dieser beitrag wurde verfasst in: englisch (eng/en)
künstler/in (in grau: assistent/innen): David Siqueiros, José L. Gutiérrez, Philip Steintitel: For the Complete Safety of all Mexicans at Workjahr: 1951–54adresse: Centro médico IMSS La Raza (vestibule of the auditorium), Eje 1 Poniente (Calzada Vallejo), col. Vallejo Poniente, del. Gustavo A. Madero, México D.F.
+: 310 m2. Vinylite and pyroxaline of plywood and fibreglass. The architect of the building was Enrique Yañez.
«For a mural in a hospital, a motif related to medicine was the logical choice, and it bore the title, For a Complete Social Security of All Mexicans. In the hospital's main entrance Rivera was painting a mural in fresco of the history of ancient and modern medicine. The director general of Social Security, Antonio Ortiz Mena, took the unusual step of requiring Siqueiros to submit a sketch of the work beforehand. Suspecting opposition to his work, Siqueiros complied with a scale model of the room that showed a painted scene of doctors operation, and of healthy hyppe humans. Once the project was approved, Siqueikros without further ado proceeded without a sketch to paint his Marxist solution to the problem of medical care. […]
During the three years it took to paint the La Raza mural, work on the University City murals was also begun. Siqueiros was pushing hard to complete the hospital mural, putting in long hours on the job. When he put down his brushes to take his midday meal he crossed a dirt road near the hospital and entered a dingy working-class restaurant for soup and chicken (never frijoles, which disagreed with him). Usually accompanied by a handful of painters who were assisting him, the conversation was most often full of good humor. […]
Amid mutterings of discontent and glum expressions on officiating dignitaries, For Complete Social Security of All Mexicans was inaugurated on March 18, 1955. The director general of Seguro Social sent his subdirector, as did the director general of the Institute of Fine Arts. There had been many delays and attempts to halt the inauguration of the 'shocking' mural, but in the end the authorities bowed to the awe-inspireing work of art, which had little in common with the model they had approved.
Critic Alberto Pulico Silva wrote:
This is perhaps Siqueiros' greatest achievement; it possesses such dynamism, both in its theme as well as in its projection over the surfaces, that it seems to be a three dimensional film scene of great color and brilliancy.
Juan Crespo de la Serna wrote:
From the day it was inaugurated with all solemnity, it was to me a complete unity that was fully cohesive. There is no doubt that it is an example of the perfection of a plastic language […]. He has on this occasion come nearer to filling the requisites of monumental public painting and contributing more to renovation the methods and visions in the modality of mural painting for the entire world.
The seas remained calm for the mural. The medical professionals tho walked beneath its message took it in their stride, and for Siqueiros no storm had to be weathered.» (Stein 1994, p. 212–215)
«Bis zu dem Wandbild im Hospital de la Raza hatte Siqueiros, wenn man von drei grossartigen Staffeleibildern absieht, die Richtigkeit seiner Thesen, die er durch drei Jahrzehnte mit so viel Nachdruck vertreten hatte, tatsächlich durch kein grosses Wandbild bestätigen können. Seine Theorien, die in vielem der Zeit vorausgriffen, brachten wohl hier und da einzelne praktische Erfolge. Aber die Vereinigung von Theorie und Praxis und dazu die Fähigkeit, ein anspruchsvolles Objekt bis zum Ende durchzuführen, erreichte Wiqueiros zum ersten Male, wenigstens in Mexiko, mit dem Wandgemälde in Gebietskrankenhaus der Sozialversicherung. […]
Der Raum, der Siqueiros hier zur Verfügung stand, kam seinen Theorien entgegen. Die Architektur war muschelförmig, hatte keine Ecken oder andere Unterbrechungen, und die Wandmalerei konnte sich ungebrochen über die ovale Decke ausbreiten, als ein einziges Bild, auf dem sich die Figuren, die Gruppen und die Gegenstände wie Himmelskörper in der Wölbung eines Planetariums bewegen. Der Künstler versucht hier, mit ausschliesslich malerischen (und wie sich zeigt: architektonischen) Mitteln den plastischen Raum zu gestalten, ähnlich dem, was Künstler des achtzehnten Jahrhunderts in den barocken Kirchen mit der vielfarbigen Plastik erreichten.»