Diego Rivera Meaning

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Diego Rivera es un jefe Diego Rivera is a twentieth century artist who continues to have a strong influenced in the world of art world. His painting The Flower Carrier elucidates the time period through the use of symbols and deeper interpretation. The Flower Carrier can be analyzed to extract meaning not only from the past, but todays as well. The painting is crafted masterfully using an uncommon technique for its time. The Flower Carrier displays a dark skinned man on his knees carrying a large basket filled with flowers. The man is dressed in white with a yellow hat and yellow sling while wearing sandals. The basket, containing gorgeous pink flowers, is exceedingly larger than the man who is struggling to get up. Behind the man is a woman,…show more content…
“...the flowers in the basket are strikingly beautiful to the viewer; the man does not see their beauty...” (aaronartprints). Many laboring men work to survive and not to see the beauty of their work. The man in the painting is unable to see the flowers, which symbolize the work that he is doing or its beauty, yet carries on in order to make ends meet. The viewer and others can easily see the beauty of his work, however to them, his work may not be perceived as difficult or laborious as portrayed in the painting. Flowers are generally not seen as heavy and the man’s work may not seem taxing to many spectators. “The man is carrying the heavy load, but he appears to be a smaller person than the woman putting the load on his back.” (garden of praise). Gender roles have developed the point of view that males are the dominant sex, however here we see that the man is the one on the floor struggling with the load as the woman is assisting him. Men typically are not perceived as weak or requiring assistance while in the painting Rivera obviously disagrees with the cultural norm. It also shows how everyone, including men, need help at times. Support from one’s partner is crucial in a relationship and here the woman is helping the man, who can be assumed a couple. The size of the woman compared to the man can also symbolize the contribution factor that each play within a given relationship. Women are…show more content…
The 1930’s was a time of depression in both America and Mexico. “Rivera saw the workers’ struggle as a symbol of the fragile political ground on which that capitalism trod.” (pbs). Many Mexicans were in search of an escape to the political turmoil in their homeland and although America was in a depression the opportunity was greater. The painting exposes many of the hardships that Rivera’s people had to go through to make a living, work as hard and unfulfilling as carrying and selling flowers. The colossal basket strapped to the man’s back can be a representation of the handicap untrained workers face in the modern capitalist world. Many immigrants to the United States during the 1930’s were forced into low paying laborious jobs due to being unskilled. Rivera made an effort to concern himself with the advancement of technology and physical human development as to reduce the amount of people having to struggle in the ever progressing society. The flowers may also symbolize a luxury that the carrier never sees or indulges in because to him they are only a means to get by. For those striving to get by it was necessary for everyone in the family to cooperate in providing for the family, the woman backing the man displays this in the portrait. Today the endeavor many families have to make, as unskilled workers, can be depicted through The Flower

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