David Alfaro Siqueiros started painting the Portrait of the Bourgeoisie in 1939 after separating from the Republican Army in Spain. It was not until the following year did he finish the portrait. Siqueiros was commissioned by the National Electricity Workers Union in Mexico City so he painted the mural from his reflections and experience gained while in Spain. As well, his personal view on the Mexican Revolution and the situation in Europe at the time influenced his work. Siqueiros was a political activist since his youth. He studied at the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts, Mexico City, before leaving in 1913 to fight in the army of Venustiano Carranza during the Mexican Revolution. Later he continued his art studies in Europe. In 1922, after returning to Mexico, Siqueiros helped paint the frescoes on the walls of the National Preparatory School and also began organizing and leading unions of artists. During the Spanish Civil War he commanded several brigades for the Republicans. Over four decades, his labor-union work and his communist political activities led to a number of jailing’s as well as exiles. He visited the United States, the Soviet Union, and many Latin American countries as a lecturer and guest artist.
The Portrait of the Bourgeoisie is a very unique mural in many ways. For an example when first glancing at the portrait, immediately the man grabs your attention and gives you a quick summary of what the painting stands for. He is very distraught looking, holding a weapon with a rebellious looking flag flying behind his back. The flag demonstrates the motion of the picture. Not only does the flag depict wind, or movement, but as well it represents a very active scenery. The proportions of the man and the flag compared to the rest of the portrait are hugely different. Compared to the men with the masks and the gold surrounding the layout, the man and the flag are wildly important to Siqueiros. They represent from a personal aspect how Siqueiros felt during the Mexican revolution and how hard he fought for what was right in his opinion. There is a lot of repetition in this mural. Looking at the group of men with masks racing towards the main individual, or even the gold scattered across the portraits flooring. All of this represents and suggests a pattern of repetition. Not only are they placed around in every location to blend in with the background but they take up the majority of the paintings visual area. This mural is very unique and has a deep meaning hidden behind all the war imaging. So obviously I like it. I believe it is an excellent piece of art for both its creativity in displaying Siqueiros inner feelings about his time in the Mexican revolution and for how it affects others who just take a glance at it.
