Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
Preview of Main Idea
Visual images – art and photography - are important tools in understanding history. They
provide the discerning viewer with a way to internalize the past in a different and more
personal way than the written word. They also reflect the perspective of the artist and
give viewers an insight into the attitudes of contemporaries.
The Detroit Industry Murals, painted by Diego Rivera in 1932-33, provide an opportunity
to consider both the working conditions within a major automobile factory of the era and
a glimpse of social and political issues as interpreted by a Marxist artist.
The primary focus of this lesson is on observing the details of an image of historical
significance and develop an understanding of an artistic controversy that reflected the
social, economic and political conditions of the early1930s.
Background
In 1932, William Valentiner, the German-born director of the Detroit Institute of Arts,
commissioned the noted Mexican muralist Diego Rivera to produce two murals on the
north and south walls of the museum’s Garden Court. Funding for the project came from
Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford and president of the Detroit Art’s Commission.
Arriving in April, 1932, Rivera spent the next several months researching his subject - the
history of Detroit, including the evolution of the city as an industrial center. Soon,
however, Rivera proposed a major expansion of his commission. In addition to the two
main panels originally called for, Rivera proposed to cover all available wall space of the
Garden Court. With Valentiner’s support and increased funding from Edsel Ford, a more
ambitious project was approved based on the broader theme of the evolution of
technology.
It should be remembered that the murals were painted during the darkest days of the
Depression. Unemployment in Detroit approached 40%. Auto production in 1932 was
one-fourth of what it had been in 1929. Anticipating the certain failure of major banks,
Michigan’s governor, William Comstock, had closed all banks in state only a few weeks
before the DIA unveiled the murals. Many people took very seriously the possibility of
revolution following either the models of Communist Russia or Fascist Italy and
Germany (Hitler had come to power in January, 1933). In this strained economic and
political environment, Rivera’s murals took on special significance.
The commission given Rivera, an avowed Marxist and one-time member of the
Communist Party, had opposition in Detroit from the beginning. As the murals
approached completion in March, 1933, conservative community leaders began a vocal
attack on what they perceived to be anti-religious and Marxist/pro-labor propaganda.
From an artistic perspective, the murals were criticized as being out of place in the Art
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
Museum. Opponents felt that the murals were better suited for the walls of a corporate
headquarters than those of a great museum.
Supporting Rivera were art critics, labor sympathizers - they appreciated Rivera’s
recognition of industrial workers - and the leadership of the Detroit Institute of Arts,
including Arts Commission president and financial backer of the project, Edsel Ford.
After several weeks of controversy, the paintings were formally accepted by the Museum
and the clamor over the murals died down
Ironically, by this time, another wealthy industrialist, Nelson Rockefeller, had
commissioned Rivera to produce a mural in New York City’s Rockefeller Center. This
even more controversial project contained an image of Nicolai Lenin. Rivera’s refusal to
remove the late Communist leader from the painting resulted in his eviction from the
building and the eventual removal of Rivera’s nearly completed work.
The dramatic events in New York have increased the interest in Rivera’s experience in
Detroit.
The portions of the Detroit Industry murals that are included in this lesson represent the
manufacturing operations at the Ford Motor Company’s massive River Rouge Plant.
They do not contain the elements that concerned religious leaders and which created the
greatest furor in Detroit. They are, however, the heart of his pro-labor message, which
was controversial enough.
Teacher Note:
The Detroit Industry murals are very large and are far better appreciated in person. The
color images included in the material that can be converted into color overheads. These
provide an adequate large scale representation of the murals although a better option may
be to obtain 35mm slides of the murals.
It is anticipated that student handouts will be in black and white, although color
reproductions for student use would have greater impact. The images of the north and
south walls should each be produced on four 8 _ x 11 paper and taped together.
Alternately, an 11x17 images can be produced for student use.
The other images will be fine on single sheets of 8 _ x 11 paper.
A follow-up visit to the murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts is very much encouraged.
Objectives
1. The students will critically observe a major piece of art of historic significance
and develop interpretive abilities.
2. The students will develop an opinion on the artist’s perspective on labor and
mass production.
3. The students will develop an understanding of factory life as interpreted by
Rivera’s art.
