David Alfaro Siqueiros
David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974) was a prominent Mexican artist and social activist known for his politically charged murals. Born in Santa Rosalia, Chihuahua, he experienced a tumultuous childhood marked by the loss of his mother and conflicts with his father. Siqueiros studied at the Academía de San Carlos and was influenced by the Mexican Revolution, which fueled his passion for art as a means of political expression. He became a key figure in the Mexican mural movement, alongside other influential artists like Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco.
Siqueiros's work often addressed themes of social justice and imperialism, as exemplified by his controversial mural "America Tropical," which critiqued American interventionism. His art and innovative techniques, including the use of synthetic materials and spray guns, significantly impacted the Chicano art movement in the United States during the civil rights era. Despite facing government censorship and imprisonment, Siqueiros remained committed to using art to support marginalized communities. His legacy endures as a symbol of resistance and a powerful voice for the oppressed.
David Alfaro Siqueiros
Artist and Social Activist
- Born: December 29, 1896
- Place of Birth: Place of birth: Santa Rosalia (now Camargo), Chihuahua, Mexico
- Died: January 6, 1974
- Place of Death: Place of death: Cuernavaca, Mexico
Education: Academía de San Carlos
Significance: David Alfaro Siqueiros was a Mexican artist and social activist who made political statements through his art. He is best known for his painted murals, and he and other Mexican mural painters helped inspire the Chicano art movement in the United States in the mid to late twentieth century.
Background
David Alfaro Siqueiros was born in 1896 in Santa Rosalia (now Camargo), Chihuahua, Mexico. Siqueiros’s mother, Teresa, died when he was only two years old. He grew up primarily under the care of his paternal grandparents. He had an older sister, Luz, and a younger brother, Chucho. Siqueiros and his father, a lawyer named Cipriano Alfaro, often had quarrels, and Siqueiros left home at an early age in part because of his relationship with his father.
When Siqueiros was a boy, one of his first introductions to art was the religious art hanging in his school. When he was a bit older, Siqueiros attended the Academía de San Carlos (now the National School of Fine Arts) in Mexico City to study art and architecture.
Siqueiros was just a teenager when the Mexican Revolution began. He was influenced by the turmoil and was part of a rebellion against his school’s director. About five years later, Siqueiros joined the Mexican revolutionary army. Siqueiros traveled to Europe after the war. He met fellow artist Diego Rivera in Paris. Siqueiros studied in France, Spain, and Italy while in Europe. In 1922, Siqueiros returned to Mexico from Europe when education minister José Vasconcelos asked him to return to help promote the Mexican mural movement. Later Siqueiros became a member of the Communist Party, and he helped promote the use of art to express leftist political ideas.
Life’s Work
Back in Mexico, Siqueiros was harassed by the government and served jail time in 1930. Siqueiros later traveled to the United States and to Latin America. He mastered the art of the outdoor mural, and he spread his knowledge to people in Mexico and the United States. The first mural Siqueiros painted in the United States was of black and white workers together. The mural was painted over because of racist reactions.
After gaining notoriety for his unique use of outdoor spaces for murals, Siqueiros was commissioned to paint an outdoor mural in Los Angeles. Siqueiros was supposed to paint a tropical scene. Christine Sterling, who owned the plaza in which the mural was to be painted, envisioned a scene of lush plants and animals. Siqueiros had different ideas, however, and painted an indigenous Latin American crucified with a bald eagle looming over him. The mural was a statement about American imperialism. His work, America Tropical, shocked the community. Siqueiros’s mural was whitewashed soon after its completion. Although Siqueiros’s work was censored, the mural left a lasting impact on the community and in the art world. Siqueiros’s mural was groundbreaking not only because of its political messages but also because of its unique use of materials and detail.
After painting the mural in Los Angeles, Siqueiros applied to have his visa renewed, but his application was denied. He then traveled to Uruguay and other parts of Latin America. In 1936, he came back to the United States without a visa. Siqueiros held a workshop in New York City in which he and other artists, including famous painter Jackson Pollock, experimented using different materials, including synthetic paint, and application techniques, including spray guns. Siqueiros and the other artists were greatly influenced by their experimentation with different materials and applications.
Back in Mexico, Siqueiros took part in the Spanish Civil War. In 1940, he was part of an unsuccessful plot to kill Russian revolutionist Leon Trotsky, who lived in Mexico City. Siqueiros was put on trial for his part in the crime. He was cleared of the charges but was exiled to Chile. A committed Stalinist, Siqueiros was watched by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Despite the attention on him, Siqueiros continued to paint and support union workers and other political causes.
By the 1960s, the Mexican mural movement had become much less popular. Siqueiros tried to keep the mural movement together, but by the end of the 1960s, it had mostly faded. Siqueiros died on January 6, 1974, in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Impact
Siqueiros, along with Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, was one of three of the most influential Mexican mural painters. These mural painters helped the Chicano art movement in the United States take root. Siqueiros’s art usually had political motivations and was often meant to support causes for the poor. His work and that of the other Mexican mural painters were influential during the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s.
Personal Life
Siqueiros was married to Uruguayan author Blanca Luz Brum. When he was still with Brum, Siqueiros met a young Mexican woman named Angélica Arenal. Both were in other relationships at the time. Eventually, however, Siqueiros and Arenal developed a relationship and married. They shared similar political and social views.
Bibliography
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