Mexican Muralism is conceivably one of the most popular artistic style that has ever been recorded in the history of America. This movement was dominated by three famous painters David Alfaro Siqueiros, Jose Clemente Orozco, and Diego Rivera.[footnoteRef:1] In between the 1920s and 1970s, these painters are considered to have enhanced the creation of murals with political, social, and nationalistic messages in almost all public buildings.[footnoteRef:2] The mural works were typically epic in scope, political, and performed in public to increase awareness of Mexicans’ pride. Indeed, the popular Mexican muralists have greatly affected the abstract expressionism movement. [1: Flores, Lori A. “Seeing through Murals: The future of Latino San Francisco.” Boom: A Journal of California 6, no. 4 (2016): 16-27.] [2: Cross, Mary. 100 People who Changed 20th-century America. Vol. 1. ‎Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2013, 2013.]

The influence of Mexican Muralists on Abstract Expressionism

Reviving the Mural Arts

In the 20th century, Mexican Muralists revived the western fresco arts. As a result, their influence made painters promote political and social ideas.[footnoteRef:3] To illustrate this, muralism movement offered a non-representational perception after the 1st World War through figurative activities, which portrayed society as well as its instantaneous concerns. Although most Mexican Muralists did not participate in the global art scene, their inspiration was adopted in various parts of America.[footnoteRef:4] Evidently, numerous American artists have embraced Mexican muralism, hence, making the 1920s’ art recognized worldwide. [3: Daniel A. Siedell. “The Quest for the Historical Abstract Expressionism.” The Journal of Aesthetic Education 44, no. 1 (2010): 107-21. ] [4: Sheppard, Randal. “Mexico Goes to Disney World: Recognizing and Representing Mexico at EPCOT Center’s Mexico Pavilion.” Latin American Research Review 51, no. 3 (2016): 64-84.]

Introduction of Mural Arts in Academic Institutions

Mexican muralism played a vital role of making painting become embraced as a subject in the learning institutions. Muralists such as, Siqueiros, Orozco, and Rivera spent most of their time in the United States trying to demonstrate the importance of said arts. For instance, Orozco started to focus on mural painting at Pomona College in the late 1920s. As a way of honoring Orozco’s paintings, the Works Progress Administration had hired many artists to paint frescos. This recognition paved the way for other Mexican muralists to have a commission in America during the Great Depression period.[footnoteRef:5] In 1930 to 1934, Rivera was staying in America, where he demonstrated easel capabilities as the head of Museum of Modern Art. Essentially, the success of Rivera and Orozco has enabled American artists to further their education in Mexico as well as creating opportunities for other Mexican painters to secure job in this country. Although Siqueiros was exiled from America to Mexico in 1932, he had also done a recommendable task supporting the mural arts.[footnoteRef:6] During his period, he made three mural paintings, although they were later redone by other artists. However, American Tropical was one of his work which was revived by Getty Conservation Institute and it was used to educate upcoming portraitists in the America Tropical Interpretive Center. [5: Snodgrass, Michael David. “John Lear. Picturing the Proletariat: Artists and Labor in Revolutionary Mexico, 1908–1940.” (2017): 1659-1660. ] [6: Roberts, Hannah J., Anthony L. Zietman, and Jason A. Efstathiou. “Painting Dose: The ART of Radiation.” International Journal of Radiation Oncology• Biology• Physics 96, no. 4 (2016): 722-728.]

Application of Arts in Politics

Muralism as a movement, served in many ways as a vessel for politics. Evidently, muralism has played a vital role in encouraging the later Chicano art movement. Similarly, the Nicaraguan revolution is also confirmed to have had great impact on muralism.

In the 1920s, after the end of the revolution, Jose Vasconcelos was chosen as Minister of Education in Mexico where he employed young artists and also enticed popular artists from Europe such as David Siqueiros and Diego Rivera to support painting in the United States. During this time, the lenient policies were established to offer dissatisfied young artists the freedom of selecting subjects.[footnoteRef:7] As a result, the protest increased at the Academy since the artists were using the learning institutions as a forum for their innovatory political ideas on foreign policy, labor, cultural and agriculture. [7: Daniel A. Siedell. “The Quest for the Historical Abstract Expressionism.” The Journal of Aesthetic Education 44, no. 1 (2010): 107-21. ]