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
4. The students will understand and apply some aspects of the mural art form.
Materials
1. Detroit Industry Images
•
Main panels of the north and south walls for teacher to make color
overheads (2 pages)
•
Image 1 -2: Main panels of the north and south walls for students (4
pages for each wall, to be taped together)
•
Images 3 - 6: 4 photographs of the Rouge facility (1 page)
•
Image 7: The Rivera Courtyard.
2. Optionally, 35 mm slides can be obtained from the Detroit Institute of Arts
that will give better clarity to the murals. These are inexpensive and are
available from the Museum gift shop.
3. Teacher notes for the main panels of the north and south walls taken from the
Detroit Institute of Arts guide to Detroit Industry murals.
Teaching Activity
1. Opening the Activity - 10 minutes
What is a mural?
Begin the class with a discussion of the mural. Students should come away with a
basic definition of a mural.
Note: The teacher may also discuss the fresco technique used by Rivera
and other muralists since ancient times. In true frescos of this type, the
paint is applied to wet plaster. When the plaster dries, the paint is PART
of the wall rather than being ON the wall.
The advantage lies in durability. The disadvantage is in the limitations it
places on the artists. They must work relatively quickly before the plaster
in the particular section dries. It is difficult to make corrections. And, the
colors are less vivid.
The main learning points of this discussion are:
a. They are typically of a very large scale, covering significant portions of an
entire wall. They are often painted directly on the wall using a fresco
technique.
b. Murals are frequently used to decorate public buildings.
c. In public spaces, murals frequently depict significant local, historic,
mythological or religious events of broad social interest.
Considering point c, ask students to describe the subject of a mural that would be
appropriate to put in their school and to select a place where that mural would be
best suited.
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
Explain to students that this lesson is about the Detroit Industry murals painted in
the Detroit Institute of Arts by Diego Rivera in 1932 and 1933. While there are
several secondary themes, the main theme of these murals is the growth and
significance of industry in Southeastern Michigan.
Show the panorama of the Rivera (formerly Garden) Courtyard on a classroom
TV/computer monitor. Alternately, show overheads (or slides, if available) of the
Courtyard, including the two main panels. Explain to students that although there
are a number of other panels in the exhibit, this lesson will focus on the two main
panels that illustrate the automobile manufacturing process at Ford Motor
Company’s Rouge Complex..
2. Developing the Activity: Part 1- Observing the Murals - 45 minutes
Break the class into groups of four. Distribute two sets (containing four 8 _’ x 11”
sections of each panel) of the north and south walls to each group of students.
Give them a few minutes to tape the sections together and review them.
Label the images as North Wall (the engine assembly) or South Wall (car bodies
and main assembly line). For clarity, students should refer to the panels as North
or South Wall. Simultaneously, have the overheads of the murals projected onto
the screen. If possible use two projectors so that both walls may be seen
simultaneously.
Mural Review – 20 minutes
Distribute the Mural Review worksheet. Have _ of the groups
complete the worksheet based of the North Wall while the
remaining groups prepare a description of the South Wall.
Worksheet Review
Show the overheads as the questions are discussed, alternating
between north and south wall images as the appropriate.
Review the responses. The main objective is for students to
verbalize what they observe.
Discussion Topics:
Ask why the students’ eyes were focused as they were? Where do
they think Rivera wanted them to look? How did he try to
accomplish that?
(For most viewers, the eyes are forced to the center. Color draws us to
the blast furnace and the great white spindling machines or to the
never- ending final assembly line ringed with white pillars. The center
of the painting is like the center of a funnel. It is boxed in by massive
machines. The outside of the “funnel” is darker and more in the
foreground. The eyes go to the lighter center where there is more
depth.)
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
Note the conveyer belt that snakes through the mural. Ask if
anyone noticed it. What is its artistic purpose?
(It helps the viewer trace the flow of the activity. In particular, it helps bring
the viewers eyes into the background of the painting.)
As students point out different parts of the mural, note that there
are a great variety of scenes. Ask how the scenes are separated.
(By pillars, beams and the ubiquitous conveyer belt.) While the
exact functions being performed in the various scenes may not be
clear, they are all specific aspects of the manufacturing process.
Ask them to identify activities as best they can.
(Note: Students may not be able to identify many activities.
In part, they will not understand the manufacturing process,
but also because the activities being performed are not
always evident to the casual observer. The teacher should
use the enclosed excerpts from the DIA guide to aid in this
process to the extent they feel it is value-added.)
