Mexican Muralists: Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros

Amazon.com

In Mexico in the early 1920s, a growing, collective social consciousness gave rise to a revolutionary furor focused on liberating the country's workers from harsh conditions and poverty. In 1921, Mexican artists Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros were all commissioned by the government to create educational paintings on the walls of public buildings. After that initial experience, they devoted themselves almost exclusively to painting these large-scale murals--forming the foundation of a movement that would last 50 years. The muralists' work took up the themes of society and revolution. Often the paintings depicted historical vignettes like the story of Cuernavaca and Morelos crossing the barranca, or Mexico's ancient Indians. They satirized contemporary society, created ideal visions of peaceful families, and built up dark, imposing industrial cityscapes then leveled them by depicting the debauchery and death of the capitalist industrialists.

The paintings themselves reflect diverse artistic influences--surrealism, cubism, and illustration, most notable among them. Their bold colors and strong imagery practically bound out of the 150 color plates in this book. Mexican muralist and scholar Desmond Rochfort lucidly traces the development of the movement to place the work in context and provides a solid history of each of the artists' social and artistic influences. This is an excellent overview of work that should appeal both to fans of the individual artists and Mexican art in general. --Jordana Moskowitz

Book Description

Los tres grandes: Jose Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Now legendary, these men have emerged as the most prominent figures of the famed Mexican mural movement, which lasted from the '20s through the early '70s and was hailed as the most significant achievement in public art of the 20th century. The dramatic story of the movement is told here in a fascinating history of the artists, accompanied by over 100 spectacular color reproductions of the murals. Showcasing popular as well as lesser-known works from around the US and Mexico, this is the first high-quality paperback to do justice to a subject that will captivate every lover of Mexican art and culture, Rivera fan, and art historian, as well as anyone who appreciates a beautiful, intelligent art book.

Customer Reviews:

The Big Three.......2005-03-09

Read the editorial reviews first and if you are still not convinced that this book does a good job covering the Big Three than get individual books on each. The text is outstanding and puts the works of art into a political context of the time period. The author is analytical, insightful and definitely well versed in the subject matter.There is an exhaustive bibliography, extensive endnotes on each chapter and spectacular reproductions on thick quality paper stock. There are historical photographs of public works in progress and a varity of camera angles of individual murals to show the enormity of the works. I have seen many of these murals on location and this book does an excellent job of portraying them as they are. When you see a Rivera fresco on a wall at the National Palace live or in this case from a pulled out camera angle and see the railing leading to the next floor being dwarfed by the images it is truly impressive. Looking at the details within the murals is the ultimate visual experience where you can get lost in the picture and the meaning. The closeups and details of individual segments are superior. This is art for the peoples public viewing brought directly to you from Mexico to hold in your hands and examine at your leisure. There are several good books out there on Mexican Murals but this one for the money is outstanding. The three artists each had a distictive style but each brought a unifying nationalistic approach to the walls of public buildings. Is one artist better than the other? You be the judge, everyone has their own favorite. If you are unfamiliar with the works of the Big Three than check it out, you are in for a treat.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I OWN!!.......2002-12-28

This is definitely one of the best books out there for anyone interested in Mexican art. Few books can inspire as much as this one, especially for people from Zapotlanejo, Jalisco. It's loaded with many pictures and chronicles the lives of these three muralistas and has in depth coverage of specific murals, i especially enjoyed the coverage on "History of Mexico" mural by Diego Rivera. This book is definitely worth the price and a great addition to any collection. Orale!

best outlook on the murilists of mexico and their beliefs.......1999-04-03

Shows a great variety of each artists pieces and movements through out their career.

very informative.......1998-08-13

outstanding full of historical views

Average customer rating:

Diego for young people
The boy who was born to paint
Viva Diego!
Great
The Life of Diego Rivera Simplified

Diego
Jonah Winter
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0679819878
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Book Description

Diego was a boy who loved to draw; he drew on everything, even the walls. In time, he would become known as one of the greatest muralists in all of Mexico—in all the world. "An accessible picture book about the life and work of Diego Rivera sounds like an oxymoron, but Winter and Winter succeed beyond belief," announced School Library Journal in a 1991 starred review. With spare, lyrical text—featured in both English and Spanish on every page—accompanying miniature murals done in Rivera's own vibrant style, this celebrated picture-book biography now makes a much deserved return to hardcover after a seven-year absence.

