Diego Rivera: Mexican Painter

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-- The career of the great Mexican muralist was full of political controversy, sexual scandal , and artistic rivalry. His art, like his career, was larger than life, expressed in giant murals crowded with people, exploding with color and energy. Cockcroft packs into this brief book numerous details of the artist's tempestuous life, his three wives, descriptions of his major works, and a running commentary on the great events of 20th-century history that Rivera witnessed. There is a lot of information for reports, but so much detail that readers unfamiliar with the political background or ignorant about modern art will find it a daunting project to sort out the pivotal events of the man's life or to appreciate his reputation as a painter for the masses. The book has a center insert with just six full-color paintings; throughout there are black-and-white photos and reproductions. The text refers to many more works of art than are actually shown. Jim Hargrove's Diego Rivera (Childrens, 1990) is shorter and contains even fewer pictures of the famous murals, but is more readable for young researchers. --Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