David Alfaro Siqueiros: The Mexican Mural Movement

David Alfaro Siqueiros was considered one of the three great muralists that led the Mexican Mural Movement in America through exceedingly political and symbolic murals. His mural, Portrait of Mexico Today (1932), is not just a piece of decorative art that once stood in the home of Dudley Murphy, but it is now acknowledged in a public setting as a descriptive narrative of Mexico. Siqueiros’s mural, Portrait of Mexico Today (1932), stands at 170 square feet with a political message and narrative that moves along the mural from left to right. On the narrow wall on the far left, Siqueiros placed a gold framed portrait of J.P Morgan, the leading American financer of the U.S. government during the 1900s. Facing J.P. Morgan on the left side on the center panel of the mural, Siqueiros depicted the President of Mexico, Plutarco Elias Calles, dressed as a revolutionist as indicated by the sombrero and rifle. Although Calles is illustrated by Siqueiros as a revolutionist, who in theory fights for the interests of the people, Siqueiros made it clear that Calles was more interested in wealth than in the hopeless people of Mexico, as suggested by the bags on money placed at his feet. Siqueiros also placed a mask around Calles’ neck in order to symbolize that the man the people of Mexico once thought he was is not who he truly came to be. Connecting …show more content…
The work of art is placed under a covered area in order to preserve the portrait from the harsh weather and elements. Siqueiros chose to paint the mural in neutral colors of brown to exhibit the rural and simple aspect of Mexico. There is, however, a bit of red and blue added to accent the affected people during the 1930s in Mexico. Also, the mural is laid out similar to a panorama, therefore displaying a wide view of the narrative. The mural is viewed in segments starting from the left and moves along the center panel and ends on the far right, similar to reading a