Man of Fire

 

Jose Clemente Orozco’s piece Man of Fire, was created in the years 1938-39. Orozco is considered to be one of the most complex Mexican muralists. This piece specifically is also considered to be on the top of the list of his best accomplishments. Orozco studied at San Carlos Academy for Fine Arts and was most influenced by Jose Posada, another famous Mexican artist. Unfortunately during an experiment at school, Orozco lost partial sight in one of his eyes and his right hand. He became a political cartoonist where he started publishing his work in local newspapers.

I choose this piece because its not like any of the other styles we have studied. When I first saw it I immediately thought of Hercules (the disney movie). The reason my thoughts went to this move is it reminds me of Hades, the god of the underworld. The man on fire in the center of the piece looks like he oversees or rules everything because of his confidence. The men who are the outer rim of the piece look like they are slaves or are bowing down to the man in the middle. This is of course like the scene in Hercules when you see Hades and all his souls floating around.

Obviously this was not the angle that Orozco was aiming for, but in a way its the same thing. To me I think he wanted the man on fire to represent all the rulers (such as drug lords or dirty politicians for example) because they all intimidate people to get what they want, so people bow down to them. But if you think about it, sooner or later everything is going to catch up with them, just like the man on fire in the piece. It may look amazing and produce awe but sooner or later you are going to burn to a crisp.

References

Blackboard