Dating
back to the mid-1930s, Diego Rivera created an oil and tempera piece that pictures
a tan woman standing behind an equally dark man, supporting a large basket
filled with beautiful flower upon his back. This vibrant masterpiece, The Flower Carrier, was painted during
the time period of mass unemployment in America, around the same time when
Rivera was painting several murals in the United States.
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| The Flower Carrier |
I analyzed this visual
with the idea that the woman and the man represents the working class of Mexico
in the States, inferring from the traditional attire and because Rivera is also
of Hispanic descent. The contrasting colors of the subjects behind the rather
dull background creates an emphasis on the individualism of the pictured
figures. This generates a value to each of the workers that are struggling to
carry the flower basket as well as their burden to please the capitalistic world.
What I thought was very
ironic was the strikingly beautiful flowers that is crushing the man down to
all fours. The man is not carrying normal cash crops such as corn, but flowers.
This might be alluding to the ornamental center piece that adorns the homes of
the wealthy. Therefore, it suggests that Rivera’s purpose of painting this
piece is to shine light onto the debilitating endeavor of the working class to
maintain the opulent lifestyle of the upper class.
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