Meaning of the Mural The controlling man of the universe by Diego Rivera

The mural The controlling man of the universe, by Diego Rivera (1886-1957), is a version of the work Man at the crossroads (Man at the crossroads) originally commissioned in 1933 for the Rockefeller Photographic Center in New York. The work is currently located in Mexico City.

The theme of the mural revolves around what for Rivera was a crossroads of humanity, whose social crisis led to a debate between capitalism and communism. Somehow it seems like a prelude that heralds the Second World War (1939-1945) and the future polarization of the Cold War (1945-1989).

When Rockefeller commissioned the play, he did not expect Rivera to represent a celebration of communism in it. Seeing the character of Rivera's work, Rockefeller asked the artist to remove the references to May 1, Labor Day. Rivera, with the intention of provoking it, captured the figure of Vladimir Lenin in the ensemble, before which Rockefeller had the mural destroyed immediately.

The current mural The controlling man of the universe It was held at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City in 1934. It measures 4.80 meters high by 11.45 meters long. The work rescues several elements of the original idea thanks to the photographic record that was made before it was destroyed.

Mural analysis The controlling man of the universe

On the mural The controlling man of the universe, Diego Rivera, an artist committed to the political values ​​of communism, seeks to show his vision about the world, from the confrontation between various dichotomies that make up the universe ideological:

• Capitalism and communism;
• Macrocosm and microcosm;
• Tradition and science;
• Nature and machine;
• Man and woman.

Capitalism and communism

The mural is divided into two large sections. The left section shows the capitalist world and some elements that compose it and towards which Rivera has a critical attitude. On this side you see the confrontation between the social classes and the armies of the First World War, as well as the representation of religion and evolutionism.

In the section on the left, the communist world is depicted as Rivera imagines it. The working class has united around a cause, under the leadership of the great ideological figures of communism.

Macrocosm and microcosm

The division of the mural into two blocks is made from a working man that stars in the central scene. He seems to operate the universe. It is surrounded by four elliptical shapes reminiscent of an atom, symbol of the crossroads of life and humanity.

The elliptical shapes alternately show the microcosm (through cells) and the macrocosm (through images of the universe, with the sun and the moon as protagonists).

On the left side, which represents capitalism, the cells represented within the ellipse are diseased, a clear sign of criticism of the economic model. On the right side, the cells reflected in the ellipse are healthy, which invokes communism as the solution to the western socio-economic crisis.

Tradition and science

Two marble sculptures can be seen in the mural. In the leftmost there is an allegorical statue of the religious order, since it is both an image of Zeus, or what seems to be a god from Greek mythology, and on the other hand, an allegory of the Christian religion.

It does this through the representation of attributes of different religions. The statue holds lightning, despite having no hands. He wears a kind of rosary around his neck in allusion to Catholicism. Thus, it represents in a single figure the order of Western religion.

Below the statue of Zeus, you can see the Englishman Charles Darwin (1809-1882), father of the theory of evolution. He recognizes himself because he carries a kind of X-ray of the human skull. It shows the replacement of superstition by the scientific domain of nature, but it is also a sign of the inherent tension between science and religion in the capitalist world.

In the rightmost from the mural, there is a traditional sculpture of a Caesar holding an object with a swastika. The piece has been beheaded and its head has become a seat for the workers who attend the revolution. It is a symbol of absolute power dethroned by workers' power.

Next to this statue, you can see the emblematic characters of the socialist movement that Diego Rivera admired in life, especially for his contributions in the class struggle and against repression and fascism.

It stars the communist leader Vladimir Lenin, who, framed in the central group, holds the hands of workers of multiple races. Towards the side you can see Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, León Trotsky and Bertram D. Wolfe.

Both statues, located at the ends, propose a critical vision of art and the symbols of traditional thought. They are an expression of Rivera's harsh criticism of religion and politics, a fact that is evidenced by the fact that the statues do not have arms or heads.

See also 5 fundamental works of Diego Rivera.

Nature and machine

The working man who controls the universe can also be interpreted as an allegory to the age of the machine that, in fact, operates. Under character appears a muzzle in foreshortening, and from this comes a hand controlling the orb.

The iconographic group is located on native plants of Mexico, woven in the middle of a network of pipes and industrial structures. This strip is original from The controlling man of the universe.

Man and woman

In Rivera's work you can also see female characters who, or are part of the society capitalist in crisis, or are part of the alternative for "change" in the communist section of the mural.

Under the central worker, as opposed to Lenin, who holds the workers' hand, four women hold a "hand" of cards, symbol of the vices and corruption of the system capitalist. The scene of this group of women is completed with a party in which characters can be distinguished dancing or smoking.

Next to Lenin on the right side, but outside the central sphere, four women in white are seen walking in a resolute attitude towards the "control center". Above, in the workers 'struggle, the working women have joined the workers' struggle. Rivera thus invokes the participation of women in the transformation of the world.

Mural characters The controlling man of the universe

On the mural The controlling man of the universe you will find the following characters and events:

• Zeus or some god from Greek mythology.
• Caesar, what he represents.
• Charles Darwin (1809-1882).
• Karl Marx (1818-188).
• Friedrich Engels (1820-1895).
• Leon Trotsky (1879-1940).
• Bertram D. Wolfe (1896-1977).
• Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924).
• Soldiers of the First World War.
• Protesters of the October Revolution in Russia.
• Citizens of the capitalist world and the communist world.