Diego Rivera is a twentieth century artist who continues to have a strong influenced in the world of art world. His painting The Flower Carrier elucidates the time period through the use of symbols and deeper interpretation. The Flower Carrier can be analyzed to extract meaning not only from the past, but todays as well.
The painting is crafted masterfully using an uncommon technique for its time. The Flower Carrier displays a dark skinned man on his knees carrying a large basket filled with flowers. The man is dressed in white with a yellow hat and yellow sling while wearing sandals. The basket, containing gorgeous pink flowers, is exceedingly larger than the man who is struggling to get up. Behind the man is a woman, who can be perceived as his wife, who is helping him lift the basket. She is just as dark skinned and wears a shawl skirt and shirt underneath, with her hair tied up. The background composes of bright green leaves and a sandy brown ground. “The vibrant colors are rubbed into the masonite, a most common method for painting on hard surfaces.” (aaronartprints). Rivera used bright and vivid colors to emphasize the paintings beauty
…show more content…
as well as to break away from the dull more pastel customary patter seen in much of the times art. The colors catch the observers attention and help beautify the painting. Thoughtful and prolonged observation brings about new meaning to The Flower Carrier. “...the flowers in the basket are strikingly beautiful to the viewer, the man does not see their beauty...” (aaronartprints). Many laboring men work to survive and not to see the beauty of their work. The man in the painting is unable to see the flowers, which symbolize the work that he is doing or its beauty, yet carries on in order to make ends meet. The viewer and others can easily see the beauty of his work, however to them, his work may not be perceived as difficult or laborious as portrayed in the painting. Flowers are generally not seen as heavy and the man’s work may not seem taxing to many spectators.”The man is carrying the heavy load, but he appears to be a smaller person than the woman putting the load on his back.” (garden of praise). Gender roles have developed the point of view that males are the dominant sex, however here we see that the man is the one on the floor struggling with the load as the woman is assisting him. Men typically are not perceived as weak or requiring assistance while in the painting Rivera obviously disagrees with the cultural norm. It also shows how everyone, including men, need help. Support from ones partner is crucial in a relationship and here the woman is helping the man, who can be assumed a couple. The size of the woman compared to the man can also symbolize the contribution factor that each play within a given relationship. Women are usually seen as not contributing significant or large amounts however the amount they do at home along with working often exceeds that of what men accomplish. Both the male and female persons are fairly dark skinned implying they are in the sun often or of a minority, immigrant decent in the labor force. The Flower Carrier illustrates the hardships minorites as well as those in the labor force face. Diego Rivera is an artist who used his brush to fight for the people.
Rivera was born 1886 in Guanajuato, Mexico along with his twin brother who died as an infant. Becoming an artist Rivera brought back Frescoes, mural paintings done on fresh plaster, and used them to approach the principle themes of history during his time. Identifying himself as a marxist Rivera continued to use his paintings to convey everyday messages he considered the most urgent and relevant. One of his most distinguished talents was his ability to insert a “complex historical subject” into his works (pbs). He played a crucial role in the development of national art in Mexico and shaped the conception of public art everywhere his work was exposed. Rivera Original painting style and added perspectives preserver as strong influences on American
painting. Relative to time periods The Flower Carrier can carry deeper and varying meaning. The 1930’s was a time of depression in both America and Mexico. “Rivera saw the workers’ struggle as a symbol of the fragile political ground on which that capitalism trod.” (pbs). Many Mexicans were in search for an escape to the political turmoil in their homeland and although America was in a depression the opportunity was greater. The painting exposes many of the hardships that Rivera’s people had to go through to make a living, work as hard and unfulfilling as carrying and selling flowers. The colossal basket strapped to the man’s back can be a representation of the handicap untrained workers face in the modern capitalist world. Many immigrants to the United States during the 1930’s were forced into low paying laborious jobs due to being unskilled. Rivera made an effort to concern himself with the advancement of technology and physical human development as too reduce the amount of people having to struggle in the ever progressing society. The flowers may also symbolize a luxury that the carrier never sees or indulges in because to him they are only a means to get by. For those striving to get by it was necessary for everyone in the family to cooperate in providing for the family, the woman backing the man displays this in the portrait. Today the endeavor many families have to make,as unskilled workers, can be depicted through The Flower Carrier. Diego Rivera’s The Flower Carrier contains historical, artistic and everyday meaning. Artists such as Rivera leave behind influential pieces of work to be admired and interpreted eternally. Simply as a piece of art The Flower Carrier presents beauty while as an interpretive work it gives a story and historical background to its time.