Similarly, muralism has conducted a vital role in facilitating the application of revolutionary artistic concepts. For instance, the Mexican Revolution was using art to free the nation from foreign political exploitation, though the authoritarian rulers were still continuing to retain the supremacy and the issues of non-existent and inadequate land reform did not end. Undeniably, both David Siqueiros and Diego Rivera were greatly involved in the Communist party both internationally and locally.[footnoteRef:8] Each of them was contributing to either Frente a Frente or La Marchete and they effectively applied their phenomenal skills to make cartoon-like descriptions and posters to persuade uneducated peasants to support the communism brotherhood. Since the Mexican Muralist association was assisted by the succeeding civil conflicts and Mexican Revolution, it was able to accomplish one of its major goal of promoting the art the artworks.[footnoteRef:9] As a matter of fact, the mural painting had acted as an ideal for motivating revolutionary eagerness of underprivileged people. [8: Roberts, Hannah J., Anthony L. Zietman, and Jason A. Efstathiou. “Painting Dose: The ART of Radiation.” International Journal of Radiation Oncology• Biology• Physics 96, no. 4 (2016): 722-728.] [9: Flores, Lori A. “Seeing through Murals: The future of Latino San Francisco.” Boom: A Journal of California 6, no. 4 (2016): 16-27. ]

The muralism movement has correspondingly helped in depleting the conservative trappings of the artistic production as well as diminishing the traditional fields of the art. During the end of Mexican Revolution, the muralists opted to paint directly onto barricades with materials that were inspired by native Mexican wall painters.[footnoteRef:10] Consequently, murals were made based on the architecture of the labeled space, thereby, rejecting the common rectangular canvas shape that was about to take over the Western art.[footnoteRef:11] In a like manner, the production of murals beneath the governmental commissions denoted that the art produced was not for sale, hence, leading to depletion of the conventionally leading art market. [10: Introvigne, Massimo. “Theosophical” Artistic Networks in the Americas, 1920–1950.” Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 19, no. 4 (2016): 33-56.] [11: Joan, Marter M. Abstract Expressionism: The International Context. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2017.]

Publication of Art Works

Mexican Muralists had made many private and public murals in the United States and Mexico, thus, leading to the publication of paintings. David Siqueiros and Diego Rivera held that art was the uppermost form of human expression since it enhances social revolt. Following the 1st Congress of Soviet Writers that took place in Moscow in 1938, Diego and David’s efforts to social realism were more confrontational and they focused on modern communal issues as he believed that art could not separated from politics.[footnoteRef:12] This reached to the extent of publishing awork named “El Machete” in the attempt of awakening the awareness of Civil Rights and history in Mexico. This article is confirmed to have triggered the public contribute to the publication of issues concerning arts.[footnoteRef:13] In particular, a famous trio, the “Trinity of Soldiers”, “Soldiers”, and “Farmers” were very influential publications. [12: Roberts, Hannah J., Anthony L. Zietman, and Jason A. Efstathiou. “Painting Dose: The ART of Radiation.” International Journal of Radiation Oncology• Biology• Physics 96, no. 4 (2016): 722-728.] [13: Daniel A. Siedell. “The Quest for the Historical Abstract Expressionism.” The Journal of Aesthetic Education 44, no. 1 (2010): 107-21.]

America’s Support of Artistic Talent

Furthermore, Muralism movement encouraged the United States to support talented individuals within the art sphere. At the beginning of the 1930s, the art cognizant Americans were only aware of the works of Jose Orozco, David Siqueiros, and Diego Rivera, the artwork giants who took the United States by storm. Irrespective of the fact that the communist philosophy of Diego and David was not aligning with capitalistic views about the United States, American private organizations and persons employed the impressive talents in the country. In this case, the Rivera murals were hired by the California School of Fine Arts, the Detroit Institute of Fine Arts, and San Francisco Stock Exchange, a privately owned institution. Although Detroit’s painting were clearly anti-capitalist, they supported the integration of employees doing artworks.[footnoteRef:14] In a similar way, David was invited to America and he planned a series of workshops in Los Angeles and New York. Besides, he trained ten local artists. In the early 1930s, David accomplished three outdoor arts in Los Angeles. Otherwise, his most controversial works were “Tropical America”, which composed of an Indian figure hanged on a twofold capped with eagles perching on coins of North America. Even though the painting was recognized in the art sector, the anti-imperialist theme made this fresco to be painted over.[footnoteRef:15] Before David and Diego visited to the United States, the contentious American drawings were of low quality compared to the controversial and grotesque forms and figures depicted on the Mexican commissions. [14: ] [15: ]