In the north wall, the sections relate to the making of molds
for the engine blocks, pouring the iron and finishing the
blocks. The majority of the scenes in the south wall have to
do with various aspects of body-work from spot welding
and de-burring the seams to stitching upholstery.
Where’s “Waldo”? 15 minutes
“Waldo” is a quick searching game and is intended to encourage
students to look carefully at the paintings. This could be done as a
class activity or in groups. At the teacher’s discretion, this can be
turned into a contest.
Ask students to find the following “Waldos” (see worksheet) in the
murals:
a. The only female workers in the mural. (South Wall. Top
right hand corner.)
b. A worker spray painting a car body. (South Wall. Top
left.)
c. Worker wearing a gas mask. (North Wall. Immediately
to the left of the left hand spindling machine.)
d. Dick Tracy. (South Wall. In the crowd of visitors in the
background of the assembly line.)
e. Two images of molten metal being poured from ladles.
(North Wall. Upper center. Below and left of the worker
apparently “stirring” in the blast furnace. And upper
right. Two oversized workers are pouring out molten
metal from a ladle.)
f. A motor that looks like a dog. (South Wall. Third
predella panel from the left.) NOTE: Predellas are the
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
g.
h.
i.
j.
small, grey-tone paintings at the bottom of the main
paintings.
Workers eating lunch. (North Wall. First predella on the
right.)
The worker using a foot peddle to operate a machine.
(South Wall in the foreground. Right of the man loading
the chassis on the assembly line.)
Two children. (South Wall. In the crowd of visitors in the
background of the assembly line.)
A self portrait of Rivera. He is wearing a bowler (a hat).
(North Wall. Upper left. Rivera is in the back ground of
the green-tinted workers)
Allow students ten minutes to “find Waldo.” When time is up,
find the images on the overhead as a class.
Compare Rivera murals to the actual River Rouge Plant – 10 Minutes
Distribute photographs from the Rouge plant. Have the students
locate the specific places on the murals with scenes most similar to
the photographs. Compare the detail in the photographs with the
comparable places in the painting.
Based on these comparisons, what assumptions do they draw
relative to the accuracy Rivera’s painting?
Developing the Activity: Part 2 - Analyzing the Murals - 25 minutes
Discussion questions:
a. What is the overall impression you have of the murals? How
do feel about the Rouge plant? What is the message Rivera is
trying to convey?
b. Based on what they see, what impressions do they have about
working in a great auto factory like the Rouge?
c. Describe the workers. How do the paintings make you feel
about their role? Their contribution?
d. If you were a worker in an auto plant in 1933, would this
painting make you feel proud of your work? Why or why not?
e. If you owned one of these factories, how would you feel about
the painting? Why?
f. What do you like about the murals? What do you dislike?
g. When the paintings were unveiled to the public in March,
1933, there was a sharp disagreement over their value. An
editorial in the Detroit News concluded:
Owing to the criticism of so many, as already expressed,
and the impossibility of an artist altering his work merely
to please the people of “less aesthetic taste” than Mr.
Rivera, perhaps the best thing to do would be to whitewash
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
the entire work completely and return the Court to its
original beauty.
What about these murals do you suppose caused such
controversy? What is your reaction to the News’
recommendation?
Concluding the Activity – 15 Minutes
The students will prepare a “mural” outline/sketch on an appropriate
historic theme. The activity can be done individually or in pairs. The
finished product should be done on 11x17 paper. Although started in class,
it will be completed as homework.
Review the technique Rivera used of having various, distinct scenes (this
is particularly noticeable on the North Wall) to convey his overall
message. Use the overhead and block out the various sections of the mural
to demonstrate this technique.
Before beginning his painting, Rivera made many rough sketches of the
main components of the mural. Once he was comfortable with the overall
layout, he expanded his ideas scene by scene until he had a detailed
drawing of the mural done on paper before he put anything on the wall.
The students are to prepare a preliminary “sketch” for a mural subject of
their choosing. Other than outlining the main sections of the mural in
order to position the various scenes, it is not necessary for students to draw
anything. They may simply provide a brief description of each section in
the appropriate location on the mural sketch. Sketching out the actual
images is an option but not a requirement.
Distribute the Mural Ideas list (amend as desired) to students. The
possibilities are endless and this list is intended only as a discussion
starter. The class can brainstorm an extended list. After an adequate list is
obtained, tell the students to select one topic from the list or of their own
and plan how they would portray that theme in a mural.
