Diego Rivera
We continue our monthly partnership with the Museo Blaisten with this amazing example of Mexican art. : ) Enjoy!
Actresses Columba Domínguez and María Félix, bullfighter Helen N. Starr, dancer Ana Mérida, philosopher and civil rights advocate Corliss Lamont, and pioneering surgeon Irma Mendoza: these diverse personalities share little except that in the early 1950s, each had his or her portrait painted by Diego Rivera. From the early 1930s until his death in 1957, Rivera's San Angel studio was a leading destination for foreign visitors and leading Mexican socialites with the means to commission a work from the country's most famous artist. In many of Rivera's portraits, the sitters simply occupy one of the equipales that decorated his studio, with a woven petate or pre-Columbian sculpture from his collection added to provide some local atmosphere. In his images of women, Rivera tended to exaggerate the model's sensuality, whether she appears in traditional costume or more fashionable couture.
The straightforward portrait of Mendoza is thus exceptional; the doctor is shown as a professional, wearing her white surgeon's scrubs, her powerful hands and eyes emphasized above all else. The portrait should be seen in the context of Rivera's long interest in medical practice and especially surgery, which he related to his own "practice." Images of operations appear in his work of the early 1920s, and medical imagery obviously dominates his The History of Cardiology, originally commissioned for the Instituto Nacional de Cardiología (1943–44), and The History of Medicine in Mexico, in the Hospital de la Raza (1953).
And with it, today we end DailyArt app PROMO WEEKEND! It is our ninth birthday, and to thank you for being with us all this time and to celebrate, we have some special SALES for you:
1. The PRO version of the app will cost $1.99 today instead of the usual $5.99. Just tap the "Upgrade to PRO" button. : )
2. In our DailyArt Shop you will find our awesome Notebooks for -30%. : )
3. All our courses on DailyArt Courses will also be -30%.
4. If you would just like to support us here is the link to our donations. : )
BTW, we are preparing a brand new version of DailyArt. We hope you will love it. : )
P.S. Here's Diego Rivera’s life in portraits.