Subterranean Forces 1927

Diego Rivera made this mural, Subterranean Forces, at Chapingo Autonomous University in Mexico. It's all earth tones, like he dug up the colors from the very ground beneath our feet. The way he layers the paint, you can almost feel the heat rising from the scene. Look at the central figure, standing with arms outstretched. Her form is solid, monumental, but the paint around her feels fluid, like she's emerging from the earth itself. Then there are those windows on either side, like eyes into another world. The light filtering through seems to hint at something beyond the immediate, something just out of reach. Rivera reminds me a bit of José Clemente Orozco, another Mexican muralist. Both had this way of making history and myth collide on the wall. But where Orozco often went for stark drama, Rivera’s got this earthy sensuality. It's a reminder that art isn't about answers, but about opening up new ways of seeing.