Application of Technology in Arts

To some extent, the Muralism movement enabled Americans to apply technological skills in arts. In February 1936, David and Diego went to New York as Mexican representatives during the American Artist’s Congress against Fascism and War. At this meeting, Siqueiros stated that there was need to incorporate scientific innovation in art. The aspect of advancing art using technology was greatly supported by the Artists’ Congress, and they declared Siqueiros the head of Laboratory for Experimental Tactics in Art at the Union Square. In this position, Siqueiros was obliged to teach the other artists about technology until he joined the Spanish Civil War that occurred in 1937. During the temporary anchorage under the shadow of Fascism, Siqueiros managed to accomplish a non-mural work, that is, Echo of a Scream and Collective Suicide, the tasks which indicated his sustained efforts toward the modern expertise in art.[footnoteRef:16] In particular, the Collective Suicide refers to an abstract work portraying a crowd of Aztec fighters committing suicide as a way of resisting the Spanish conquistadors demonstrated on horses led by a single white symbol of Hernan Cortes. However, the rough volcanic background of this painting was made through a “controlled accident innovation” that allows the highly plastic movable paints to puddle together, and then they are later manipulated with commercial airbrushes and chemical thinners. Siqueiros also introduced spray gun and stencil while he created Spanish and Aztec figures.[footnoteRef:17] As such, the Collective Suicide acted as an anti-imperialist image for calming the conflicts during the start of Second World War in Europe. Remarkably, the imminent Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock ‘s ‘dripping’ techiniques were promoted by Siqueiros. As a matter of fact, airbrushes and air guns were introduced by muralists, and they are currently still used on commercial paintings. In particular, these tools are typically applied for painting big surfaces with an even liquid coating. Similarly, some painters are presently using spray guns either in machine or hand-held or through using these devices interchangeably, hence, easing the process of making various spray patterns. [16: Roberts, Hannah J., Anthony L. Zietman, and Jason A. Efstathiou. “Painting Dose: The ART of Radiation.” International Journal of Radiation Oncology• Biology• Physics 96, no. 4 (2016): 722-728. ] [17: Sheppard, Randal. “Mexico Goes to Disney World: Recognizing and Representing Mexico at EPCOT Center’s Mexico Pavilion.” Latin American Research Review 51, no. 3 (2016): 64-84. ]

Introduction of Cubism Lessons

Mexican muralists introduced cubism lessons in the United States. After being in the art field for many years, Orozco retained his expressionistic skills while incorporating Cubism classes that were illustrated by the Seated Nude of Picasso. Moreover, Orozco’s configuration in The Trench is similar to a modernist conception of potential time and space. It is argued that The Trench was not showing three revolutionaries, but it gives a demonstration of a single man in three positions.[footnoteRef:18] In Orozco’s painting, the middle figure was posing as if it was crucified, hence, representing the martyred Christ. The above image gave a message that the revolutionary was dying, a concealment suggested by his wrapped face that allowed the observers to mourn the victims of the Mexican Revolt. Essentially, Orozco witnessed the bloody events of revolutions in a journalistic capacity during the reign of President Venustiano Carranza.[footnoteRef:19] Presently, cubism knowledge is applied by numerous painters while they intend to speak different messages by using a single figure. Indeed, American paintings have improved at a rapid rate due to influences from cubism including the application of flatness and simplified form. Cubism figures are known to portray a great deal of emotional intensity. [18: Snodgrass, Michael David. “John Lear. Picturing the Proletariat: Artists and Labor in Revolutionary Mexico, 1908–1940.” (2017): 1659-1660.] [19: Kanellos, Nicolás. Handbook of Hispanic Culture-Literature. Houston: Handbook of Hispanic Culture-Literature, 2013.]

