Diego Rivera Celebrated by Google…

If you’ve spent any time on Google today, you’ve probably noticed a special mural on the site’s main page…

It was Google Doodle’s way of celebrating the 125th anniversary of legendary Mexican painter Diego Rivera’s birth.

Elements of Rivera’s original work are displayed in the Doodle, including  figures from some of his iconic paintings like “The Flower Carrier” and “Mother and Child Sleeping.” A man painting while standing on scaffolding is intended to depict Rivera at work. You can view more details here about the best painting and art tips.

Born on December 8, 1886, in Guanajuato, Mexico, Rivera is credited with helping establish the Mexican Mural Movement.

He joined the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City to study art when he was just 10-years-old. Rivera later went to Europe, where he studied in Madrid then moved to Paris to live and work with the artists in Montparnasse.

Google-Runs-Mural-Doodle-Dedicated-to-Diego-Rivera

Rivera was greatly inspired by the political ideals of the Mexican Revolution and the Russian Revolution. Through his art, he sought to reflect the lives of the working class and native people of Mexico.

Under a special government program in 1921, Rivera created a series of murals in public  buildings. During the 1930s and 1940s, he moved on to paint several murals in the United States. But not all of his murals received overwhelming love. One of them at the Rockefeller Center in New York City—called “Man at the Crossroads” and featuring a portrait of Russian communist leader Vladimir Lenin—was later destroyed.

In 1929, Diego Rivera married fellow Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who was some 20 years his junior. The two divorced in 1939, only to remarry later.

Rivera died in 1957 at the age of 70, but his legacy lives on as his awe-inspiring works continue to inspire younger generations.