Strand
History, Social Studies, Art History
Objectives
Students will learn about three great Mexican muralists: Diego Rivera, Jose Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Students will consider ways that their artistic contributions have affected society. Students will discuss their observations in an essay.
Historical Perspective
The history of the Mexican mural renaissance started in the 1920s. The Mexican mural movement was dominated by three artists: Diego Rivera, Jose Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. These three artists played a central role in the cultural and social life of Mexico following the Mexican Revolution. Diego Rivera’s contribution to the mural movement reached beyond the border into the United States. During the Depression in the United States, supporters of the Federal Arts Project looked to the Mexican mural movement as a model for a new democratic, radical art. One might pose the questions: In what terms can the Mexican mural movement legitimately be discussed as revolutionary? Did it merely reflect a country’s revolutionary society or did the murals, in a political sense, function as catalysts for change? Latino communities in the United States are still asking these questions today. The Chicano mural movement, which began in the 1960s and continues to the present, has strong roots in the Mexican mural movement and the history that surrounded it.
Pacing
Two class periods
Materials
Expository Writing
Students have the opportunity to write an Analytical Essay (see Extension below).
Key Questions
To start students thinking about the immigration issue, have them examine the photograph. Key questions students should answer are:
- Who were these great muralists?
- When and where did they create their art?
- What inspired them?
- How can a work of art be a vehicle for change?
- How is their contribution to art still being seen in the Latino community today?
Latino American Experience Research
Each student will write an essay on the lives and contributions of three Mexican muralists. In addition to researching the biographies of the artists, have students learn about one of the artist’s pieces. Have students use the list of provided links from The Latino American Experience for their research.
Document-based Questions
To begin thinking about the topics, look at the photograph and answer the questions below:
Diego Rivera murals in the corridors of the National Palace, Mexico City.
- What do you see in this photograph?
- What message does it express to you about the importance of murals?
- What might the placement of the mural say about the artist?
Directions
Distribute the Student Activity sheet or have students access it via the Classroom Resources site. Have students keep the following topics in mind as they conduct their research.
- Diego Rivera
- Davis Alfaro Siqueiros
- Jose Clemente Orozco
- Mexican Mural Movement
- Chicano Mural Movement
- Contemporary Mural Movement
- Public Art
Tell students to take notes. Remind students that their essay should include a brief biography of each artist as well as a description of one of the artists’ works.
Assessment
Use the General Writing Rubrics to assess the students’ essays. Have students reflect on their writing and use the list of expectations to judge how well they met the criteria.
Extension
Have students use what they have learned from The Latino American Experience to further investigate the Chicano Mural Movement. Have students write an analytical essay discussing the connections between the mural movement in Mexico and the Chicano Mural Movement in the United States.
(May be copied for classroom use.)