Rebecca's Art Exploration

Country: Mexico     Time Period: 1920-1950 Mexican Muralism In 1910 the Mexican Revolution began against the dictator at the time. The revolution went on for about a decade and it ended dictatorship and established a constitutional republic for Mexico (History). At the end of the revolution, the Mexican government commissioned artists education the public on Mexican History. The three artists that defined Mexican identity through muralism were known as Los Tres Grandes, The Big Three. Individually known as David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, and Jose Clemente Orozco (Bravo). New Democracy by David Siqueiros, 1944, Pyroxylin on Panel, Palace of Fine Arts, Mexico City David Alfaro Siqueiros was born December 29, 1896 in Chihuahua, Mexico. Siqueiros went on to fight in the revolution for democracy, he studied art in Europe, and returned to Mexico in 1922 to begin working on commissions from the Mexican Government. New Democracy was painted in a response to the end of fascism during Worl

 Painting Artist David Driskell was born in Eatonton, Georgia. Driskell earned multiple art degrees, he was trained as a painter and art historian. Driskell began his teaching career in 1955 which carried him through until his retirement in 1998 (McGee). Behold Thy Son by David Driskell, 1956, Oil on Canvas, Smithsonian  In the 1950's, America was experiencing a civil rights movement that would demand social justice for Black Americans and advocate for equal rights. This movement was an inspiration for Driskell's Behold Thy Son . His inspiration for this painting was drawn from the tragic death of Emmett Till. Emmett Till was a 14 year old boy who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955. (Cincinnati Art Museum). Emmett was murdered by the family members of a white female store clerk who made false allegations against the teenage boy. The murderers were acquitted by an all white jury (NMAAHC). As Driskell was an art historian, he depicted a scene common to western art, Chri