Mexican Painters: Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros, and Other Artists of the Social Realist School (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)

Most of the pics are in black and white. Wish they were in color.

I am charging through the first half of the book as it is a required book club choice. The illustrations are wonderful, I plan to finish it and believe it has helped my understanding with the Mexican art world, will assist one as they view work in museums

A great book for starters . Helps you establish a basic mind set to understand more about Mexican modern art .

Interesante libro

Wonderful review.

thanks

Originally published in in 1941 Dover released this paperback edition in 1989 in their line of Art history books. Dover does a nice job of reviving important works at affordable prices. Granted this edition may not be as grand as the original published by Harper & Lee but it serves as a sort of everyman's introductory guide that is transportable. The author, Mackinley Helm has first hand knowledge of his subject as he rubbed shoulders with the Big Three, Orozco, Siquieros & Rivera. Many items featured in print are from his oown collection. Of these the drawings are most notable. Besides being an art collector himself he knew these individuals which provides his discourse with insight and first hand knowledge. However Helm goes way beyond just exploring the greater known Mexican artists as he ties all aspects together for a seemless vision which includes including social and political influences. There are ten chapters and he aptly begins with the '"grandfather " of Mexican Art Dr. Atl or as he calls him theSaint John the Baptist of Mexican Art. Christened Gerardo Murrillo, Dr. Atl adopted his own name from the Nahuatl language meaning water. Working in the shadows of the volcano Popocatepetl or "Popo" he feathered his legend living simply and looking like Biblical figure with long beard and by painting natural vistas usually with Popo in the background. He later established an art school where notable Mexican painters studied. In the first chapter Helm also explores the influence of another master, Guadalupe Posada, who influenced the more well known muralists who came to be known as the Big Three. Posada was known for drawing calveras or skeletons, he created caricatures of political figues in the newspaper during a time of upheaval prior to the Mexican Revolution. All of these early influences are explored that would be the foundation for the flourishing renaissance in Mexican Art. Although much of the book is dedicated to the Big Three Helms does explore many lesser known artists and includes 82 plates and 95 illustrations. The prints are adequate but not spectacular as they are in black and white. When compared to the colorful originals or plates found in other books it is a little disappointing . However the pencil and ink drawings do translate well although the size is limited to the smaller size(see dimensions) of the book. I think the strength of this book is the text itself which is full of historical information and personal recollections. Artists covered include , Rivera, Siquiros , Orozco, Kahlo, Tamayo, Posada, Escobedo, Morado, Meza, Romero, Lazo, Montenegro, Merida, Goitia, Ruiz, Izquierdo, Lozano, Cantu, Lozano and Galvan.This is an excellent introduction to Mexican Art book but also serves well someone more well versed in the subject matter. Recommended for Mexican Art enthusiasts.

Really good

At first sight, "Mexican Painters: Rivera, Oroczo, Siqueiros and Other Artists of the Social Realist School" would seem a must for anyone with an interest in the development of 20th century art in the Americas. Even more so when one reads that the author, who lived from 1896 to 1963, was an important collector of Mexican art who had close links with many of the artists and whose knowledge extended well beyond the "big three" Mexican muralists to the many more who are included in this book.The first point to make about this book is that it was originally published in 1941, with this republication being issued in 1989. The second is that this re-publication includes 95 works by 37 artists, all reproduced in a very muddy black and white. The quality of illustrations has always been a major problem for books published by Dover Publications and this is, once again, a great pity.Nevertheless, this book will be of special interest to anyone with a particular regard for Mexican painting or those intending to visit Mexico and wishing to plan an itinerary which enables them to see more than the works of Rivera, Oroczo and Siqueiros, interesting and impressive though they are. I assume that specialist art books will be available in Mexico that will contain some of the works illustrated here. However, the personal insights provided by Helm mean that this book should also be included in the art library of people with such interests.The author, as expected, covers a broad range of Mexican artists, including Dr Atl, Rivero, Orozco, Siqueiros and the younger muralists, such as Antonio Pujol, Paul O'Higgins, Julio Castellanos and Jesus Guerrero Calvin, the Neoclassicists, the Mexicanists, artists influenced by Abstraction, Somnambulism and Surrealism, and those primarily involved in Printmaking. There is also a particularly interesting and personal chapter entitled "A Skippable Chapter on What to Look for in Pictures" which, in my opinion, should not be skipped.20th century Mexican art is interesting because of the way in which many artists came together to pool resources and works to create an unique national style, and to enable knowledge, experience and techniques to be transferred from more experienced artists to their younger colleagues. The role of the artist in 20th century Mexican life, the incorporation of traditional Indian art motifs and the development of frescos as a public demonstration of social, political and national aims, and the tensions existing between religious and anti-religious art are all addressed by this very interesting and knowledgeable author. The book also keeps a balance between the enormity of Rivera's work and his reputation, much of which was self-created, and other 20th century Mexican artists who have generally been hidden in his shadow.So many of the artists are only poorly represented in other books and exhibition catalogues, and the author's writing, though dated, blends personal insights about the artists, the history and development of 20th century Mexican art, and - not least - the political, economic and social history of Mexico over the same period. These are major factors in favour of the book and if these were the only considerations then I would rank it 4*/5*. However, one has to come back to the illustrations, 82 of which are called "plates" and it would be difficult to give a rating higher than 1*.So, on balance, 3* seems about right.

a poor quality book. tatty and lacking sufficient pictures either b&w or colour. a waste of money