Man at the Crossroads (lost mural painting of Mexican artist Diego Rivera; 1933): Difference between revisions

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On each side the daily life of both economic systems is shown. On the left are rich people smoking and playing cards, in contrast to the right where Lenin shakes hands with various workers. In the upper left, there are soldiers and war machines, while on the right a May Day rally. The bottom is unfinished, showing some simple sketches of pipes.
On each side the daily life of both economic systems is shown. On the left are rich people smoking and playing cards, in contrast to the right where Lenin shakes hands with various workers. In the upper left, there are soldiers and war machines, while on the right a May Day rally. The bottom is unfinished, showing some simple sketches of pipes.


It is noteworthy that Rivera tried to idealize Soviet Russia, showing the communist side of the mural as something peaceful and utopian; compared to the gray side of capitalism that shows soldiers with gas masks and the police repressing the people. As expected, this sparked a controversy that led to a propaganda complaint.<ref>https://www.admagazine.com/cultura/diego-rivera-mural-rockefeller-center-historia-20200604-6910-articulos ''AdMagazine'' article about ''Man of the Crossroads'' (in Spanish).] Retrieved 06 Dec '21</ref>
It is noteworthy that Rivera tried to idealize Soviet Russia, showing the communist side of the mural as something peaceful and utopian; compared to the gray side of capitalism that shows soldiers with gas masks and the police repressing the people. As expected, this sparked a controversy that led to a propaganda complaint.<ref>[https://www.admagazine.com/cultura/diego-rivera-mural-rockefeller-center-historia-20200604-6910-articulos ''AdMagazine'' article about ''Man of the Crossroads'' (in Spanish).] Retrieved 06 Dec '21</ref>


==Destruction==
==Destruction==

Revision as of 04:55, 10 December 2021

RiveraCrossroadsSketch.jpg

Photograph of the unfinished mural, before being destroyed for including Vladimir Lenin.

Status: Lost

The Man Controller of the Universe (El hombre controlador del universo in Spanish) is a mural by the famous Mexican painter, Diego Rivera. It is one of the artist's most recognized murals, portraying a contrast between the two most important political ideologies of its time: capitalism and communism. Today, the mural is in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, where it has remained since 1934.

However, this mural is actually a recreation of an unfinished work called Man at the Crossroads, commissioned by the Rockefeller family during the construction of the Rockefeller Center in New York. Eager for left-wing ideology, Rivera portrayed the communist leader Vladimir Lenin in the mural, an issue that displeased Nelson Rockefeller who destroyed the mural before it was finished.

History

Diego Rivera, one of the most influential Mexican artist.

During the 1930s, Diego Rivera already had some recognition both in Mexico and overseas. After leaving the position of director at the Escuela Central de Artes Plásticas in 1930, Rivera received several commissions in the United States where he gained fame for his modern style.[1] At the same time, the Rockefeller Center began its construction in New York, planned as an ambitious project and symbol of the Rockefeller family.

Rivera painted several murals across the country, drawing attention to his affiliation with the Communism Party and sparking controversy between Americans and his patrons. During an auction at the Museum of Modern Art, Abby Rockefeller, the wife of John D. Rockefeller Jr., became a patron of his art. This brought the artist closer to the Rockefeller family who would soon consolidate a friendship.

By 1932, the conception of a mural had been decided during a dinner at which Rivera was invited. The mural was to be painted in the lobby of the RCA building (today 30 Rockefeller Plaza) with an approximate size of 99 m². Nelson Rockefeller, the magnate's son, planned to invite artists Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse to paint on the sides of Rivera's mural, but neither of them responded to the proposal. Instead, painters Frank Brangwyn and Josep Maria Sert would work on other parts of the building.

The intention of an "artistic competition" with European artists and the proposal to make the mural in black and white, caused Rivera to have several disagreements with the project and was on the verge of abandoning it. However, both sides reached an agreement and by November 1932 the first sketch was shown. Neither John nor Nelson nor Abby considered the communist elements to be controversial, since they interpreted it as a contrast in their favor of capitalism. Both sides agreed that once completed, the work would be unalterable.

Theme

Photograph of Rivera and his assistants painting in the RCA building.

Man at the Crossroads is an interpretation of the technological and social advances of the early 20th century. The work is composed of two sides, each side representing capitalism and communism divided by a worker controlling a machine. Behind it, a giant hand grasps what appears to be an atom, inside of which are cells reproducing. Four long ellipses emerge from this nucleus, portraying the astronomical and microscopic discoveries.

On each side the daily life of both economic systems is shown. On the left are rich people smoking and playing cards, in contrast to the right where Lenin shakes hands with various workers. In the upper left, there are soldiers and war machines, while on the right a May Day rally. The bottom is unfinished, showing some simple sketches of pipes.

It is noteworthy that Rivera tried to idealize Soviet Russia, showing the communist side of the mural as something peaceful and utopian; compared to the gray side of capitalism that shows soldiers with gas masks and the police repressing the people. As expected, this sparked a controversy that led to a propaganda complaint.[2]

Destruction

El hombre controlador del universo, replica made in Mexico.

In April 1993, the mural was denounced by the New York World-Telegram newspaper as anti-capitalist propaganda. In response, Rivera included the portrait of Vladimir Lenin in the work, a character that was not in the sketch he had shown the Rockefellers. This inclusion was later discovered by Raymond Hood after inspecting a wall above the mural.

Nelson Rockefeller was offended by this, demanding that the muralist remove Lenin and delaying the inauguration. Rivera declined and proposed him to include American figures such as Abraham Lincoln, preferring to destroy the wall rather than "mutilate" the conception of his art.

Refusing to remove Lenin, Rivera continued to work on the mural until May 1933 when he was forced to stop painting. Although there were proposals to move the mural to the Museum of Modern Art for Rivera to finish it, the mural remained hidden until February 1934 when it was destroyed. Both the muralist and other artists showed their discontent and boycotted future art exhibitions at the complex.

At the end of 1933, Rivera would return to Mexico where he would ask the Mexican government for a space in the Palacio de Bellas Artes to create a replica of the mural with all the elements that he had planned. Based on photographs taken while he was working in New York, Rivera was able to recreate his work in his native country. Renowned as The Man Controller of the Universe, the mural remains on the walls of the Palacio de Bellas Artes to this day, considered as one of the most important works of the muralist movement in Mexico.[3]

External Links

References