Mestizaje

Out of the “Los Tres Grandes,” Diego Rivera captured the core of the indigenous Mexican identity more so than the other artists in my opinion. He was able to depict moments within the time of indigenous civilizations, but also told the story of the contemporary indigenous identity. One example of this is seen in his fresco titled, The Embrace. This was the same identity that Azuela illustrates in The Underdogs. Although the two were illustrated through different mediums, both capture the quintessential components of what it was to be a Mestizaje prior to and during the Mexican revolution.

The Embrace depicts two men of, what can be assumed as, indigenous heritage. Both are common men garbed in typical farmers’ clothing. They are standing on what could either be a barren mesa or field that overlooks a town with a dark and gloomy sky in the background. The embrace desperate in nature and one can tell that the mentality of the man to the left is rather broken. The painting as a whole conjures feelings of hopelessness and despair.

The town below the mesa looks like it may be a region where industries would be located. However, that way of life is out of reach for these two men. It was predetermined that they would be poor farmers, but society dictates that they stay this way. I believe this was the main cause of the pain expressed by the men in the painting. This was a reality that many were facing during Rivera’s time as an artist which also coincides with the time of the Mexican revolution. The Embrace painting perfectly illustrates the frustrations of the common people at the time.

The Embrace made me recall a passage from Azuela’s novel, “Many village and tribal holdings had been handed over, and most of the public lands, to great concessionaires, often with subsides…But over half the nation’s population, Indians and Miestizos, were now shackled to the haciendas as peon share-croppers, rendering perpetual labor for perpetual debt, which was inherited by the sons[1].” (pg. 126) This quote gives true voice to Rivera’s mural. It explicitly states the situation of the nation. The Miestizos were the oppressed commoners who did not have a choice but to stay at the bottom. This was because they lost their own property and therefore their socio-ecominc status. They were forced to the land and lived in poverty because no other option was available. The only solution to break the cycle for these people, as well as the nation, was to revolt. This time in history was very influential for the works of Rivera and his contemporaries.

Even though The Embrace was painted after the Mexican revolution, the revolution still had influence on Rivera. Rivera was known to be associated with the communist party which explains why he is in favor of depicting the common people (most Miestizos) in a positive or sympathetic light. He was a man for the people and against capitalistic views.

Tradition, in addition to revolutionary imagery, was something that “Los Tres Grandes” were drawing on for inspiration. They felt the need to tie Mexican art back to its indigenous roots and point to the future with the idea of mestizaje. This was most likely due to modern changes in the political, industrial, and commercial world. Depicting the indigenous or mestizaje was push back to this movement. Though Rivera’s The Embrace and Azuela’s The Underdogs, the peoples’ roots, ethnicity, and shared sense of origin during this time in history are well preserved.

 

[1] Azuela, Mariano. The Underdogs. (Translated by Ilan Stavans and Anna More), Norton Critical Editions. W. W. Norton & Company. 2015

Image: Diego Rivera: The Embrace. Fresco, 1923. East wall, Court of Labour, Ministry of Education, Mexico City. (pg. 53)

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