Self-study
P1
The contemporary Mexican artistic movement known as muralism, a movement of public art that began with images painted on walls in an effort to represent Mexican national culture, is closely linked ideologically with its main sponsor, the new Mexican government elected in 1920 following the Mexican Revolution. ████ ██████████ ████████ ██ █████████ ████████ ████████ ███ ███ █████ █████████████ █████ ██████ ██ ███████ ██ ███████ ████████ ████████ ███ ████████████ ███
Intro topic ·
Muralism (Mexican art movement involving images representing Mexican culture)
Linked to Mexican government following Mexican Revolution, which called on artists to show good things about Mexico.
Theoretical foundation of Muralism ·
Idea that art should incorporate images and familiar ideas while commenting on contemporary historical period
Major muralist artists brought in customs, myths, and history of local communities that form the basis of Mexican national culture.
P2
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Clarification about Muralism ·
Not just formulaic government-sponsored art; reflects innovations in art world
Muralists used a realist style, but were freer in their expression than other realist artists.
P3
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Style of Muralists ·
Muralists developed own distinct styles
Rivera incorporated elements of pre-Columbian sculpture and Italian Renaissance. Orozco had more expressionist style. Siquieros was similar to Orozco, but had some stylistic differences. (Need to come back for the details of the style differences if questions ask about this; not worth trying to remember.)
P4
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Cause of stylistic experimentation ·
Moving to new medium (large walls) led to experimentation
Muralists moved from small easel paintings to large compositions on walls. Muralists had to use larger brush gestures. They also had to make their work viewable from many different angles.
Passage Style
Single position
Spotlight
3.
Which one of the following ███████ ██ ████████ ████████ ████ ███ ██████ ██████ ██ █████ ████ ███████
a
its revolutionary ideology
The author values stylistic innovations more than the revolutionary ideology. The author tells us that muralism wasn’t just formulaic, official government art. The rest of the passage focuses on stylistic elements, not revolutionary subject matter.
b
its use of █████████ █████
Although Orozco used brilliant color, the author never indicates that muralism generally was characterized by brilliant color or that this was one of the innovations of muralism.
c
its tailoring of █████ ██ ███ ██████
This is the best answer. The author notes in the last paragraph that muralists
d
its use of ████████ ████ ████████ ████
It’s not clear that muralism involved elements from everyday life. In any case, even if it did, the author doesn’t suggest that this was the most important aspect of muralism.
e
its expression of ████████ █████
The author values stylistic innovations more than ideas presented in muralism. The author tells us that muralism wasn’t just formulaic, official government art. The rest of the passage focuses on stylistic elements, the populist ideas expressed in the art.