Customer Reviews:

Diego for young people.......2007-09-01

This is a concise little biography about the artist, Diego Rivera. Winter (The Librarian of Basra, 2005) begins Rivera's story with his birth. He was a sickly infant who survived because of the devoted care of an Indian healer. His twin brother did not live. He was a daydreamer in school but his parents encouraged his artistic abilities. He studied art in Europe but was inspired by his memories of life in Mexico. Winter ends the book as Rivera's career as a painter whose "murals told the story of the Mexican people" is just beginning.

The text is in English and Spanish. Each of Winter's illustrations is edged in a unique painted frame. I wish they had chosen to feature the illustrations in a larger format. The paintings are colorful and engaging and deserve more page space.

The boy who was born to paint.......2007-02-27

Told in simple, straightforward text, this small children's book relates the story of Diego Rivera, a famous Mexican artist who loved his art and the people of his country. Diego spent his whole life painting, drawn to the vibrant colors and magical rituals of Mexico as well as the troubles of the people as they fought for equality and better working conditions.

At birth, Diego was not a strong child. He had a twin bother, Carlos, who died before he reached the age of two. Diego's parents, fearing their other son would die from the same illness as his small brother, sent him to a nurse, Antonia, who was also an Indian healer and lived in the mountains. Her cozy hut fragrant with burning candles and healing herbs, Antonia's mountain home was filled with fresh air and the natural plants necessary to make the boy well. Diego entertained himself with the animals around him; he even had a pet parrot and was soon well enough to return home to his parents.

Upon Diego's homecoming, his imagination already infused with the brilliant colors of nature, the boy began to draw and paint on very surface. He had difficulty in school, constantly distracted by the paintings he was dreaming of creating, unable to concentrate on anything but the wonderful world his mind inhabited. Finally Diego attended art school, but even that failed to stimulate the artist, for he felt constrained by the rules and the life drawings the teachers expected from their students. The paintings Diego imagined were of the bright fiestas, the celebration of the Day of the Dead and the struggles of the people confronting soldiers in the streets. Holding nothing back, it was Diego's plan was to show it all, the many faces of his beloved land. Returning from a visit to Italy, where he was impressed by the religious murals that covered the walls of the churches, Diego knew what he wanted to do.

He spent the rest of his life painting murals throughout Mexico, drawn to the folklore, rituals and struggles of the Mexican people, hiding from nothing, even the sometimes brutal street battle between soldiers and the workers. Diego Rivera is revered in Mexico, his paintings as popular today as when he first created them. Surely this little boy was destined to write the history of his country on the walls and churches of Mexico, a gift to last through time. The illustrations are small and filled with brilliant colors, retaining the same style as Diego's murals, the faces of people and place recognizable in their simplicity and natural beauty. Luan Gaines/ 2007.

Viva Diego!.......2006-03-27

Diego Rivera's biography is told in this superbly illustrated text. The story begins as he is born, and ends many years later after Rivera has become a famous Mexican muralist, however much of the text focuses on Rivera's childhood. The text is written in both English and Spanish on every page. Both languages are written in concise sentences that clearly convey information about Rivera's life and work. Each page also has a brightly colored picture that reinforces the text's message.The illustrations by Jeanette Winter are beautiful, richly colored accompaniments to the colorful life of Diego Rivera. The motifs in them are those typically found in Mexican folk art and include appropriate colors and subjects, often echoing those found in Rivera's work. This is a delightful and age appropriate introduction to an artist whose tempestuous personal life sometimes overshadows his outstanding artistic accomplishments both inside and outside of Mexico. Students who are interested in art or Mexican history will find this book to be a treasure. Native Spanish speakers could use this text in the classroom to share their knowledge of the Spanish language and Mexican culture.

