David Alfaro Siqueiros Essay

David Alfaro Siqueiros was a very famous and influential Mexican artist whose work reflected his political ideologies. David was born on December 29, 1896 in Chihuahua, Mexico to parents Cipriano Alfaro and Teresa Siquieros. Siqueiros was the second of three children, and was raised by his grandparents after his mother had died when he was only four years old. His grandfather, Antonio, who had a military background, had a major impact on his childhood. In 1908 David attended Franco-English College and later, San Carlos Academy, to study art and architecture. During his time there, the Mexican Revolution began and Siqueiros became involved in student strikes, which successfully changed the school’s teaching methods. David joined the Mexican Revolution Army at age 18, leading him to join the Communist Party that worked to challenge Victoriano
His murals illustrated ideas that supported his radical politics. Still in the Mexican Revolution Army, David helped create a group called the Congress of Soldier Artists. He started ‘El Machet’, a weekly paper that supported Mexico’s Communist Party, with Diego Rivera and Javier Guerrero. During the 1920s and 1930s David was put in jail numerous times for his provocative political work. In 1930, Siqueiros came to America and worked in Los Angeles. His murals in Los Angeles represented the story of America’s strained relationship with Latin America. He also opened up a school for young artists, in which Jackson Pollock was a student. When the Spanish Civil War started, David went to Spain to fight the Fascists. Later in 1959, the Mexican government sentenced David to five years in jail for supporting a railroad workers’ union. In the last years of his life Alfaro Siqueiros continued to fight for left-wing causes and supported Fidel Castro. David Siqueiros died in 1974 in his home in Cuernavaca, Mexico, ending an incredible life that impacted Mexico