Title: Mexican Muralism - Concepts & Styles | TheArtStory
Headings: Mexican Muralism - History and Concepts
Mexican Muralism - History and Concepts
Mexican Muralism
Beginnings of Mexican Muralism
Mexico's Traditional Murals
The Mexican Revolution
A Government-backed program
Los Tres Grandes
Escuela Nacional Preparatoria
Mexican Muralism in the USA
Mexican Muralism: Concepts, Styles, and Trends
Revolution
Socialism
Industry
Religion
Later Developments - After Mexican Muralism
Key Artists
Do Not Miss
Important Art and Artists of Mexican Muralism
Related Movements & Topics

Content: Concepts, Styles, and Trends
Revolution
Because the Mexican Muralist movement was spurred by the Mexican Revolution and succeeding civil war, one of its key aims was to shake up art in the same way that the revolution had shaken up Mexican society. Mural painting was ideal for inspiring revolutionary fervor in a mostly-illiterate population, due to its narrative content and availability in public places, eschewing the traditionally elitist environment of the museum. As well as rejecting the traditional places for showing art, the movement hoped to reject all the conventional trappings of artistic production. To this end, they chose to paint directly onto walls with painting materials inspired by traditional native Mexican wall paintings. The resulting murals were shaped according to the architecture of the designated space, rejecting the usual rectangular shape of the canvas that had come to dominate Western art. Similarly, the production of murals under government commissions meant that the art produced was not for sale, undermining the traditionally dominant art market. Socialism
In the initial post-revolution years of the Mexican Muralist movement, artists were generally given free reign to choose their subjects and express them in whichever way they preferred. Many of the artists involved were ardent socialists or communists, believing in the power of the working classes and in the equal distribution of wealth. Some artists, such as David Alfaro Siqueiros, applied their socialist approach to their artistic process, dividing up tasks and rewarding his assistants equally. Others, such as Orozco, subtly incorporated socialist imagery into their murals, such as the hammer and sickle.