Diego RiveraBy: Regina Salazar and Rogelio Garcia 203

Origins

Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was born on Guanajuato (December 8, 1886) .His father: Diego RiveraHis mother: María del Pilar Barrientos.

ProfessionHe was a painter and a muralist, he made art that reflected the lives of the working class and native people from Mexico.He painted all types of art at his time.

StudiesAt age 11 he joined the National School of Fine Arts , becoming a student of prestigious artists .By 1909 , he traveled to France where he entered to the Paris Arts Academy. With the pass of the years he traveled to Italy to learn renaissance style, and to Spain where he befriended with Picasso and studied cubism at its finest.

RelationshipsIn 1909 he traveled to Paris where he met Angelina Petrovna Belova, knew as Angelina Beloff. Native from the USSR she would marry Diego and have a relation for 10 years. In 1916 she will give birth to Diego´s first son named Diego, however , the child died the following year .

RelationshipsIn 1919 a daughter was born the fruit of Diego´s extramarital affairs with Marievna Vorobieva Stebelska . Named as Marika Rivera Vorobieva she was never recognized by his father but at least financially sustained by him.

FridaAfter many failed relations with other painters, Diego finally met Frida in 1922. The first meeting was spontaneous, Diego was painting a mural in the National High School and Frida was a student.

Frida

They quickly began to share their passion for art and they marry in 1929. Their marriage was based on love, hate, creation, critics, relations with other people and the appreciation for mexican roots.

Rockefeller incidentDuring a mural design, was the leader of the communist revolution, Vladimir Ilich Ulianov Lenin. Rockefeller couldn’t stand this, so he demanded Diego to remove him from the painting, so he decided to burn the mural because Diego´s decision was contrary to the order.

TrotskyIn 1937 Leon Trotsky arrived to Mexico thanks to the political assylum given to him by the Mexican government one year before. Based on their left hand ideas Diego and Frida received him in their house. He was kicked out two years later from the house by Diego´s suspicions about a romance between the Russian insurgent and Frida.

Conclusion

Diego Rivera was a very important character in Mexican history because he expressed ideas based on the common people spreading Mexican culture.