Historically, industrialization created jobs which were desired by many, and provided prosperity, and hope for thousands of men and women who came to Detroit to achieve the American Dream . In 1932, Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera (1886-1957) was commissioned to paint a mural that would symbolize the industry of Detroit. Not only do the compositions accurately display the production of an automobile, Rivera vividly criticizes the human repetition of mass production and industrialization.
Rivera was invited by Detroit to paint two fresco style murals in what then was know as the Garden Court, located in the center of the Detroit Institute of Arts museum. The only prerequisite given to Rivera was that the murals were to reflect Detroit s role in industrialization. The project was funded by Edsel Ford, whom was the both the president of the Arts Commission and Ford Motor Company. Appropriately, Rivera studied Ford Motor Company s River Rouge complex to acquire an understanding of various manufacturing processes. By developing first his engineer s perspective, he was then prepared to present the technical illustration in a realistic sequence that depicted mass automotive manufacturing. This realism is a strong feature, and explains why these factory scenes stimulate personal appeal and fascination for many individuals who have seen inner workings of a factory, especially for those in the city of Detroit.
The Business plan on Ford Motor Company 3
Ford Motor Company one of the world’s largest automobile manufactures was founded in June of 1903. The founder Henry Ford was 39 years of age when he founded the company, first calling it Henry Ford Company. The Company started off with $28,000 Dollars derived from 12 investors in a converted factory in Detroit, MI. Ford Motor Company is most known for it‘s innovations in the automobile industry ...
The room in it s entirety is symbolic of the process that transforms raw materials beneath the surface into self propelled machines. The east wall is where life begins. The center tile is a child growing in the womb of a plant bulb. On either sides of the center tile are two women sitting with Michigan native crops in their laps. These images symbolizes our dependance on the earth, and the basis for all technological advances. The opposite wall (west) the theme is more developed, demonstrating the advanced technologies of the time. From our earliest form of transportation (water vessels) to the most advanced aviation technologies, Rivera intermingled the two on this wall, dividing them into good and evil. The north and south walls are divided into three ideas. The upper center tiles represent the four major races that make up the American work force (Red, Black, Yellow, and White).
Between each figure are huge fists clutching raw materials. These fists are symbolic of our need for the earths elements for the production of materials such as steel. One either sides of those panels are frescos depicting other Detroit based industries (medical, chemical, and pharmaceutical), and the positive and negatives of each. On both north and south walls, the large main panels are Rivera s interpretation of the Rouge plant. The south wall illustrates the exterior production of the automobile, where the north wall demonstrates the assembling of the engine and transmission. Collectively, all 27 tiles flow together to illustrate the transformation processes connecting various forms of life. However, the two main Rouge plant panels are what really express the unity of man and machine.
The natural sun light from the above cathedral windows illuminates the figures painted into the plaster. The colors come alive. And the figures seem to move in their factory environments. As I studied the two main murals, my eyes were drawn to the north wall time and time again. This specific scene interprets the building of the engine and transmission of the 1932 Ford V8. The bright oranges, reds, and yellow colors blaze from the furnaces, and give off heat against the cool grays of the background. The men in the foreground are all working together moving in a rhythmic sway. The snake like conveyors coil throughout the factory, interconnecting the processes as the components are transported along the line. The automobile parts pass along the workers at a repetitious beat, like that of a funeral procession drum. Looking long enough at the north mural, one can almost hear the sounds throbbing from the center of the factory. Rivera used minute details to express the weight of the mundane physical labor that is wearing on their muscles, and chiseled into their faces. On the right side of the mural, one worker s pale face stands out among the browns and blue/gray tones of the workers. Rivera detailed the worker s eyes, to show the tiring expression that many felt.
The Essay on Plantation Laborers vs Industrial Workers
Working and living conditions in the 1800s were bad for both plantation workers and factory workers had it particularly bad. Although there were many similarities in their lives, there were many differences as well. Nonetheless both jobs were very hard work. The lives of both groups were very much alike. Both worked long hard hours and did hard physical labor. The working conditions were harsh and ...
Although one might argue, and say that this mural applauds the factory and its ability for immense mass production. One could easily interpret the rhythmic movements of the workers and the machines as a celebration. The workers dancing to the beat of the machines that pulsate through-out the factory. The bright flames of the furnaces at the top of this mural are explosively bright, like fireworks. The majority of this mural could be interpreted as either a celebration or condemnation of the process of mass production, but it is the small thumbnail pictures that border the bottom of both north and south walls that confirm the negatives of the process.
Inset along the bottom of the two main murals, are 12 smaller thumbnail frescos in mono-tone shades of blue. The sketch type images are lacking detail that the other fresco images have, but less is sometimes more. These pictures represent the daily life of a worker in the steel making operation. The tiny representations start on the left lower corner of the north wall, where the workers punch another day on the time clock. The pictures continue on like frames of a 8mm recorder documenting the tedious processes of steel making. The last picture on the north wall is of the workers on lunch break. The silhouette of the employees are hunched over, as if they are trying to conserve energy, knowing that the day is only half over. The other six blueprints are continued on the south wall, beginning with other laborious responsibilities of the steel operations. The final picture in this cycle is the outlines of the workers picking up their daily wages as they file out to the parking lots. The tiny illustrations give a vivid portrayal of the colorless day in and day out routine of the River Rouge plant.
The Essay on Diego Rivera Murals Detroit
Art comes in many forms such as dance, sculptures, photography, architecture, graffiti, music and much more. What one person may see or think is art, someone may completely disagree. Going to a museum, you may find a painting that captures your eye. By looking at it, you may be able to understand its meaning. It maybe the answers to the questions that you " ve been looking for. It may take you out ...
Rivera s portrayal of the River Rouge factory denounces the repetitive rhythm of mass production. Only when observing Rivera s work as a whole does one realize the power that results from this tempo of workers. They flex their muscles in unison, and share a common obligation that is evident by the etched expressions on their faces. These workers are repetitiously performing their tasks, and such collective harnessed power is transformed into the force of industrialization. Rivera not only painted the many aspects of factory life, the complexity of in-dustrialization, but he also created an accurate historical representation of Detroit s core industry. Arriving in Detroit commissioned to complete two panels, Rivera left behind a masterpiece — an entire room painted full with symbolism that combines and blends all aspects that maintain and destroy life.
