was inspired by the fracas between Nelson Rockefeller and Diego Rivera, and wrote a light verse poem titled “I Paint What I See: A Ballad of Artistic Integrity.” It is not an ekphrastic poem per se, but it would applicable to use because of its relevance to the mural. I interpret this as a lyrical poem since it appears to make a statement. The statement may not be true but White wrote it with the intention to make the reader believe that this scenario truly occurred. This poem seems to flow as if it were a conversation between Rockefeller and Diego in rhythmic form. Rockefeller is essentially asking Diego questions regarding his approach to painting the mural, similar to an interview. In response, Diego simply states “I paint what I see.” A reader can certainly find truth in this because most artists paint to express their thoughts and ideas. As the poem progresses, a tone of annoyance or frustration seems to arise in Rockefeller as his questions become more specific concerning the figures Diego is deciding to add to the mural. On the other hand, Diego’s tone seems to remain the same, self-assured and bold:
I paint what I paint, I paint what I see,
I paint what I think, said Rivera
And the thing that is dearest in life to me
In a bourgeois hall is Integrity
As a reader, one almost wants to side with Diego because he is holding on to his artistic integrity although it may not be what Rockfeller wants to hear. The poem concludes with Rockefeller complaining:
“And though your art I dislike to hamper,
“I owe a little to God and Gramper,
“And after all,
“It’s my wall . . .”
“We’ll see if it is,” said Rivera
Based on Diego’s final response, it can be implied that this does not end well. With my students, I would like to initiate a discussion about the poem and how it pertains to the mural itself. What does this say about Diego as an artist? How does this help us understand murals? How can this help us establish ideas for our own mural?
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