“The Flower Carrier” by Diego Rivera

[Name of the Institute]

“The Flower Carrier” by Diego Rivera

Introduction

Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato, Mexico in the year 1886. He studied art with some of the major artists of his time. He was inspired by the sculpture of Mexico. The work of Goya and El Greco inspired him the most. He was a dreamer to say the least and believed that there was a need to give response to "the new order of things?…?and that the logical place for this art?…?belonging to the populace, was on the walls of public buildings." The most prominent of his works is the fresco painting which laid down the basis of the Mexican Mural Art (Aguilar, 1999)). Mexican Mural Art is a historic alliance between art and politics (Aguilar, 1999). His murals and paintings are not only a prominent art work in the Mexico but also in other parts of the world such as New York City, San Francisco, and Detroit. The biggest exhibition of the maestro's paintings during his lifetime was held at the Museum of Modern Art in the year 1931. In this paper I will be discussing one of the most precious work of art by the artist. “The Flower Carrier” is the greatest masterpiece by Diego Rivera.

Primary Intentions of the Artist

In this picture Diego Rivera intended to idealize the situation of a hardworking man, who probably sells flowers to earn a fortune for his family. The woman in the background in of the painting is probably his wife who is assisting him in carrying an oversized bucket of flowers. Rivera intended to portray the hardship of life in his painting. Some considers it as beautiful as a flower while others have to struggle to earn something for their families. He intended to portray a true story of life. Life is not as pleasant as it is in a fairy tale, it involve a number of hardships, sacrifices and destitutions. There may be a number of other intentions of the artist in this particular work of art. The artist depicts the story of misfortune of those who have miniature work and provide happiness to those who have riches. The social and material discrimination that is prevalent in the society, the uneven distribution of wealth and the unjust fate of many with the presence of few privileged.

Flowers are considered as a symbol of beauty and love. They represent the expression of love, care, sentiments and emotions. Lovers give flowers to one another. A little girl may give flowers to her sick grandmother and are used for various other expressions. These flowers are bought by the fortunate rich of the society, just to express their sentiments for someone they care. While the poor, who are even deprived from the necessities of life, have nothing but tears to express their grief and smiles to celebrate their happiness. When the flowers bloom, this man's work begins-tirelessly hauling thousands of flowers back and forth from the farms and marketplaces of ...