Contextual Theory: This painting depicts a portrait of life during the late 1800’s. The women’s clothing and hair style represent that era. Gorgeous landscape and a leisurely moment are captured by the artist in this work of
This painting consists of regular lines as well as implied lines. Some of the regular lines that have been included are flowing, curved lines, such as the Earth that the woman is sitting on top of. Additionally, the background is made of small scenes that have been outlined by a dotted line, which places emphasis on the scenes. Besides regular and visible lines, there are a few implied lines in this painting. For instance, the woman's eyes are looking forward, so there is an implied line to the audience. Additionally, another implied line would be the woman's right arm, which is pointed towards her headpiece, while her left arm is pointed towards the earth. Nonetheless, this painting is not intense; although it does have splashes of color, this painting does not have a bright saturation. Instead, this painting is slightly dull, which makes this painting appear vintage. Additionally, since this background is a dark color, it makes the rest of painting, especially the headpiece, stand out. Besides colors and lines, even though this is a painting and there is no physical texture, there is invented texture. Upon viewing this painting, underneath the earth where the woman is sitting on, there are roots as well as grass, which give texture and feeling to the painting. In the end, this painting consists of several elements of composition, which Heffernan has done a wonderful job
The painting is organized simply. The background of the painting is painted in an Impressionist style. The blurring of edges, however, starkly contrasts with the sharp and hard contours of the figure in the foreground. The female figure is very sharp and clear compared to the background. The background paint is thick compared to the thin lines used to paint the figures in the foreground. The thick paint adds to the reduction of detail for the background. The colors used to paint the foreground figures are vibrant, as opposed to the whitened colors of the Impressionist background. The painting is mostly comprised of cool colors but there is a range of dark and light colors. The light colors are predominantly in the background and the darker colors are in the foreground. The vivid color of the robe contrasts with the muted colors of the background, resulting in an emphasis of the robe color. This emphasis leads the viewer's gaze to the focal part of the painting: the figures in the foreground. The female and baby in the foreground take up most of the canvas. The background was not painted as the artist saw it, but rather the impression t...
Such controversy that followed him is one of the aspects of his art that made him stand out as a muralist during his lifetime (1). As with most artist his paintings became famous after his death (2) in 1957 due to heart failure in Mexico City, Mexico (1). His radical approach to art and his unique style have created a lasting impression on art and continue to do so (2). Widely regarded as the most influential Mexican artist of the twentieth century (3), Diego Rivera created a legacy in paint that continue to inspire the imagination and mind (2).
Helm, MacKinley. Mexican Painters: Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros and Other Artists of the Social Realist School. New York: Dover Publications, 1989. Print.
Celebrating the Mexican people’s potential to craft the nation’s history was a key theme in Mexican muralism. At the end of the Revolution the government enlisted artists to create art that could educate everyone. Even the most illiterate and uneducated people; they wanted them to know about Mexican history. This movement was led by Los Tres Grandes which included Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, and Jose Clemente Orozco.
Her use of primary colors and complementary colors are illustrated in the background, at the top of the fabric and in the outer view of the house and in the front yard. There is shading being shown in the two geometric windows. The entire work presents lines and implied lines as a focal point or as a means to describe a scenery. The texture of the garment is silky and very smooth like bed sheets. Post and lintel are crafted on the rectangular door frame and in the small window inside the door frame. Fine art is depicting in the background of the house; the painting is going in its own direction but still have a meaning behind it. The grass, tulips, and the weeds in the foreground appear naturalistic and lifelike which give the painting a multiple use of variety. The composition of the house is centered and upright. Marisela Esteves uses asymmetrical balance in the pathway and on the walkway to the flower garden. On the left side of the house there is a lot of variety elements and implied lines been demonstrating. Also, there is a lot of space in the background which grabs my attention because the line portrays a billboard in my mind that is covered by the vibrant, bright colors. The material that Marisela Esteves use was probably a knife or paint brush to mix, dye, and print on the fabric
Pablo Picasso is well renowned as an artist who adapted his style based on the changing currents of the artistic world. He worked in a variety of styles in an effort to continually experiment with the effects and methods of painting. This experimentation led him to the realm of cubism where Picasso worked on creating forms out of various shapes. We are introduced to Picasso’s nonrepresentational art through the advent of the cubist style of painting. During his time working on this style, Picasso developed the painting Woman in the Studio. A painting created late in Picasso’s artistic career, this painting displays many of the characteristics common in cubism. The painting’s title serves as a description of the painting and explains the scenario depicted by Pablo Picasso. In analyzing this work, it is important to observe the subject matter, understand the formal elements of the painting, and attempt to evoke and comprehend the emotions represented in the painting. Woman in the Studio is a painting of cubist origin that combines the standard elements of cubism in order to produce a monochromatic depiction of a woman associated with Picasso.
