David Alfaro Siqueiros: Social Realist Painter
To briefly summarize the revolutionary life of David Alfaro Siquieros, it is important to recognize his intent and motivations. In this Youtube video pictured aside, Siqueiros highlights his reasoning for creating his vast murals. The video quotes, “Quiero que el tema no sea solamente la marcha de la humanidad en México, si no la marcha de la humanidad en toda América Latina en particular / I want the topic not only to be the march of humanity in Mexico, but the march of humanity in all of Latin America in particular” (David Alfaro Siqueiros).
In order to promote Olvera Street in Los Angeles, CA in the 1930s, David Alfaro Siqueiros was invited to paint a mural with the intention to be the embodiment of an idealized painting, however he did the opposite. Siqueiros instead, painting a radical mural. At the America Tropical Interpretive Center in Los Angeles, CA, there is a direct quotation from Siqueiros himself, “I believe. I have done something interesting here. I have initiated a movement of outdoor murals that I judge to be very serious - murals under the sun, under the rain, facing the street. If one muses over this, one recognizes…. the basis of art of the future that [will] be public to its fullest extent” - David Alfaro Siqueiros (1932), writing after his deportation from the United States.
Brief background on the artist and any controversies surrounding his identity/history.
Discuss his murals and their significance.
Dive into America Tropical.
The mural reflects the oppression and exploitation of Latine people by the United States, and the controversy surrounding it reflects the ongoing struggles of marginalized communities for visibility and recognition.
What efforts had been made to preserve and restore the mural, which has suffered damage over the years due to neglect and censorship?
The Getty Conservation Institute completed a three-decade-long project to conserve the mural—carefully removing the paint that was used to cover it, working to save what was left, and making it accessible to visitors once again.
How do power structures seek to silence and erase the experiences of oppressed communities?
As mentioned previously, Siqueros truly believed art had the power to change the world and change the perception of everything we know.
“The fact that the sun (according to the Aztecs: Huitzilopochtli, the god of war) cracked the white paint and made "América Tropical" visible again, symbolizes our resiliency in the face of discrimination and structural violence” (Prof. AR)
Siqueiros was commissioned to paint a romanticized version of Mexico… ironic enough business owners from the area at that time probably described it as scandalous, heinous, or atrocious.
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- Mexico (Ciudad de México, D.F.) - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), David Alfaro Siqueiros, Mexican History or the Right for Culture (1952-1956), photographed between 1960-1964
- Mexico (Ciudad de México, D.F.) - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), "The People for the University. The University for the People." By David Alfaro Siqueiros, relief mosaic, between 1960-1964
- America Tropical (Now)
- F. K. Ferenz, with artists Dean Cornwell and David Alfaro Siqueiros at Olvera Street, Los Angeles, 1932
- David Alfaro Siqueiros, arte y revolución
- America Tropical: Oppressed and Destroyed by Imperialisms