Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People

Susan Goldman Rubin’s well-researched, accessible narrative incorporates many quotes from Diego Rivera himself. About his enthusiasm for mural painting, for example, she writes: “Rivera wanted to create a new kind of art for and about his people. ‘The new art would not be [displayed in] a museum or gallery’ but in everyday places: ‘post offices, schools, theaters, railroad stations, public buildings.’” Readers will be interested in this idea of creating art and having it exist where everyone, not just a few wealthy collectors, can enjoy it. Includes engaging details, such as the length of time it took Rivera to finish a particular work. It was twenty years, for instance, before his mural in the National Palace, Mexico City, was complete. “‘I might leave it to paint other murals,’” Rivera said, “‘but I kept returning to it . . . to make additions and changes.’” Straightforwardly addresses Rivera’s political and personal life (“He had always liked the ladies, and the ladies had always liked him, despite his bulk and his habit of rarely taking a bath.”) without sensationalizing it. The handsomely designed book features photographs of Rivera and reproductions of both his sketches and finished work. It is fascinating to pore over murals such as The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City and Detroit Industry. Rubin also includes paintings by several artists whose work influenced Rivera. Aspiring artists will find it inspiring and encouraging that Diego Rivera knew that he wanted to be an artist from a young age.