The Orozco Murals at Dartmouth College

“We write about art in order to clarify and to account for our responses to works that interest or excite or frustrate us” (Barnet 11). “Excite” and ‘frustrate” are unquestionably immediate responses when observing José Clemente Orozco’s The Epic of American Civilization in Baker Library. Spanning 150 feet in length, The Epic of American Civilization is an impressive artistic accomplishment. The fresco style mural is inviting with its wide range of coloration and mix of abstract and realist styles. During this time, Orozco was interested in “confronting and interrogating the epic of history” (Rochfort 99). The panel Hispanic America is particularly thought provoking through its depiction of Emiliano Zapata, a leading figure of the Mexican Revolution. The panel also portrays the destruction of buildings in the background, the corruptness of Mexico, politicians, and businessmen. While Hispanic America is vibrant, straight forward, and extraordinary, it is more importantly controversial within its context and without a doubt, sparks reaction from any viewer with its themes of nationalism and progressivism.

Hispanic America is quiet less abstract than some of Orozco’s other panels such as, Ancient Human Sacrifice. In addition to symbolism’s influence on Orozco’s art, the panel is distinctively realistic in its style. The main focal point of the image is the Mexican revolutionary solider located in the middle, which is assumed to be the great rebel leader, Emiliano Zapata. The criss-crossing of the bullets around his chest, sombrero, rifle, and mustache are identical to actual photographs of Zapata. To the left of Zapata lies different military generals and what looks to be a North American elite or politician grasping a bag of money. I assume that this man is North American because of his “white” skin complexion, in contrast to the darker complexion of the rest of the men in the panel. Another man of this color can be found to the right of Zapata, lying face deep in gold coins. In addition, Orozco illustrates a general stabbing Zapata in the back. Rochfort proposes that this general is from North America, suggesting that in addition to this officer, barons, external forces, and Zapatistas (Zapata’s own men) stand against Zapata (Rochfort 108). Furthermore, Orozco depicts the destruction of buildings in the background, suggesting the influence of war and violence. With the strong presence of Zapata and who Orozco conveys his enemies to be, strong themes of nationalism and progressivism are depicted.

It is easy to observe Hispanic America for its images and color, but it is more difficult to determine Orozco’s purpose behind his specific, artistic choices. To begin, it is important to take the context of The Epic of American Civilization into account. Created in 1932, The Epic of American Civilization was completed after the Mexican Revolution and the First World War had ended. Due to his lack of a left hand, Orozco was unable to serve for the revolutions during the rebellion. However, revolutionary politics, as well as muralists such as Posada and Rivera, both of which were known for their political art, heavily influenced him. The inclusion of Zapata also deserves further analysis. Orozco is quoted for explaining his painting of Zapata as, “the best representation of Hispanic-American idealism, not as an abstract idea but as an accomplished fact would be, I think, the figure of a rebel” (Rochfort 106). Themes of Hispanic America include corruption, anarchy, and greed. Greed is particularly addressed by the businessmen clawing at the bags of money, while corruption is expressed through the image of the general attempting to stab Zapata in the back. It is interesting to compare Hispanic America with the panel directly before called, Destruction of the Old Order. In this panel, Orozco depicts an orderly gathering of white townspeople, in which the adults seem to be attending a town meeting while the children are clustered around a school-teacher. In Hispanic America, the buildings behind Zapata and military officers are strikingly similar to those depicted in Destruction of the Old Order. The contrast of themes between the two panels, from order to chaos, is significant to Orozco’s overall notion of the impact of war on the humanity of people.

My immediate response to The Epic of American Civilization was awe. I was attracted to the vast range of colors and technique; Orozco’s style was a form of art I had never seen before. However, the more I observed the mural, the more I began to understand why its content was so controversial when finished. In the 1930’s, Dartmouth College was an environment defined by “white Anglo-Saxon educational privilege” (Rochfort 100). Although the university was originally created for the education of Native Americans, its current student and faculty atmosphere did not respond well to its anti-colonialist themes. This is understandable due to the fact that Orozco’s purpose was to expose the history of both Mexico and North America, showing the tendencies of both countries to have occupied indigenous people and then reconstructed by the interference of another ethnicity. I find Orozco’s mural to be both beautiful and vulnerable, as it shows Orozco’s pride in his country as well as his frustration with past events.

The Epic of American Civilization is an artistic masterpiece. Orozco offers a sense of nationalism and progressivism through his portrayal of the evolution of Mexico, while inserting aspects of North America. While his purpose was to expose the indecencies against indigenous people and the corruptness of Mexico and North America during the 1930’s, his work has a refreshing notion that acts as a form of unification. As stated before, the fact that both Mexico and North America were once dominantly indigenous only to be reconstructed by intruders is significant. As Rochfort puts it, “Beneath this grand sequence is a distinctly circular or revolving history, in which events are seen merely as different backdrops against which Orozco expressed the dilemma of the human ideal thwarted by human fallibility” (Rochfort 103). By doing such, Orozco merges such historical tendencies into one, imperfect, human form, which I believe is artistically genius.

Works Cited

Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing About Art. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson,                 2008. Print.

Rochfort, Desmond. Mexican Muralists: Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros. San Francisco:                    Chronicle, 1998. Print.