When artists focused on muralism skill they tended to abandon their traditional fresco methods of painting. Siqueiros was arguably the most compositionally, politically and technically radical artist: he was extremely influential to the muralism movement. Furthermore, he is popularly known for his argument that revolution is needed to innovate materials and techniques.[footnoteRef:20] Indeed, Siqueiros contributions in the artwork have led to the dismissal of traditional painting tactics that were applied by other muralists, hence, making them adopt the new technological and chemical techniques used in his work. In the view of Plastic Exercise, it is clear that Siqueiros was very committed to his artistic principles. For example, one of his paintings was about spinning nude female bodies that appeared as if they swim through Plastic Exercise. This image was made through the application of electric image projector which facilitated the process of forming sketches onto the bowl-shaped walls and then drawing compositional lines.[footnoteRef:21] Indeed, this innovation is still utilized in most of the paintings in the United States. [20: Joan, Marter M. Abstract Expressionism: The International Context. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2017.] [21: Cross, Mary. 100 People who Changed 20th-century America. Vol. 1. ‎Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2013, 2013.]

Mexican muralists inspired the American Art scene by producing large-scale, substantial amounts of culturally significant works in between the 1920s and 1950s. The works of the above painters was significant in various ways since as were able to make art to be admired by many individuals.[footnoteRef:22] Nevertheless, Mexican muralists are the first painters to enable the common citizen to access painting, hence, breaking a trend where the paintings were obtained by few wealthy people. These artists were the first to make large-scale paintings that beautified the barricades of centuries-old royal buildings, national offices, and prestigious offices.[footnoteRef:23] However, their paintings were demonstrating Mexican’s indigenous culture, the results of the war and revolution, the mixed-race mestizo distinctiveness as well as all things concerning traditions of Mesoamerica and Latin America. Due to producing quality and appealing products, many Americans were passionate to learn from and about new painting innovations. [22: ] [23: Snodgrass, Michael David. “John Lear. Picturing the Proletariat: Artists and Labor in Revolutionary Mexico, 1908–1940.” (2017): 1659-1660.]

Accommodation of Different Perspectives

Mexican muralists influenced most American artists partly because of their embrace of visual and cultural difference. Muralists were artists with many variations ranging from life’s outlook and painting styles, but they all held that art was the best medium for human expression, and a vital factor in the common revolution.[footnoteRef:24] Also, Mexican muralists were extremely committed to creating a community for themselves in which their passion for art and similarity in technical work united them. In 1923, they created the Syndicate of Revolutionary Mexican Painters, El Machete, and Engravers, that pronounced the importance of having a collective art to replace individualistic bourgeois painting.[footnoteRef:25] Based on the above information, it is clear that Mexican muralists ensured that everybody accessed and took pleasure from their work. As a result, Mexican muralists were able to garner susbtantial support from Americans artists who were eager to learn about new ways of artistic expression. [24: Oliver, Amy A. “Modernist intellectual currents in Latin America.” The modernist world. Routledge, London-New York (2015): 375-382. ] [25: Roberts, Hannah J., Anthony L. Zietman, and Jason A. Efstathiou. “Painting Dose: The ART of Radiation.” International Journal of Radiation Oncology• Biology• Physics 96, no. 4 (2016): 722-728.]

Undoubtedly, Mexican painters had freedom of choosing any technique and subject as they believed that art offered the best freedom of self-expression. The freedom of selecting a subject is revealed when muralists concentrated on political issues during the process of practicing social pragmatism at its finest.[footnoteRef:26] For instance, artists such as, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Jose Clemente Orozco, and Diego Rivera demonstrated varying ideas in their paintings, which include humble peasants battling in the Revolution, Aztec fighters warring the Spanish in the struggle for independence; a common Mexican worker using fresco, glass mosaic, encaustic, metal and ceramic as well as painting of the sculptures. At the time, muralists operated in urban areas, and were prominent political activists. Moreover, they portrayed collaborative efforts to depict modern Mexico. Despite the communist grounds and respect for class struggle- as well as Marxist ideals- were visible in their work, this aspect did not hinder them from embracing themes and ideasfrom other painters and styles. [26: Flores, Lori A. “Seeing through Murals: The future of Latino San Francisco.” Boom: A Journal of California 6, no. 4 (2016): 16-27. ]

The legacy of Reintroducing Mural Painting

Bringing mural painting into mainstream art of the 20th century made Mexican muralists influence American artists in a significant manner. The reinstating of mural arts expressed a social value, hence, serving as an advanced approach to accomplishing political agenda.[footnoteRef:27] Furthermore, in some ways, Mexican muralism practices influenced the American government to sponsor art programs regarding the Farm Security Administration and WPA Roosevelt in 1930s.[footnoteRef:28] Presently, more than a century after Gerardo Murillo first initiated mural arts, wall painting is still seen and done in schools, churches, and government buildings. [27: Joan, Marter M. Abstract Expressionism: The International Context. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2017.] [28: Coffey M., Mary. Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910-1950. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2016. ]

