The Echo of a Scream by David Alfaro Siqueiros
1937, enamel on wood, 121.9 x 91.4 cm
Musuem of Modern Art, New York
I promise I didn't do this on purpose, but both today and yesterday's image are responses to the Spanish Civil War. I am not trying to make this "Spanish Civil War week," it just happened to coincidentally happen.
Siqueiros was as interested in creating art as he was in creating bold and moving political statements. A native of Chihuahua, Mexico, Siqueiros created numerous politically charged murals, however it is his The Echo of a Scream that hits me the most. Much like Picasso was outraged with the deaths of the innocent civilians of the Spanish Civil War, Siqueiros took his anger and created a piece that was both visually moving and visually disturbing. He chose to take the most innocent of all, a baby, and amplify the pain and horror of the war through the child's innocent scream of anguish. The child sits in a pile of debris, all of what is left of his world, and is alone, helpless, and in pain. Why did Siqueiros paint the larger head? Well, it symbolizes the lost lives and pain of all the victimss we don't see.
I know this isn't the happiest of posts, but there really is no other way to explain The Echo of a Sceam. If it wasn't the artist's main intention I would haved ignored the sad aspect, but that's the point.... I just can't. That's what Siqueiros wanted to do; he wanted to create a piece that was so visually distrubing it was impossible to ignore. Picasso chose to make a piece charged with symbolism so that the strange imagery would intice the viewers to read more into the piece, only then learning about the horror of the Spanish Civil War. Siqueiros chose to paint a piece that bluntly showed you the atrocities of the war. This is often how Siqueiros creates. His works are in your face, to the point, and in the process they are impossible to ignore.
Siqueiros creates art that can not be overlooked.
This post immediately reminded me of images I've seen in the news of the Haitian earthquake aftermath. I had never heard of this artist, interesting.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right, though two different times in history the destruction and hurt parallels. Glad you found the post to be interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhile the atrocities of war isn't a subject I wish too spend to much time contemplating, just the same, this piece has a magnetic appeal to me. One almost audibly hears the passionate cry of pain just in the viewing of it. When a painting can evoke that kind of multi-sensory emotional response, it is worth noting. Talented Mexican artist!
ReplyDeleteyou spelled the title of the goddamn painting wrong
ReplyDeletehow do you spell it then
ReplyDeleteFantastic post, I also find this work very interesting its grotesque and disturbing, yet I feel drawn to it almost against my will. this also was very helpful with a paper I am writing for school, thanks so much
ReplyDeleteGreat post. It's good that you brought up a somewhat lesser known, but highly talented artist from the social realist approach of modernism. I too really like that painting. But, while not doubting David Siqueiros' outrage against injustice and sympathy towards the poor, downtrodden and especially the working class, he was a Stalinist (and they killed not just the Fascists during the Spanish Civil War, but also many non-Stalinist Communists and the anarchists who were supposedly on the same side), who was involved in the first attempt to assassinate Leon Trotsky while he lived in exile in Mexico. In other words, unlike most artists, he did not shy away from violence.
ReplyDeleteAfter viewing other work by this artist it is not difficult to see that he was most likely a very unhappy person, but for his reasons. He was on a mission and it would be interesting to know if he completed what he intended....
ReplyDeleteAfter viewing other work by this artist it is not difficult to see that he was most likely a very unhappy person, but for his reasons. He was on a mission and it would be interesting to know if he completed what he intended....
ReplyDeleteSo I was with the girlfriend at the time in the museum. She worked for Dance magazine. I like art. We roam around. She excuses herself and goes into the ladies room and I am caused to sit and wait outside the bathroom for her. I sit there and wait. I start looking at the painting. I don't know what happens to me but the next thing I feel is that I am having a nervous breakdown. As I write this, more than 20 years later, I still feel the remnants of that. I think I now understand art a little bit. So it goes/
ReplyDeleteSo I was with the girlfriend at the time in the museum. She worked for Dance magazine. I like art. We roam around. She excuses herself and goes into the ladies room and I am caused to sit and wait outside the bathroom for her. I sit there and wait. I start looking at the painting. I don't know what happens to me but the next thing I feel is that I am having a nervous breakdown. As I write this, more than 20 years later, I still feel the remnants of that. I think I now understand art a little bit. So it goes/
ReplyDelete