Great.......2005-02-09

Writing a book about Diego Rivera in terms that young children can understand is not an easy task, however this book does a great job. The story is engaging, the pictures are wonderfully colorful, and can hold a kid's attention. I purchased this book when my daughter was only 3 and even though she didn't understand much of the text, she was captivated by the pictures. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to expose a young child to art and artists' lives.

The Life of Diego Rivera Simplified.......2003-06-13

This is a very simplified life story of Diego Rivera, famous Mexican artist. It is filled with pictures that are artistic and designed in the style of the artist. Any child, especially those interested in art, would find this book of interest.

Average customer rating:

Diego

Diego Rivera: A Retrospective
Linda Banks Downs
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Criticism | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0393046095

Book Description

A celebration of a renowned artist and political activist.

Diego Rivera, in a career that spanned sixty years, produced some of the most distinctive and socially powerful works in modern art. Rivera was very much a twentieth-century renaissance man. He was a painter, printmaker, sculptor, book illustrator, one of the first collectors of pre-Columbian art, as well as a political activist. In both the United States and Mexico, Rivera's monumental frescos gave life to revolutionary themes, often offending the critics as well as the public. In New York's Rockefeller Center, for instance, his murals were destroyed because of public outrage over their strongly pro-communist content. This volume illustrates Rivera's life and work from his early years at the Mexican Academy of San Carlos and studies in Spain; his subsequent eleven-year sojourn in Paris in the first part of this century; to his efforts to establish a truly national Mexican style in the murals for which he is most famous. Accompanying Rivera's work are essays by noted scholars reevaluating his place in the history of modern art. 200 color plates, 325 black-and-white illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Diego.......2000-04-21

Long out of print, this book has never been surpassed as "the complete Rivera." This volume illustrates Diego Rivera's life and work, from his early years at the Mexican Academy of San Carlos and studies in Spain; his subsequent eleven-year sojourn in Paris in the first part of this century; to his efforts to establish a truly national Mexican style in the murals for which he is most famous. Illustrations of Rivera's work are accompanied by essays by noted scholars who reevaluate his place in the history of modern art.

Average customer rating:

great artist, great writer
Anti-left diatribe
The life and the art. First rate!
Coffee Table Material
Blends both the highs and lows in his struggle

Diego Rivera
Pete Hamill
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Modern | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0810932342

Amazon.com

In another life, before becoming one of the best known and most popular journalists in New York and the author of the bestselling memoir A Drinking Life, Pete Hamill studied art on the GI Bill in Mexico City. Upon seeing the monumental work of José Clemente Orozco, however, he abruptly lost his nerve: "It seemed an act of self-delusion to try to be a painter."

After 44 years, Hamill has found a way to integrate his early affair with art, his lifelong love of Mexico, and his narrative gifts in this riveting and lushly illustrated book on Diego Rivera, Mexico's best-known, widely loved muralist. Hamill's text, he says, was completed before the publication of Patrick Marnham's Dreaming with His Eyes Open: A Life of Diego Rivera. This one is less scholarly but respectably researched, and Hamill's fervent opinions on which of Rivera's works are worthy and which are the sad effluvia of a Communist Party hack are remarkably persuasive. Hamill's esthetic judgment has led him to avoid reproducing any second-rate clunkers. He has chosen the great murals, paintings, and drawings that suit the godlike stature of this outsize artist who lied, cheated, womanized, and evaded responsibility his entire life, but who worked like a demon in the service of his art.

Rivera's shabby genteel childhood; his flight to France during the 10-year Mexican Revolution, during which nearly a tenth of his countrymen died; his callous abandonment of his first wife; his ugly political gambits and high-flown society contacts; his ultimately sad relationships with both men and women--Hamill weaves it all into a fantastic read. The book is not as balanced as Dreaming with His Eyes Open, but is nonetheless a passionate first look at an artist whose complicated life will probably still be examined decades from now. --Peggy Moorman

Book Description

Diego Rivera (1886-1957) was the greatest Mexican painter of the century-an audacious muralist, voracious lover, and ardent leftist who befriended Pablo Picasso, married Frida Kahlo, and quarreled with Leon Trotsky. Pete Hamill, a best-selling novelist and one of America's most esteemed journalists, gives us an extraordinary book, now in paperback, on Rivera's life and art. Hamill, once a young art student in Mexico City, shows how, despite the political passions, Rivera created a body of work that still astonishes. Filled with superb reproductions and documentary photographs, Diego Rivera is a tour de force.

