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Intro

 * Artist: Diego Rivera []
 * Location of the mural: Chapel of Autonomous University of Chapingo, Mexico.
 * Subject of the mural: The revolutionary war in Mexico had ended a couple years before the Rivera started his work on the murals. Rivera's goal was to capture the struggles and essence of the revolution using numerous symbols and themes. Some themes to notice within the murals are: The Mexican Revolution, growth, death, nature, modernization.

Background of Chapingo Chapel
Rivera accepted the Chapingo Chapel task in autumn 1924, about four years after the war ended.The chapel was restored to its previous glory by the architect: Antonio Rivas Mercado, who had designed another building which was located in Riveras home town. From the outside the Chapel had clover shaped windows and a large bell tower and what looked to be a tiered wedding cake shape as a whole. The chapel was a part of the Hacienda de San Jacinto which was a self sufficient complex used for weekend retreats by government officials. The chapel stood alone from the main schools complex and offered Rivera plenty of spaces in which to make his murals. All of the spaces were protected from the elements and included a total of 1500 square feet for Diego to work on. In Chapingo he had been given and entrance foyer, a staircase, an upstairs lobby, and and entire chapel, formerly the family and estate chapel of the hacienda and built on a scale that offered fourteen major fresco panels. Rivera started to travel out to Chapingo from the city, by train, three days a week.

Murals and Interpretations
North wall: Liberated Earth with the Powers of Nature Controlled by Man is the mural that faces the entrance doors and is also the biggest of the series which means Rivera wanted to make a strong point with the items going on in this mural. The title of this painting fits perfectly to the characteristics because Tina is again the main focal point as she represents the Liberated Earth part of this piece. Wind, water, fire, food, the earth, and vegetation are all portrayed in this mural all of which seem to be under the control of man. Also, in this mural, there is a piece of industrialization which is a factory that Rivera hasn't painted in the chapel so far. I like to this of this piece as the ending to all the murals in the chapel because of what it contains and also its the last piece of artwork you would get to if you started at the entrance and walked to the end of the chapel. Symbolic.

"The peasant figure with the corn cobs in her hands and her frontal and hieratic posture clearly evoke Chicomecoatl, the Aztec goddess of corn, to be held responsible for the abundant plants of corn depicted in the cycle. She also calls to mind the sacrificial aspect involved in Prehispanic rites carried out in her honor, (6) paralleling the sacrifice of Christ, represented by the cross in the window. This suggests, according to Rivera's own views, that the Prehispanic ritual sacrifices later evolved into the seemingly never-ending suffering of the underprivileged classes of Mexico up to the post-revolutionary period."
 * The Mechanization of the Country

East wall: "On the east wall, natural evolution is represented by nude female allegorical figures of Earth interpreted as a powerful and mythical entity and based on the recognizable facial features of distinguished women from the Mexican artistic and cultural milieu of the 1920s. Although at some level, these sensual allegorical nudes may seem to reinforce some aspects of the conservative patriarchal dichotomy of men-culture/women-nature, by reifying gender difference, Rivera's powerful female images challenge some of the early twentieth century sexist cultural biases against women in a progressive and vibrant manner."

"Contains two dead men in the ground which were revolutionary martyrs killed in the Mexican revolution. Above them is a corn field symbolizing new life fueled from the death of those that fought. In the middle of the mural, is a window that Rivera turned into a sun to symbolize a new light or the start of a new day in respect to the end of the revolution and everything it accomplished. The scenes represented on the opposite wall of the antechamber are the personification of the so-called "harvester of dreams" depicted in the act of inciting the populace to social transformation, and the portraits of the recently assassinated agrarian leaders Otilio Montano (1877-1917) and Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919). The revolutionary heroes move in opposite directions yet form a continuous line. An x-ray view shows them wrapped in red sarapes. They are shown buried under the earth, on top of which abundant maize plants emerge illuminated by a monumental sunflower that surrounds a real window at its center. The iron bars of the glass form a cross that Rivera incorporated into his frescoes to add Christian undertones and as reference to the former religious function of the building."
 * The Blood of the Revolutionary Martyrs Fertilizing the Earth

"Shows a series a woman in four different positions surrounding a window in which each one of them is in a different pose that alludes to them being at different stages of matureness. All of seem to have a theme of contemplation of what to do or what will be happening in the future as Mexico begins to mature.
 * Maturation

There are women and a child underneath a tree that is producing fruit. All of them have fruit in there hands but yet have an appearance that they are sad and not fully satisfied by the fruit. The girl is the only one that is eating the fruit which could lead to the idea that adults in this time are being fed but they will not fully see the positive impacts of the revolution. The girl eating the fruit could mean that the revolution has enabled younger generations to see a brighter future and they they will be the ones to benefit most from the revolution.
 * The Abundant Earth

"For the powerful nudes of the Subterranean Forces, Rivera employed the actress, singer, and prolific Cuban lyricist and writer Graziella Garbalosa (1896-1977), exiled in Mexico for political reasons and part of the artist's circle of acquaintances. Her body emerging from the Earth in flames is one of the most compelling images of female power ever to have been depicted by a male artist. Also compelling is the central crouching figure with serene expression and athletic body who extends her arms to command the ascending movements of the emerging women below. Her authoritative stance and the golden glow from the tire that forms a supernatural giant halo around her, confers to the image a numinous quality that can be read as a female's version of the Biblical scene of Creation."
 * Subterranean Forces

Is one of the most notorious paintings in the chapel due to the model Rivera chose to use. A woman named Tina Modotti posed in the nude for Rivera to use for Germination which consists of Tina in the middle as a full grown women. To the right of her is what looks to be an infant in the womb which is portrayed by the earth or soil. Below that, a girl that looks as though she has grown in the womb but hasn't reach full grown. There are two more bodies that are encapsulated by the soil so as a whole this mural is showing the growth of humans which is a symbolic parallel in the evolution of society.
 * Germination

West wall: "The west wall conveys the peasants hardships in trying to get what they deserve in terms of use of land and possession of land. This wall is often referred to as "Riveran Chapel"."

