Flower Carrier

Diego Rivera in 1935 masterfully designed the Flower Carrier originally known as Cargador de Flores. The Flower Carrier like most of Rivera’s paintings show simplicity yet at the same time exuded much meaning and symbolism. The bright and vibrant colors applied to the Masonite, which is a hard surface.

This colorful painting portrays a peasant man with a yellow sombrero and white clothing struggling to carry the heavy, oversized flowers basket strapped to his back with a yellow sling. A woman is standing beside him trying to help him lift the heavy basket as he makes an effort of rising to his feet. The shape of the paintings helps to support the deeper content of the painting. For instance, the strikingly beautiful flowers are only seen by the viewers, but the man trying to carry them does not notice their beauty. Instead, he only sees the value of these flowers in the market for exchange or sale. The geometric shapes provide intense and bold contrasts with each item, figure, and foliage that reflect individualism (Vázquez, 269-270).

The enormous basket tied to the back of the man represents the encumbrance of an unskilled and untrained worker in the present capitalistic world. The bright and bold colors make the subject stand out from the painting’s background as though the figures outlining. The shape sizes of the man and woman also denote an interesting comparison. The man carrying the heavy load is a smaller person than the huge size of the woman placing the load on his back (Ugalde, 201).

The man in this painting is an exhausted peasant trying to lift the enormous weight of the flower basket. Diego represents the farmer as being physically small or even frail. The stout woman is most likely to be his wife who helps her overburdened husband and fellow worker with his load.

The woman and the peasant represent the working class of Mexico, especially the indigenous and native people. Their dark skin and traditional garb indicate they are not the aristocrat’s decedents purely from the Spanish elite but are the hardworking mestizos. Also the fact that the woman is assisting the fatigued worker, Rivera is pointing out that the common people are good in nature.

The flowers are crucial in giving meaning to this painting. The peasant is not carrying vital crops such as squash or corn. Instead, he is collecting the ornamental product of agriculture which is the flowers only used to adorn the wealthy homes (Hubbard, p. 36-39). In so doing, Rivera is portraying the excessiveness and the luxurious lifestyle of the ruling upper class that is debilitating to the lower class persons. In this painting of the Flower Carrier, Rivera is contributing his artistic ideas in being a legendary artist, a champion of the working class as well as a political activist. just like his other murals the painting calls attention to class civil rights and history of Mexico. It pays tribute to the laborers and farmers and passes a political message.

Work cited

Hubbard, Guy. Floral Surprises. Teaching Art with Art. Arts & Activities; 2004, Vol. 135 Issue 4, p 36-39,
Ugalde Alejandro. Expectations and Stereotypes of Mexican’s Diego Rivera in 1930s New York. Art Nexus 6 no D 2007/F 2008 Vázquez, Adolfo Sánchez. Diego Rivera: Painting and Partisanship. Third Text; 2014, Vol. 28 Issue 3, p 269-270,

 

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