"In this tight and balanced look at Mexican painter Diego Rivera, Pete Hamill focuses on Rivera's work. While Hamill touches on Rivera's unpredictable temperament . . . notably displayed in his infamous marriage to Frida Kahlo . . . this gorgeous book devotes itself to Rivera's development as artist and political icon. . . .Hamill deftly shows why Rivera deserves to be remembered as one of the great painters of the twentieth century."-The Progressive

"A fascinating book . . . Hamill writes authoritatively about Rivera's work and diverse styles."-The New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews:

great artist, great writer.......2004-11-24

Buy this for the beautiful reproductions and intriguing photos that will have you dreaming of the non-beach areas of Mexico.

Buy this for the warm and beautiful writing even if you don't know who Diego Rivera is.

Re the reviewer who thought Hamill was hard on Rivera's politics: he was equally hard on Rivera's religious affiliation. Hamill is not interested in convincing the reader of any political or religious belief; he is interested in describing the difference between Rivera's greatest and weakest works. His opinion, of course, but the overall impression is one of great admiration for Rivera as a person as well as a painter, and the overall influence on the reader is one of opening the mind and not closing it.

Highly recommended.

Anti-left diatribe.......2004-09-26

The artwork in Hamill's volume almost makes the book worth its price, but his commentary is so unrelentingly anti-left that he does an injustice to Rivera's memory. Consider a representative passage: "The violent triumph of the Bolsheviks in October 1917 and the swift and bloody [sic] creation of the Soviet Union provided an instant model [for Mexican revolutionaries]. Many young intellectuals were persuaded that a Marxist-Leninist ideology could be imported to Mexico... They believed the lies about communist successes that were being sent to the world from Moscow. They truly believed that the new and glorious Soviet Union was a state where artists and writers flourished, and where millions of happy Russians, Slavs, and other ethnics were working selflessly toward common goals....It was an oddly innocent time. Nobody had yet heard the word gulag." Now any reader with even a limited knowledge of Soviet history can't help but find the sarcasm of this passage arresting. One need not be an apologist for Stalin and the crimes of the later Soviet Empire to acknowledge that in the early years of the revolution there was, in fact, a flowering of art and culture, a truly revolutionary environment that produced luminaries like Bakhtin and Eisenstein. Furthermore, Rivera, himself, was not an apologist for Stalinism and his own work fits well within the critical Western Marxist tradition that includes Lukacs (who, by the way, also admired Lenin), Benjamin, and even Adorno.

Hamill never loses an opportunity to attack Rivera's politics. Why such a strident anti-leftist would write a book on Rivera I'll will never understand. But the fact that this is the most readily available and one of the most handsome books on Rivera speaks volumes about the politics of the art publishing industry.

The life and the art. First rate!.......2004-02-24

Prior to reading Hamill's bio of Rivera I had read some of another, published the same year. I'm not sure why I was so cool to the book or why it left me irritated. But that would have been the end of my investigation of Rivera's life if I hadn't come across Hamill's book by accident.
I read a couple of pages and was hooked. Hamill is known to me as a fine journalist, editor and novelist but an art biographer? Yes! Yes! This book is a pleasure to read. The prose is clear, clean and engaging, yet it packs a lot of information. And what's the point of writing about a major painter and not printing any of his work? This book is filled with glorious, excellent color reproductions covering Rivera's entire life work. Hamill is not afraid to offer judgments but I thought they were fair and relevant. This is a solid piece of work. As a young man Hamill wanted to be a painter and went to Mexico City to study. He later lived in the city as a journalist. So there are many years of the love of Mexico and art behind this book.
If you want to know more about the Mexican revolution, the art scene in Paris around the years of WWI (Rivera accused Picasso of stealing ideas from him) how Mexico nurtured and esteemed its artists, and much more, read this book.

