Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People by Susan Goldman Rubin (review)

This slim volume presents a balanced introduction of the personal, political, and artistic life of the twentieth-century Mexican muralist who earned fame and generated controversy at home and in the United States. Rubin traces Rivera's life from his emergent boyhood talent, through the formal studio education that left him restless and professionally unsatisfied, to realizing his calling to create massive public artworks for the common people, celebrating the dignity of their labor. Rubin softens but doesn't skip coverage of Rivera's womanizing, his occasionally exaggerated claims to political activism, and the often critical reactions to his murals by viewers and patrons who expected more gentility in art. Clear color reproductions of major pieces are included, as well as a few examples of contemporary work for comparison (though no specific suggestions are offered tracking down images of important Rivera pieces cited within the text). The otherwise excellent end matter includes notes on Mexican history, Rivera's artistic influences, a glossary, a bibliography, and source notes, and well as an index that references all the artwork titles that interested readers may want to search.