The Perpetual Renewal of the Revolutionary Struggle 1927

Diego Rivera made this fresco, The Perpetual Renewal of the Revolutionary Struggle, at Chapingo Autonomous University. The palette is earthy, but there's this almost luminous, golden quality to it that pulls you in. Rivera's application feels so direct, so visceral. The paint isn't trying to hide itself; it's there, thick in places, thin in others, telling you about its own making. Look at the way the tree trunk twists and turns, the way the paint seems to ripple and flow. It’s almost as if the tree itself is breathing, living. The leaves too, scattered like flames, add to this sense of perpetual motion. I’m drawn to the figure draped in white, bowed in grief. The folds of fabric are rendered with such tenderness, yet there's a starkness to it. The revolutionary struggle isn’t just about grand gestures; it’s about the intimate, personal cost of loss. Rivera’s work speaks to artists like Kathe Kollwitz, who also knew how to depict suffering and resilience with such raw honesty. Art is like a conversation, echoing through time, each artist responding to what came before.