Coffee Table Material.......2002-12-14

If you admire Rivera, buy this book. It sits on our coffee table and is very alluring. It makes a great gift for any fan of this extraordinary artist.

Submitted by the author of "I'm Living Your Dream Life."

Blends both the highs and lows in his struggle.......2002-11-14

Unforgettable reading, Diego Rivera is a vivid, emotionally written biography of the famous Mexican artist, mural painter, and Communist activist Diego Rivera (1886-1957). Biographer Pete Hamill narration of Rivera's remarkable life is enhanced with Rivera's great works of art both in full color replications and through black-and-white photographs. With an informed and informative text more heavily weighted toward relating Rivera's life story than simply being a showcase of Rivera's great murals, Diego Rivera blends both the highs and lows in his struggle through life for meaning against a background of turbulent politics, as well as the overwhelming messages of his art.

Average customer rating:

Fact and Fiction
Strictly Fantasy

My Art, My Life: An Autobiography
Diego Rivera , and with Gladys March
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Artists, Architects & Photographers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0486269388

Book Description

A richly revealing document offering many telling insights into the mind and heart of a giant of 20th-century art. "There is no lack of exciting material. A lover at nine, a cannibal at 18, by his own account, Rivera was prodigiously productive of art and controversy." — San Francisco Chronicle. 21 halftones.

Customer Reviews:

Fact and Fiction.......2003-01-21

This book is a mixture of fact and fantasy, the real real and imagined world as conjured by the mind of Diego Rivera as told to Gladys March. The invention of facts, the fabrication of the bits of truth to create a colorful story are the result of a newspaper interview that flourished into a series of interviews over many years. Beginning in 1944 and continuing until his death in 1957 Gladys March spent several months each year collecting over 2000 pages of notes that eventually formed the basis of this book. As another customer reviewer stated this is not the place to start when you reading about the life of Rivera since the lines between fact and fiction are blurred at best. A more accurate picture can be found in "dreaming With His Eyes Open" by Patrick Marnham. If you have a foundation in the life and times of one of the great Mexican artists than this book reflects a colorful and imaginative mind. The brillance of his art aside Diego reveals himself and makes no excuses for the parts of his pesonality that are less than desireable. He talks about his experiment in cannanbilsm, witchcraft, his blaphemous treatment of religion and the church, the communist party, his relationships with world leaders, artists and women, his advetures in Europe, the United States and Mexico, his troubles and ills , including his bout with cancer of the penis and in general the things that made his life as large as his physical presence. A very entertaining book that is easy to read because each small chapter deals with an extensive period of his life. All in all this is a good book to compliment other books on Rivera to get an even more accurate but distorted view of his brilliance. Included are several pictures and paintings from throughout his life. The man , the myth and the artist are here for you to decipher the truth and paint your own picture.

Strictly Fantasy.......1999-09-01

If you have not yet read anything about the life of Diego Rivera, don't start with this book. While Rivera's re-imagining of his life is riveting, it is merely one more tall tale. Rivera is known for many talents, however, sticking to the truth is not one of them.

Customer Reviews:

Great for Elementary Art Teachers!.......2007-10-09

You can't go wrong with these Art books! I use them all the time in my Art room...great way to introduce the "sometimes" boring topic of Art history.

Diego Rivera.......2007-07-18

My son is 8 years old and had to do a book report over the summer on Diego Rivera.
This book was recommended by his teacher and I would highly recommend it as well.
Super easy to read and follow and made it interesting enough for my son to enjoy.
He was able to read this in a day!

Guia de los murales de Diego Rivera en la Secretaria de Educacion Publica

Average customer rating:

Diego Rivera Mural Painting

Guia de los murales de Diego Rivera en la Secretaria de Educacion Publica
Antonio Rodriguez
Manufacturer: SEP Cultura
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Diego Rivera Mural Painting.......2002-11-02

This book is thorough and very enlightening. The photos are superb. Beautiful book. Very inspiring.

