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The version of this mural in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City is spectacular and anyone interested should go see it. The Palacio itself is a gorgeous
by WildUtah 11y ago
The version of this mural in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City is spectacular and anyone interested should go see it. The Palacio itself is a gorgeous museum and theatre with a world famous folkloric dance company, too.
The 1999 movie Cradle Will Rock contains a retelling of the story of the mural and delicious visuals.
Of course Lenin was nasty and evil and Rivera's politics were awful. Wise people don't judge art by its creators' politics and personal lives. Rivera's sense of progress, science, and respect for both the past and the joys of the machine age shine through the bad politics of the day to make this a brilliant piece in spite of its flaws.
(One of the flaws is that the Palacio isn't designed for a mural and therefore has giant gorgeous marble columns impeding any view of the whole work at once; just step up close and enjoy it in pieces.)
- sanoli 11y agoYeah, but life and politics sometimes are bigger than art. What about all those statues of Stalin in the soviet repulics that got taken down. Do we condemn those acts too? Or not, because they were actions of the people, and, you know, the art just wasn't as good? (I don't disagree with you, by the say, but it is not so simple)
- WildUtah 11y agoIt really matters whether the art is good or not. Without wise judgement about the quality and value of different works, we can't have a beautiful world or live in beautiful cities. Of course, getting your leaders to have good judgement is hard. But everything about organizing a happy human community is hard.