About the Legendary
Mexican Master Artist
DAVID
ALFARO
SIQUEIROS
David Alfaro Siqueiros
(1896-1974) was among the most famous of all Mexican painters and
muralists, ranking alongside the great Diego Rivera and Jose
Clemente Orozco. Siqueiros was born in Chihuahua and trained at
the Escuela Nacional de Belles Artes in Mexico City. He
participated in the revival of fresco painting initiated by
government sponsorship of murals in public buildings, later
creating frescoes in the United States.
A political activist
as well as artist, Siqueiros' exterior frescoes focused on
dynamic revolutionary themes to help inspire the lower classes.
His bold and vividly-colored paintings, often representing
contorted and intensely emotional figures, soon became famous
throughout the western hemisphere.
In 1962, the Mexican
government sentenced Siqueiros to eight years in prison for
organizing left-wing student riots in 1960 (when Siqueiros was 64
years of age); two years later, in 1964, Siqueiros was pardoned.
After his release from prison, one of his most monumental works,
"March of Humanity," was created on a hotel in the
Parque de Lama, Mexico City.
The brilliant works of
Diaz Acosta reflect the direct
influence of the great Siqueiros, the student carrying on the
legacy of the master, and, ultimately, becoming the master
himself, passing on the torch for others to follow, and for all
the world to forever share and enjoy.
A scene from one of Siqueiros' classic
murals, "For the Complete Safety of All Mexicans at
Work"
Painting and some
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