Blogpost: artist research #2

Diego Rivera, a Mexican painter, is known for his large-scale, murals. His murals are done in fresco and depict scenes from Mexican history. In preparation for his murals, Rivera conducted extensive research on the historical contexts and elements he wanted to portray, often connecting with local communities to ensure accuracy. Some of this research included reading about Mexican folklore, collecting works by other Mexican painters, and traveling to learn more about ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures. For his other commissioned murals, Rivera conducted similar research by learning more about the subject matter he portrayed. In preparation for "Detroit Industry," he spent many weeks sketching in the Ford auto plant.

After researching, Rivera created many sketches from life. By combining these sketches, he created a composition for the mural. Rivera used the grid method to transfer what he called his "cartoons" to the final wall, where he later made revisions to the composition where necessary using charcoal before painting.

Diego Rivera's sketch for "Detroit Industry"

Rivera's artistic process has shown me the importance of understanding your subject matter through research to correctly and meaningfully portray it. Additionally, I will also try out the grid method and use charcoal as base sketches for large-scale pieces.