This is a fairly large mural that contains farmers and lower class Mexicans under gunpoint and control of the military and upper class. One man on the left side of the painting is being searched by individuals in uniform. In the lower right hand corner there are men and women which all appear to be gathering frantically under the control of the officials. Above them is a man riding a horse in motion of whipping these individuals as to move faster as well as to show authority and create fear. This mural shows the process of taking over farms and small villages and the force they used in order to do so.
 * The Exploiters

This mural shows what seems to be two separate groups joined together by a man wearing an orange shirt. This is significant because as the viewer your eyes are drawn to the brightness of the orange in contrast to the dullness of the surrounding colors. The two groups consist mostly of male farmers with what seems to be their families by their sides. The farmer in the middle is pointing to the soil which infers to the agrarian or farming aspect. From the title we can tell that that this man is trying to organize the farming citizens of Mexico.
 * The Organization of the Agrarian Movement

Farmers are gathered with their families sharing food and what seems to be content facial expressions. There is a large amount of hay in the background which could symbolize a bountiful harvest. The colors are soft which correlates to the gentle colors of nature. Orange is another theme in this painting; the man in the middle has an orange scarf on just as in The Organization of the Agrarian Movement
 * Triumph of the Revolution

Ceiling bay:

On the ceiling there are a total of seven panels arranged in a one-two-one-two-one formation consisting of different sized, shaped, and color of men. On one side of the outer panel there is a bigger man with a hammer in his hands resting by his feet. Opposite to him there is a man with a sicle in his hand. Inwards of these two men, surrounding the central panel are four men each of which is wearing only a cloth around their loins. In the middle of these four men are two lighter skin men that seem to be in conversation as well as touching there hands together to possibly signify unity.
 * Revelation of the Way

"To complete the hopeful message of the antechamber, the signs of a new cosmic order are present on the ceiling: one hand holds the sickle and another the hammer, references to Rivera's political allegiance to socialism. Two others express alertness and peace. They are all united by a flaming five-pointed star, an allegory of the joining together and revolutionary triumph of the proletarian and peasant forces, expressed more emphatically on the auditorium walls."
 * The Lands Bounty Rightfully Possessed

Beside entrance doors:

"Here, on the wall where the entrance to the lecture hall is located, the artist rendered a figure of a seated peasant woman with eyes closed, holding two corn cobs against her lap. On the same wall, at the other side of the entrance door, the artist included a child seated on a wheat stack, also depicted with eyes closed, and described by Antonio Rodriguez to be "dreaming about the abundance of corn, apples and wheat". Both figures are set against a vivid red background that contrasts with the diagonally-placed maize plants. These introduce some movement to the scenes that are otherwise static due to the sleeping stances of the figures."
 * Indian Boy and Indian Woman with Corn Stalks

Overall Significance
Quoted by Diego Rivera: “The Chapingo frescos are essentially a song of the land, its profundity, beauty, richness and sadness. The dominant tones are violet, green, red and orange. After it was done, I also designed the carvings for the two wooden doors at the entrance to the chapel. In the entrance hall, i depicted the four seasons of the year, the recurrent cycle in the life of the land. In the chapel itself, i represented the process of natural evolution. The bottom wall is dominated by a large female nude, one of several symbolizing ‘The Fertile Land’." Rivera chose themes such as agriculture, the evolution of the earth, germination, growth, florescence, and fruition of plants, and symbolic parallels in the evolution of society. Man with nature, man with man..

Diego was a visionary that was able to capture what life was life in Mexico before, during, and after the revolution. He did that by incorporating themes, symbols, metaphors, facts, and stories related to the revolution. Not only does this serve as beautiful artwork but more importantly it serves as a memorial to all those who died and fought for reformation in Mexico. He shows how even when death and hardship is apparent, with time comes growth, and with growth maturation. Mexico matured as a country and the women portrayed represent Mexico as nurturing the land and people back to health.

"The social transformation of Mexico as parallel to the Earth's natural evolution is developed more explicitly on the lateral walls. In the first bay from the entrance is the Formation of The Revolutionary Leader, while on the opposite wall are the Subterranean Forces. Above these are the Emergent Man and the Enslaved Earth. In the corresponding vault is a representation of the four elements. In the second bay are the Clandestine Organization of The Agrarian Movement and The Beginning of The Outbreak of The Hostilities, and Germination. On the vault is the Search For The Road. In the third bay is the Continuous Renovation of The Revolutionary Fight, the Flowering and, on the vault, the Revelation of The Road. Finally, in the fourth bay, Rivera represented the Triumph of Revolution, the Fruits of The Earth and The Fruits of The Harvest, and on the vault, the Legal Possession of the Bountiful Earth."

"Just as compelling is his exceptional analysis of the chapel at Chapingo in which he proposes that Rivera pictorially diverges from conceptions of history that were the norm among Western positivists, Soviet communists, and many Mexican nationalists."