Diego Rivera

Mexican, 1886-1957

Mason

© Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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Mason, 1935

Artwork Details

Materials

watercolor on paper

Measurements

sheet: 15 x 11 inches (38.1 x 27.94 cm); support: 21 x 17 inches (53.34 x 43.18 cm)

Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Credit

Gift of Norman E. Boasberg in memory of his father, Emanuel Boasberg, 1943

Accession ID

1943:17

This watercolor is from a group of at least seven that Diego Rivera made on the subject of stonemasons in 1935. Although the renowned Social Realist painter is best known for his ambitious and elaborate murals that openly tackle political and economic themes, he also frequently represented everyday life in Mexico. Like the other works in the series—which include laborers heaving heavy stones on their backs using ropes or breaking them with hammers—this watercolor shows one stage in the construction of a building.

Label from Overtime: The Art of Work, March 8–May 17, 2015