ARTH 396 Art and Culture: The Mexican Muralist Movement and its Legacies

• Thursdays, 11:45am-2:15pm
• EV-1.615
• Instructor: Dr. Michelle McGeough

While the Muralist movement emerged in the 1920s following the Mexican Revolution, its ideals continue to influence contemporary mural projects. The political and social messages contained in these government-sponsored public art projects were not only inspired by the idealism of the Revolution, but they also emphasized Mexico’s indigenous culture and history.  In this course, we will examine the development of the Mexican muralist movement through the works of artists such as Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Jose Clemente Orozco. While we will investigate the influence of this movement on the production of murals produced during the civil right movement in United States, and Canada, and the  revolutions that took place in Latin America, we will examine how murals have become a site of activation for contemporary social justice issues.