Inferred Symbolism in Diego Rivera's "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon"
This week I found it very interesting when we did our activity on Deigo Riveras mural, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon. I loved doing research into the different political and artistic figures that had been painted into the history of Mexico. I also loved all of the symbolism that was allowed for us to infer as we observed the mural. Some of the main things that stuck out to me were the positioning of the mural, the richer-looking people turning their backs, and the yin and yang being held by Frida Kahlo. As we discussed in class the positioning of the characters was very important for Rivera to paint the picture that Mexico was one big happy family, even if some parts of the history were a little unfavorable. At first, when I saw the nicer-dressed people looking backward I thought it was the upper class turning their backs on the poor community that was needing help. However, after we were given the key I found out that they were foreign visitors, which then made me think that maybe Rivera was trying to say that foreigners turned their back to the revolution and really didn't care what happened since it didn't have any effect on them. Lastly, I wanted to point out the many symbols that came along with Frid Kahlo being in the mural. At first, the maternal hand on young Rivera's shoulder bothered me a little, but I was even more intrigued by the yin and yang she was holding. This symbol was meant to symbolize how the two balanced each other in their marriages, even though they separated a few times. Overall I feel like I learned a lot about interpretation and the benefit of research when analyzing a mural.
Hi Illy! I didn't catch the fact that those who turned their backs in the painting were foreigners. I like you interpretation of the mural and artwork. About Frida Kahlo, it is slightly strange how she lays a maternal hand on young Diego's shoulder. It is especially weird because Diego was significantly older than her. I would attribute this to their strange, passionate relationship, however. Their relationship was very complex, from what I know and understand, and even though they loved each other more than anything, they each the other very much with their actions. This was especially in the case of Diego's infidelity in their marriage, as he had a lax view on sexual relations. I think Frida's hand on Diego's shoulder, though it is maternal like, attributes more to the fact that Frida was the most stable part of his life: his grounding influence. She was always there to steady him, and maybe he related that to the maternal side of her.
ReplyDeleteHi Illy! I definitely agree that research pays off when trying to analyze a mural, or any artwork for that matter. The artwork' historical context and the artist's intent both play a huge role in interpreting details in artwork, and like you discovered, it is very easy to misunderstand things when not taking that into account.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Illy! I also found the Yin and Yang symbol to be intriguing in Diego Rivera's mural. While it does apply to their relationship, I cannot help but wonder if it also applied to Mexico's history itself (moments of success opposed by violence and disunity). I also found your interpretation of the foreigners to be interesting and to pose a great idea.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Illy, for your post. I find your comments on Diego Rivera's mural thought provoking. I agree that doing research can help us understand some aspects of the painting--although it is also possible that some of the information we find can be just someone else's interpretation. Your classmates's responses are also very interesting! They all add other layers of meanings to what we talked about in class.
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