Students should be given time to begin this activity in class. Brainstorming
with classmates on ideas should be encouraged, but at the end of class the
teacher should ask each student to identify their mural. While it may not
be necessary to hold students accountable for that topic, they should have
a topic before leaving class.
Extending the Activity
1. Visit the Detroit Institute of Arts to view the Detroit Industry Murals.
2. Take a Ford Rouge Plant Tour.
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
Assessing the Learning
1. Students will complete the Mural Review worksheet.
2. Students will participate in class activities and discussion.
3. Students will complete a mural outline/sketch.
The rubric for this activity is:
a. Meets requirements: A mural outline on a coherent theme
with at least 5 relevant scenes described, positioned and
roughly sized on the page.
b. Exceeds requirements: A mural outline on a coherent theme
with at least 7-9 relevant scenes described, positioned and
roughly sized on the page.
c. Exceeds requirements: A mural outline on a coherent theme
with at least 5 relevant scenes described, positioned, sized
on the page and roughly sketched.
References and Resources
Linda Bank Downs. Diego Rivera: The Detroit Industry Murals (New
York: Detroit Institute of Arts in association with W.W. Norton, 1999)
Diego Rivera with Gladys March. My Art, My Life; An
Autobiography (New York: Citadel Press, 1960)
Michigan Curriculum Framework - Social Studies Standards
Strand I – Historical Perspective
High School
Content Standard 1 - Individual and Household Choices
Benchmark 2 - Describe major factors that characterize the
following eras in United States history: The Development of the
Industrial United States (1870-1900), The Emergence of Modern
America (1890-1930), The Great Depression and World War II
(1929-1945), Post War United States (1945-1970) and
Contemporary United States (1968-present).
Content Standard 2 - Business Choices
Benchmark 1 - Draw upon narratives and graphic data to explain
significant events that shaped the development of Michigan as a
state and the United States as a nation during the eras since
Reconstruction.
Content Standard 3 - Role of Government
Benchmark 1 - Use primary and secondary records to analyze
significant events that shaped the development of Michigan as a
state and the United States as a nation since the era of
Reconstruction.
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
Strand V– Inquiry
Content Standard 1 - Information Processing
Benchmark 3 - Develop generalizations pertaining to a specific
social science topic by interpreting information from a variety of
sources.
Strand VI – Public Discourse and Decision Making
Content Standard 1 - Identifying and Analyzing Issues
Benchmark 3 - Explain how culture and experiences shape
positions that people take on an issue.
Michigan Curriculum Framework - Art Standards
Standard III - Analyzing in Context
Middle School
Content Standard 3
Benchmark 2 - Observe and compare works of art that were
created for different purposes.
Benchmark 5 - Describe how personal experiences influence the
development of specific artworks.
Standard IV - Arts in Context
Middle School
Content Standard 4
Benchmark 2 - Describe and place a variety of art objects in
historical and cultural contexts.
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
Mural Review
Check One: North Wall _____ South Wall ____
1. What is the first element of the painting that attracts your eye? (There may be several
answers for the group.)
2. Where does your eye go next?
3. What is the general subject of the painting?
4. Look more carefully and describe more specifically what is happening. Title the
painting.
Description:
Title:
5. The painting is broken into a number of sections. Outline two such areas and
describe what is happening in those sections.
a.
b.
6. Look into the background. Find one activity or item you can identify. Circle it and
describe below.
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
Where’s Waldo?
Find the following in the murals:
1. The only women in the mural
2. A worker spray painting a car body.
3. Worker wearing a gas mask.
4. Dick Tracy.
5. Two images of molten metal being poured from ladles.
6. A motor that looks like a dog.
7. Workers eating lunch.
8. The worker using a foot-peddle to operate a machine.
9. Two children.
10. A self-portrait of Rivera. He is wearing a bowler (hat).
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
Mural Ideas
Evolution of the Automobile
The Life of Abraham Lincoln
History of Michigan
What I Did Last Summer
The Civil War
The History of Lansing, Jackson, Flint, Detroit, etc.
Colonial America
Out of the Wilderness: The Settlement of Michigan
The Automobile Changes American Life
The Civil Rights Movement
Touring Michigan
Immigration
Our School
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Diego Rivera and the Detroit Industry Murals
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