Ultimately, it may be argued that despite the ever-constant change within the art world in terms of different styles and movements, Mexican muralists have caused a great impact (or arguably improvements) in American painting, specifically influencing abstract impressionism. For instance, muralists such as, Clemente Orozco, David Siqueiros, and Diego Rivera have influenced painting in various ways including reinstating the mural arts, making learning institutions embrace mural arts, linking politics with art, boosting artistic talents, and leading to the application of technology like cubism and publication in painting. The capability of Mexican muralists to the American art world was due to the production of visually appealing paintings accessible to masses rather than private audiences. Furthermore, muralists were influential due to their works brining culturally different individuals together. Were it not for Mexican muralists, wall painting would not be as influential within contemporary art.

Biography

Black, Charlene Villaseñor. “Founding Artists and the History of Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies.” Diálogo, vol. 20, no. 2, 2017, pp. 87-96.

Coffey M., Mary. Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910-1950. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2016.

Cross, Mary. 100 People Who Changed 20th-Century America. Vol. 1. ‎Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2013, 2013.

Daniel A. Siedell. “The Quest for the Historical Abstract Expressionism.” The Journal of Aesthetic Education, vol. 44, no. 1, 2010, pp. 107-21.

Flores, Lori A. “Seeing through Murals: The future of Latino San Francisco.” Boom: A Journal of California, vol. 6, no. 4, 2016, pp. 16-27.

Introvigne, Massimo. “Theosophical” Artistic Networks in the Americas, 1920–1950.” Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, vol. 19, no. 4, 2016, pp. 33-56.

Joan, Marter M. Abstract Expressionism: The International Context. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2017.

Kanellos, Nicolás. Handbook of Hispanic Culture-Literature. Houston: Handbook of Hispanic Culture-Literature, 2013.

Oliver, Amy A. “Modernist Intellectual Currents in Latin America.” The Modernist World. Routledge, London-New York, 2015, pp. 375-382.

Roberts, Hannah J., Anthony L. Zietman, and Jason A. Efstathiou. “Painting Dose: The ART of Radiation.” International Journal of Radiation Oncology• Biology• Physics, vol. 96, no. 4, 2016, pp. 722-728.

Sheppard, Randal. “Mexico Goes to Disney World: Recognizing and Representing Mexico at EPCOT Center’s Mexico Pavilion.” Latin American Research Review, vol. 51, no. 3, 2016, pp. 64-84.

Snodgrass, Michael David. “John Lear. Picturing the Proletariat: Artists and Labor in Revolutionary Mexico, 1908–1940.” 2017, pp. 1659-1660.

WikiArt. “Echo of A Scream” Visual Art Encyclopedia, 2011.

WikiArt. “Jose Clemente Orozco’s Painting”, Visual Art Encyclopedia, 2011.

WikiArt. “The Plastic Exercise”, Visual Art Encyclopedia, 2011.

WikiArt. “The Revolution Mural”, Visual Art Encyclopedia, 2011.

Appendix

Fig. 1- David Alfaro Siqueiros’s Painting

Explanation: Siqueiros used this painting to campaign for a revolution in America. Through his belief and commitment to education about art, Siqueiros was able to inspire and inform the masses about revolution. As a result, his movement served as a model of activism for subsequent artists with social and political agendas.[footnoteRef:29] [29: WikiArt. “The Revolution Mural” Visual Art Encyclopedia, 2011. ]

Fig. 2- Echo of Scream

Explanation: Alfaro have used the innovative painting skills such as airbrush and spray gun to make paintings with different textures such as “Echo of Scream”.[footnoteRef:30] [30: WikiArt. “Echo of a Scream” Visual Art Encyclopedia, 2011. ]

Fig. 3- Plastic Exercise

Explanation: Fig. 3 represents some of Diego’s paintings completed through the application of advanced methods such as the use of spray gun and plastic movable paints.[footnoteRef:31] [31: WikiArt. “The Plastic Exercise” Visual Art Encyclopedia, 2011. ]

Fig. 4 – Jose Clemente Orozco’s Painting

Note: Orozco’s mural painting found in the stairwell of House of Tilles.[footnoteRef:32] [32: WikiArt. “Jose Clemente Orozco’s Painting”, Visual Art Encyclopedia, 2011. ]