Diego Rivera

And the Man and the Crossroads

 Diego Rivera was a well known artist in many places. His artwork was well known and

favored by many in the artistic realm. Some of his pieces, including the one that will be

discussed later, are Flower Seller, Flower Carrier, Nude with Calla Lilies, Jacques Lipchitz, Man

at the Crossroads, Indian Warrior, and many more. From birth to death, Rivera painted many

wonderful masterpieces that have still amazed people for ages. But let us take this slow, and start

from the beginning.

Diego Mara Concepcin Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta

y Rodrguez was born on December 8, 1886 in Guanajuato, Mexico, and right after birth he was

an early artist. As he got older and continuing in drawing, he went to study art at the San Carlos

Academy of Fine Arts in Mexico City. One influencer of art on Riveras early life was Jos

Posada, who was running a print shop near the academy. In 1907, when Rivera was 21, he had

traveled to Europe to further his study of art. In the time he was in Europe, he had became

friends with Pablo Picasso and many other artists making it big in Europe at the time.

After Europe and making his back and returning to Mexico, he had begun showing his

artsy ways using little hints of mexican culture and incorporating it into his artwork. From there,

he painted his first painting named Creation. This was a touchstone for Mexican Muralism.

Rivera had many relationships with women. But, he married his last wife, Frida Kahlo in

1929. He had many kids from past relationships and eventually having some more with Kalho.

They both had many things in common like art, radical politics, and Marxism.

In the 1930s, Rivera had gone through a slow time that involved his work. Around the

same times of his work slowing and the complications, he had begun to have relationship

complications between Kahlo and himself. Instead of fighting, they both decided to divorce in

1939. Then a few years later, on November 24, 1957 he past away in Mexico City, Mexico.
 Man at the Crossroads was constructed in 1934, or the first version at least. Rivera had

this piece of art at Rockefeller Center in New York City(NYC), but about ten months later, it was

destroyed after months of controversy. The composition depicted many aspects of contemporary

social and scientific culture. In the center a man is controlling machinery. A giant hand has an

orb of atoms and dividing cells in the cemical and biological generation. From the central figure

to the four propeller shapes to the corners of the painting, acting as light rays from a magnifying

glass-like reflective light. Showing different behaviors from four different people. The

controversy from the painting was from the image of Lenin and a Soviet Russian May Day

parade and it was taken down. But Rivera recreated the painting and it is now in NYC, where

everyone may view it and see its beauty.

 Work Cited
http://www.diegorivera.org/

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-rivera-diego-artworks.htm#pnt_4

http://www.biography.com/people/diego-rivera-9459446