Diego Rivera

His World and Ours

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 

hosted today by books together

Abrams Books for Young Readers

(pub. 5.1.2011)  40 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor and illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh

C haracter: the artist Diego Rivera

 

O verview from the jacket flap: 

         "Diego Rivera, one of the most famous painters of the twentieth century, was once just a mischievous little boy who loved to draw. But this little boy would grow up to follow his passion and greatly influence the world of art ...
          Duncan Tonatiuh, who has also been inspired by the art and culture of his native Mexico, asks, if Diego was still painting today, what history would he tell through his artwork? What stories would he bring to life?  Drawing inspiration from Rivera to create his own original work, Tonatiuh helps young readers to understand the importance of Diego Rivera's artwork and to realize that they too can tell stories through art." 

 

T antalizing taste: 

     "'Diego imagined everyone - men and women, boys and girls, of all ages and nationalities - living together and caring for one another.  Today Diego is not around to make this happen. So it is up to us to make our own murals and bring them to life."

and something more:   I was intrigued by the author/illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh's inspiration for Diego Rivera - His World and Ours as he described in the Author's Note: 
        "What I admire most about Rivera is the way in which he looked back at the art of ancient Mexico and was able to incorporate some of its aesthetic into his own work. He combined that ancient art with the art of the modern era and was able to create something new and exciting, but also relevant to an entire nation In my artwork I look back to ancient Mexican at also. I combine these ancient art styles with the art of the digital era.  I remember standing on the stairs of the National Palace in Mexico, looking at Rivera's mural and thinking what would he paint nowadays? What would he paint in the world of cell phones and the web 2.0? And with that thought this book was ignited." 
          What a great idea for a picture book  -- to not only describe Diego Rivera and his art, but to compare the focus of Rivera's art to modern day activities (such as factory workers on production lines compared to students plugged into music and computers).  It made me wonder, what might the focus of other artists be if they painted today?  Perhaps Degas' hip hop dancers?  Any other ideas?