Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend even though we had to read like two hundred pages, I enjoyed reading the first article, it is very complete. Mexican Muralism is a movement that started since 1930 with three great artists: David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco. I have the fortune of seeing plenty of their murals and I have to be honest with you I didn’t like many of them, and through the reading I discover that all those facts that the author was explaining to us are the reasons why I don’t like murals. 

Murals in Mexico are famous for their political undertones and projection of the social reality of the country. On the mid twenty century Mexico was passing through a post-conflict reconstruction situation and despite the fact that the muralism is an art movement, in Mexico was used as a political movement in order to make knowledge available to everyone, regardless the race or the social status. Murals would show historical moments such as Independence, Revolution, or colonization, and must of the time showed the power of the union of the Mexican country. There some states that have more murals than others for example the state of Guanajuato considered the cradle of the Mexican Revolution. Almost all the murals with political suggestions are located in public buildings.

Later in the 70’s another art movement arise in the poorest areas of Mexico City an artist Daniel Manrique a man who wanted to promote the artistic culture that really reflects the social reality of the country. He started to paint his murals on kitchen and vencidades, and he painted exactly the opposite of what the government wanted to indicate to the people. He showed the truth about politicians, unions, and bureaucracy. 

So now you can see how murals always have something to say and it is always related to the political situation in Mexico and let me tell one thing the political situation in Mexico since 1928 have not been good at all. That is the reason I don’t like murals I’m pretty sure they are big and elaborated but common art you don’t want a huge wall in your school telling you how awful is your country and I’m telling you almost all the murals are huge and have people with ugly faces screaming discontent and indigenous people dying under the hand of the Spanish and peasants screaming all the injustices from the government. For me is just depressing but I’m pretty sure many of you like them.

I’m really sorry I didn’t finish the second reading the English used in there just confused me a lot I’m pretty sure the author try to compare the popular culture with the queen on the mountains but maybe I’ll have to read the complete book to understand Micahel Taussig.