Orozco, Rivera – and a Guide Named Jesus
I love Life's quiet Magic.
I spent a good long time at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City last Sunday.
Uff... what an infusion of inspiration and awe.
Because my November Retreat will take place in the first studio of the famous muralist José Clemente Orozco, I wanted to get closer to his work (which is quite different from Diego Rivera's, although they painted near each other) and so spent time in front of his huge mural "The Catharsis."
It was raw, it was violent, and I was keenly aware that I did not know much about what was happening in it, what his message was.
Soon, a man appeared, followed by a group of people and started giving a super knowledgeable, lively and rich explanation of the painting. It was amazing to me to feel the difference some context can bring to the viewing of an art piece. I was transfixed, leaning against a marble column, and catching every word.
I could have listened to him for hours and was hoping he would then move on to the other murals, especially Rivera's "Man in the Time Machine" which stood directly opposite Ororozco's, accross the big hall.
But no, he was done, so I approached him, thanked him and asked him when he would do a tour again. He asked me what I wanted to know more about, and when I told him, he said that he would be happy to tell me about Rivera's mural.
And Jesus, which was his name, did. He was once again captivating. He both nourished me and left me hungry for more.
That mural is the one that Rivera painted once the one at the Rockefeller Center in NY got destroyed because he had sneaked in Stalin's face and refused to erase it.
A year later, back in Mexico, he painted it again (Jesus showed me on his phone the photos of the sketches and photos Rivera had to help him create it again), made sure it was mounted on metal this time – thus almost undestructible – and did not charge a penny for it.
When we said goddbye, I asked him if he would do a tour for us when we are back this winter, and he said that he would be happy to.
Talk about everyday magic.
PS: another fun fact Jesus shared with me is that as both muralists painted at the same time on each side of the great hall, Orozco would sometimes walk over to Diego Rivera’s s paiting area and fling a loaded paint brush at the wall (mind you he was only working with one hand at that time as he had had one hand amputated). Apparently Rivera took it in stride.
(while he was telling us about Orozco's painting, he matter of factly mentioned that the man at the bottom of the painting looked a lot like a current president - and how prescient Orozaco had been)
