Mexican Modern Art 1910 - 1950 (29c)


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Source: WTL photograph© at the Special Exhibition of "Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism 1910 - 1950," at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, December 13, 2016.
Image: This photograph was taken in the Philadelphia Art Museum exhibition of a reproduction of a complex mural titled "Portrait of the Bourgeoisie" (1939-40) by David Alfaro Siqueiros, Luis Arenal, Antonio Pujol (1913-95), and Josep Renau (Spanish, 1907-82). Pyroxylin on cement and glass.
Comments: The jagged line at the lower right, in the reproduction of the original mural, shows where the position of the staircase on the right. According to José Renau, the symbolic figures of the right panel of the lower tryptych are intended to convey this message: "the revolution surges impetuously, committed to putting an end to the exploitation and slaughter that sustain the class regime of our time."
Humanities Questions: (A) As best as you can, identify five elements in this violent panel that the muralists' depict in support of the state message. (B) If you have seen any CGI-intense super hero movies, name it and mention aspects in it that might compare with the giant figure in this panel who is, apparently, fighting to right the wrongs of a corrupt world (in the 1930s).


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