Diego Rivera was deemed the finest Mexican painter of the twentieth century; he had a huge influence in art worldwide. Rivera wanted to form his own painting fashion. Although he encountered the works of great masters like Gauguin, Renoir, and Matisse, he was still in search of a new form of painting to call his own (Tibol, 1983). His desire was to be capable of reaching a wide audience and express the difficulties of his generation at the same time, and that is exactly what h...
“ When art is true, it is one with nature. This is the secret of primitive art and also of the art of the masters—Michelangelo, Cézanne, Seurat, and Renoir. The secret of my best work is that it is Mexican." A leader and one of the founding members of the Mexican Muralist movement, Diego Rivera, was said to be the greatest Mexican painter during the 1920s. Rivera used his talents as a painter to tell the history and daily life of the Mexican people from its Mayan beginnings up to the Mexican Revolution.
Art movement’s characteristics vary from nation to nation, but painting can be used as a critique of the socio-political reality in a given nation. It is a creative way to communicate with a population about economic, education and social issues. Therefore, The History of Cuernavaca and Morelos: Crossing the Barranca (ravine) Detail (1929-30) Fresco by Diego Rivera is a good example of how an artist uses his creativity to connect with people in relation to Mexican history. Art is an inspired way to share the complexity and challenge of a community. It can be used a way to respond to them likewise. Therefore, the concept of accessibility takes ingenuity. With his deepen knowledge of European and ancient Mexican art, it was not a documentation
The Flowers By Alice Walker Written in the 1970's The Flowers is set in the deep south of America and is about Myop, a small 10-year old African American girl who explores the grounds in which she lives. Walker explores how Myop reacts in different situations. She writes from a third person perspective of Myop's exploration. In the first two paragraph Walker clearly emphasises Myop's purity and young innocence.
Alice Walker's The Flowers 'The Flowers' is a short story written by Alice Walker. Walker is a black American writer, who is renown around the world, especially because of the ?book, turned movie? The Colour purple. Walker is extremely interested in the history of human rights, particularly the history of black women in the United States. Her writings often reflect this interest and they usually have dual meanings.
The skies and the house are in shades of gray while the grass is a drying brown color and the dress is in a very light shade of fading pink. From initial looks, this painting looks rather depressing and lacks “life” in nature. The main focus of life is Christina, who is physically disabled and on the ground helplessly. Wyeth’s use of an uneven sky shows the field is uneven, possibly a hill and Christina is on the floor crawling to house that is on the top of the hill. Christina’s hands are painted in a climbing or crawling position while her legs are laying on the side, showing the inability to move her legs and the need of her hands to help her reach the house on the top of the hill.
Figure one that appears on the illustrations page following the bibliography is a floral still life done by Rachel Ruysch entitled “Basket of Flowers” and completed in 1711. A perusal of the painting finds all of the elements of design and technique mentioned in a previous section of this essay on full display. The composition of the painting has several large flowers on display, surrounded by a variety of secondary types of spindly vines and leaves, all wispily supporting the main focal point of the picture12. Her use of color is subtle and real as well, and the detail adds an authenticity that makes the viewer want to lean in and inhale the lovely perfume of the blossoms. The use of light and shadow are easily recognized, and are a repeated theme in the floral still lifes of the time. Ruysch gives a sense of a darkened background while draws the eye to the lightened flowers that are front and center in the painting. Indeed, here is a perfect example of the use of the aforementioned techniques in a floral still