de los Lagos, Jalisco. Her self-portraits often depicted her in traditional Mexican garments, for example Autorretrato (Self Portrait) made in 1940. She often "paints a complex picture of social roles of the modern Mexican Women", specifically the role women play in perpetuating Mexican traditions. Rather, Izquierdo identified with the ideals and aesthetics of the Contemporáneos, they were dedicated to an apolitical Mexicanness or A lo Mexicano and were very critical of the Nationalism Muralists. Growing up, Maria lived with her grandmother and an aunt, as was customary at the time, the women raised Maria around the disciplines of the Catholic Church. Maria's up bringing is characterized by strict adherence to catholic traditions and customs. This is highly represented in her tradition focused narratives which demonstrate scenes like votive shrines. Izquierdo's canvases have a provincial simplicity, inspired by folk devotional art and French painters such as Henri Matisse and Manet. In particular, they exhibit a "masterly use of colour" and frequently include cupboards, altars, fruit, horses, portraits, and the circus. View on feminism In 1945 Izquierdo became the first woman to be granted a major governmental mural commission, in the central stairwell of the Department of the Federal District government building. In the initial stages of its execution, however, Mexico City's governor revoked the commission due to the interference of Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros, who claimed that Izquierdo lacked the necessary experience for such a high-profile project. Izquierdo received an enormous amount of critical backlash in the press for speaking out against the idea that woman are treated and disrespected as something else in the work force, but she never backed down from her insistence that she deserved the commission from the mural. Izquierdo debated diligently against the way men have been treating woman as a lower half of the spectrum as woman never gain the true acknowledgment in the work force and more critical in art. Izquierdo had a large debate and talk with a large amount of woman to make people understand woman need more respect and get better grasp of their skills in what they love to do. She says in a article debate "Añadiría una precisión: incluiría entre los intangibles a la subjetividad. Porque todo eso de lo que estamos hablando y la dirección que toma depende de la subjetividad: emociones y procesos cognitivos" (I would add a precision: include between the intangibles to the subjectivity.