Artworks as Political Activism
The artist must paint as he would speak. I don't want people to speculate what I mean, I want them to understand. - David Alfaro Siqueiros
David Alfaro Siqueiros and José Clemente Orozco intersect in historical records through their political commitments, Orozco as a student stike committee leader, joining David Alfaro Siqueiros to protest San Carlos Academys' traditional teaching methods in 1911. In this collection, they are brought together through their visual critiques of political power and social crisis.
Here you will find a collection of murals, photographs, and paintings from Orozco and Siqueiros
- Title
- Dive Bomber and Tank
- Creator
- Jose Clemente Orozco
- Date
- 1940
- Medium
- fresco painting (technique)
- Identifier
- orozco-dive-1940
- Spatial Coverage
- New York
- Measurement
- 275 x 550 cm
- Description
- This painting represents the destruction of modern warefare. A mixture of human remains, tanks, and large piles of machinery appear, serving as a universal message against violence.
- Source
- Wikiart
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Media
-
Dive Bomber and Tank
- Title
- The Clowns of War Arguing in Hell
- Creator
- Jose Clemente Orozco
- Date
- 1944
- Subject
- world wars
- Medium
- fresco painting (technique)
- Identifier
- orozco-clowns-1944
- Spatial Coverage
- Mexico
- Measurement
- unknown
- Description
- This mural protrays the chaos of WWII, depicting the leaders of war and facism trapped in their own hell. This piece serves as a critique of facism and ideological conflict.
- Source
- WikiArt
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Title
- Mural “Del Porfirismo a la Revolución” de David Alfaro Siqueiros en el Castillo de Chapultepec
- Date
- unknown
- Subject
- Mexican Muralist (movement)
- Type
- photographs
- Medium
- unknwon
- Identifier
- Siqueiros-ChapultepecMural-Photo
- Spatial Coverage
- Mexico
- Measurement
- unknown
- Description
- Large-scale political mural depicting the transition from the Porfirian dictatorship to the Mexican Revolution. This digital image presents a photograph of the mural taken by a Wikimedia Commons contributor.
- Language
- Spanish
- Source
- Wikipedia Commons | Photograph uploaded by: Luisalvaz
- Rights
- This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Title
- David Alfaro Siqueiros con otras personas
- Creator
- Agencia Fotográfica Casasola
- Date
- 1960
- Subject
- mural paintings (visual works)
- Type
- photographs
- Medium
- safety film
- Identifier
- Siqueiros-Chapultepec-Casasola-1960
- Spatial Coverage
- Mexico City
- Measurement
- 10.2–12.7 cm
- Description
- David Alfaro Siqueiros accompanied by others at the Castillo de Chapultepec in Mexico City. The image captures Siqueiros in front of one of the major sections of his mural cycle, Del Porfirismo a la Revolución.
- Language
- Spanish
- Source
-
Fototeca Nacional (INAH)
Wikimedia Commons - Rights
- This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1931, and if not then due to lack of notice or renewal.
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Title
- Peasants
- Date
- 1913
- Medium
- oil paint (paint)
- Identifier
- Siqueiros-Peasants-1913
- Spatial Coverage
- Mexico
- Measurement
- 100 × 80 cm
- Description
- Early Siqueiros painting depicting rural Mexican laborers. Reflects his emerging commitment to the working class and social inequalities. A foreshadow to his involvement in anti-fascist movements.
- Source
-
Google Arts & Culture
Wikimedia Commons - Rights
- This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1931, and if not then due to lack of notice or renewal. See this page for further explanation.
- Format
- JPEG
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Media
-
Peasants
- Title
- Emiliano Zapata
- Date
- 1931
- Medium
- lithography
- Identifier
- Siqueiros-Zapata-Lithograph-1930
- Spatial Coverage
- Morelos
- Measurement
-
Image: 20 7/8 x 15 5/8 in. (53 x 39.7 cm)
Sheet: 31 3/4 x 22 7/8 in. (80.6 x 58.1 cm) - Description
- A lithographic print depicting Emiliano Zapata Salazar. Zapata was a Mexican revolutionary and guerrilla leader who led the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s-1920s in the state of Morelos. This image of Zapata on horseback emphasizes his role as a leader of reform and resistance.
- Language
- English
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons
- Rights
-
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1931 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice. For further explanation, see Commons:Hirtle chart as well as a detailed definition of "publication" for public art.
Note that it may still be copyrighted in jurisdictions that do not apply the rule of the shorter term for US works (depending on the date of the author's death), such as Canada (50 p.m.a.), Mainland China (50 p.m.a., not Hong Kong or Macao), Germany (70 p.m.a.), Mexico (100 p.m.a.), Switzerland (70 p.m.a.), and other countries with individual treaties.
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Media
-
Zapata
- Title
- El Gólgota
- Date
- 1942
- Subject
- Crucifixion
- Medium
- oil paint (paint)
- Identifier
- orozco-golgota-1942
- Spatial Coverage
- Mexico City
- Measurement
- 71 x 91 cm
- Description
- Orozco uses symbolism to reimagine the Crucifixion in critiquing the tragic cycle of human history.
- Language
- Spanish
- Source
- WikiMedia
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Media
-
El Gólgota
- Title
- En Vano
- Date
- 1935
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- unknwon
- Identifier
- Orozco-EnVano-1935
- Spatial Coverage
- Mexico
- Measurement
- unknown
- Description
- Depicting a group of mourners, their gestures are marked by grief exhaustion. Orozco focuses on the emotional cost of poltiical violence.
- Language
- Spanish
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Media
-
En Vano
- Title
- El Demagogo
- Date
- 1946
- Subject
- Political Manipulation
- Mexican Muralism
- Mass Persuasion
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Identifier
- Orozco‑ElDemagogo‑1946
- Measurement
- 780 mm x 610 mm
- Description
- A politically charged painting depicting a demagogue addressing a faceless crowd. This painting is part of his larger efforts to depict harsh realities, power dynamics, and showing leaders as manipulators.
- Language
- Spanish
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Media
-
El Demagogo
- Title
- Culto a Huichilobos
- Date
- 1947-1949
- Subject
- Political symbolism
- Mexican Muralism
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- pyroxylin on masonite
- Identifier
- Orozco‑CultoHuichilobos-1947-1949
- Spatial Coverage
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Measurement
- 122 cm x 152 cm
- Description
- A mural panel from Orozco’s San Ildefonso cycle depicting a ritual scene centered on the Aztec deity Huitzilopochtli. Orozco shifts from using historical realism to use mythology as metaphors for human cruelty he witnessed during World Wars.
- Language
- Spanish
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Media
-
Culto a Huichilobos
- Title
- Crueldad
- Date
- 1883-1949
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- unknown
- Identifier
- Orozco‑Crueldad‑1883-1949
- Spatial Coverage
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Measurement
- unknown
- Description
- A stark depiction of torture and human suffering from Orozco's early mural cycle . The work exposes brutality embedded in political and social structures.
- Language
- Spanish
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Media
-
Crueldad
- Title
- Zapata
- Date
- 1930
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Identifier
- Orozco‑Zapata-1930
- Spatial Coverage
- Mexico
- Measurement
- 198.8 × 122.6 cm (78 1/4 × 48 1/4 in.)
- Description
- This painting, depicting revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata, represents the violent conflict and peasant struggle of the Mexican Revolution.
- Language
- Spanish
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Item sets
- Traces of Activism
- Media
-
Zapata