Conversations with Diego Rivera: The Monster in His Labyrinth [Paperback]

A year of weekly interviews (1949-1950) with artist Diego Rivera by poet Alfredo Cardona-Pe?a disclose Riveras iconoclastic views of life and the art world of that time.

These intimate Sunday dialogues with what is surely the most influential Mexican artist of the twentieth century show us the free-flowing mind of a man who was a legend in his own time; an artist who escaped being lynched on more than one occasion, a painter so controversial that his public murals inspired movements, or, like the work commissioned by John D. Rockefeller, were ordered torn down. Here in his San Angel?n studio, we hear Riveras feelings about the elitist aspect of paintings in museums, his motivations to create public art for the people, and his memorable, unedited expositions on the art, culture, and politics of Mexico.

The book has seven chapters that loosely follow the range of the authors questions and Riveras answers. They begin with childlike, yet vast questions on the nature of art, run through Riveras early memories and aesthetics, his views on popular art, his profound understanding of Mexican art and artists, the economics of art, random expositions on history or dreaming, and elegant analysis of art criticisms and critics. The work is all the more remarkable to have been captured between Riveras inhumanly long working stints of six hours or even days without stop.

In his rich introduction, author Cardona-Pe?a describes the difficulty of gaining entrance to Riveras inner sanctum, how government funtionaries and academics often waited hours to be seen, and his delicious victory.

At eight p. m. the night of August 12, a slow, heavy-set, parsimonious Diego came in to where I was, speaking his Guanajuato version of English and kissing womens hands. I was able to explain my idea to him and he was immediately interested. He invited me into his studio, and while taking off his jacket, said, Ask me...

And I asked one, tl³'