From Crisóforo García to President General Porfirio Díaz
July 7, 1880
Le solicita no creer los chismes que sobre su persona le comunican las señora Rarmírez.
Translation: Please ignore the gossip that the Ramírez ladies are spreading about me.
David Siqueiros, From the Dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz to the Revolution, detail, 1957-66 (borrowed from www.abcgallery.com until I can find another copy)
A favorite mural, part of a larger work that covers the entirety of one entry hall at Chapultapec Castle in the center of Parque Chapultepec in Mexico City. Originally a military college, the 'Castillo' became the home to numerous Mexican presidents, emperors, and, of course, Porfirio Díaz. After the Revolution, the government, specifically the Minister of Education, José Vasconcelos, began commissioning works by many of Mexico's preeminent artists to cover its public spaces, a tradition that continues into the present. David Siqueiros was not precisely in agreement with the government at all times - he completed parts of this work while technically in prison, allowed out for the day to paint - his works have come to be recognized as vital to the muralist movement. The revolutionaries who glare at these dancing ladies from across the hall grace the commemorative stamp that has been released this year to celebrate the Centennial of the Revolution.
No comments:
Post a Comment