The Journey of Diego Rivera (Art Beyond Borders)

Average customer rating:

Diego made easy for beginner Spanish students

The Journey of Diego Rivera (Art Beyond Borders)
Ernest Goldstein , and Diego Rivera
Manufacturer: Lerner Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0822520664

Customer Reviews:

Diego made easy for beginner Spanish students.......2000-04-22

After researching through the internet and libraries for information on Rivera for my Spaqnish class assisgnment, I came across this book which I must say is the best for analysis on Rivera's works and easily translated into Spanish for beginner and intermediate Spanish students. Although it is for ages up to 16, I am taking Spanish at college level and found both the pictures and the analysis written in simple but accurate descriptive language and very easy to understand . The photography is excellent.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera (Pegasus Library--Paperback Editions)

Average customer rating:

Great Intro into the Life of Kahlo & Rivera
Beautiful
FRIDA KAHLO AND DIEGO RIVERA
Errors, Typos - Poor quality - Photo selection good.
Does Life imitate Art?

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera (Pegasus Library--Paperback Editions)
Isabel Alcantara , and Sandra Egnolff
Manufacturer: Prestel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Artists, Architects & Photographers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 3791325590

Book Description

Frida Kahlo's stormy relationship with fellow artist Diego Rivera and how it affected her work is the subject of this fascinating study. Generously illustrated with works by both artists as well as contemporary photographs, this volume sheds new light on the life and imagery of one of the twentieth century's greatest women artists.

Customer Reviews:

Great Intro into the Life of Kahlo & Rivera.......2007-09-11

This book is a very good introduction to the tragic love story of Frida Kahlo and her husband, the famous Mexican muralist and womanizer Diego Rivera. It presents an insight into their stormy relationship and how it affected her personal life and her art. If you are just getting acquainted with Frida Kahlo this is a great "Frida Kahlo 101" book. It's very well written and easy reading. There are several color illustrations of works by both artists as well as several black & white photos. Although several illustrations of their works are included, there is very little discussion of the works....this book is, for the most part, biographical. And, yes, as another reviewer on Amazon.com pointed out, there are a few typos in the text, and some of the sentence structure is a bit "unusual" and there are a couple of facts that aren't quite right...but just overlook that and you'll find this book very interesting and informative.

Beautiful.......2007-05-14

This is a wonderful short collection of color prints and includes an account of the lives of two great artists, troubled though they were. For art lovers who don't love spending a fortune on their art books, this volume is a natural. I highly recommend it.

FRIDA KAHLO AND DIEGO RIVERA.......2007-01-22

This book gave me a glimpse into Frida's life, the turmoil she must have constantly felt to love a man whose weakness was all women. I could almost feel her thoughts through the author's words.
The ending brought me to tears. I wish I knew her. Once I started reading, I couldn't put this book down! thank you for a glimpse into Frida and Diego's lives.

Errors, Typos - Poor quality - Photo selection good........2003-07-14

I'm baffled that a book can be published with so many typos and gross errors. Frida's name is even misspelled "Kahalo" in one place. It states her tragic accident happened on "17 December 1925" which it did not (it was September) and it says this twice. On the very next page it shows her diary entries discussing her pain from the injuries, the entries are dated October 1925 and on. I mean it's really distracting and totally unacceptable. Sentences were incomplete and you are left rereading and looking for the rest of the statement. Some of the sentences just didn't make any sense. I ended up reading with a pencil in hand to make corrections. As for the actual bio info, I agree it's interesting, but Frida and Diego were unquestionably fascinating people even in poorly written text. Thankfully I checked this out from our public library. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone. Get another bio from a different publisher. One that is reputable, responsible and does good work. I give it two stars for photo selection.

Does Life imitate Art?.......2002-02-25

This book provides better than average insight into lives of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. While people are now eagerly awaiting the Fall 2002 Selma Hayek movie on Frida, this book does provide some background into the world of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. If you are unfamilar with these artists this book would be a good place to start.

Average customer rating:

Diego Rivera (Great Artists Set I)
Joanne Mattern
Manufacturer: Checkerboard Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1591978491

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books