Discuss the iconography of Diego Rivera's mural Man, Controller of the Universe in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal answer should include:
1. At the center of the mural, a figure in overalls represents Man, who symbolically controls the universe through his manipulation of technology.
2. Crossing behind him are two great ellipses that represent, respectively, the microcosm of living organisms as seen through the microscope at Man's right hand, and the macrocosm of outer space as viewed through the giant telescope above his head, and, below, fruits and vegetables rise from the earth as a result of Man's agricultural efforts.
3. To the viewer's right, Lenin joins the hands of several workers of different races, and, at the left, decadent capitalists-including the bespectacled John D. Rockefeller, Jr-debauch themselves in a nightclub.
4. At the sides of the mural, Rivera contrasts the peaceful socialist workers at right with the militarism and labor unrest of the capitalist world to the left.