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Simon Reads #13
Lant Ay.
The Story of Mexican Murals
317 words/English (United States)
Public art has been important throughout history. In Mexico, many
artists used murals to
communicate social and political messages.
Murals are
paintings that are painted directly on a large wall. Back
when most
people in the country could not read, artists would paint
murals to
express certain politics or traditions. These murals were
available
for all to see. Mural painting became a way for artists to
share their beliefs
and try to unite a divided country.
In 1910, the Mexican Revolution began. This Revolution was a civil
war that started with an
election and lasted for about a decade. Many
people were unhappy with
the dictator Porfirio Díaz, who had declared
himself the winner of that
election. So a war broke out as people
struggled for power. For
many years, Mexico experienced division and
violence. No one could agree
on who should lead the country. Many
people fled Mexico in hopes
of a better life. People who stayed in the
country wanted reforms. Reforms
are changes that improve people's
lives. Even though the
Revolution ended in 1920, Mexico was still
very
divided. Artists tried to bring people together by making murals.
The artists painted farmers, laborers, and revolutionaries. They painted
these middle- and lower-
class people as heroes. They also painted
images of the Mexican
Revolution. Some of these images showed the
violence and fear during this
decade.
Three artists became known for their revolutionary murals. They were
nicknamed "Los Tres Grandes
," or Three Great Ones. They were
Diego Rivera, José
Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros.
Siqueiros even fought in the Revolution.
Write a paragraph summarizing the reading selection