




Is it possible that Diego Rivera foresaw the Cold War and decided to paint a mural for the Rockefellers in the 1930’s depicting his vision? The Cold War, which didn’t take place until 1947, is depicted to an extent in Rivera’s mural painting Man at the Crossroads. It shows a stark contrast between communism and capitalism. During my AP art history class, we talked about the basics regarding this painting, but only scratched the surface. There is a lot to be depicted in this painting and there is also some hidden meaning that is in the artwork as well. The basics we discussed in class were that Rivera is trying to show the downsides to capitalism and is almost promoting communism. This made the Rockefellers angry because it was to be displayed inside their building, but there is no way that they could have this mural if it depicts capitalism in such a negative way. It’s also significant because of the year it was created. In 1934 it was planned; however, this follows the Great Depression which created great animosity throughout the United States. Rockefeller wanted a mural that would promote an idea that the future will be bright despite the Depression, but what Rivera depicts is the complete opposite. It also seems as if he knew there would be tension between The Soviet Union and the United States in the future because he is showing a stark comparison between the two countries. Rivera depicts the harsh comparison between capitalism and communism by separating the painting into three different scenes, and each part has its own hidden meaning within the scene that Rivera leaves for the viewer to interpret. 

The middle, which is the most prominent part of the painting, shows the main figure in the middle of the mural which is a man who is “controlling” the universe. The man, however, looks like he is part of the Soviet Union. It is not an image that the Rockefellers would want to be on display inside their building. The olive colored jacket that the man is wearing looks like what the soviets would wear. It seems as if Rivera wants the soviets to be in charge. This middle scene looks very futuristic, and this is because there are a lot of machines depicted. The hand holding the round device looks like something from Star Wars, not something from 1934. This is interesting because the rest of the painting is painted to be in present time. It seems like this is there to show that the two scenes surrounding the middle are a foreshadow of what is to come later, which is the Cold War. 

The left side of the painting depicts Rivera’s view of capitalism. In the United States when this mural was painted, it is after World War I and the Great Depression. It seems as if Rivera is trying to make the point that the characteristics of capitalism are not to be idolized. He depicts Rockefeller in the mural drinking alcohol with several women, trying to reference the prohibition that took place in the 20’s. Alcohol is a symbol for destruction, so Rockefeller drinking alcohol is done to show that even the best people cave to destruction. Another aspect in the capitalist side is the upper background of the left side showing a group of people wearing gas masks referencing World War I that took place about two decades before this mural was created. The reason that Rivera decides to paint the soldiers with gas masks on is to enhance his idea that capitalism leads to destruction. This is interesting because typically capitalism is not typically associated with going to war, but one of the main reasons the American economy flourished in the 20th century was in fact because of war. It created jobs and brought the people of America together, but perhaps Rivera is taking this as an offense because War should not be the reason that people come together as a country. It also shows that most people only care about money because after the stock market crash in 1929, the United States completely fell apart. This was about ten years after the Great Depression, so how can a country go from celebrating a World War victory to utter disparity in that little time? Rivera portrays America in such a negative way, and it’s because he thinks Communism is superior.

The right side of the painting is quite a contrast to the Capitalist side. Evidently, Rivera has a much more positivity when representing Communism with his painting. The first aspect many viewers will see when looking at the communist side is a man who looks exactly like Vladimir Lenin. If this were to be shown in the Rockefeller building, it would impact how people feel about capitalism. If Rockefeller, one of the most important businessmen in the industry whose foundation for business is based off capitalism, has a picture portraying Lenin in a positive way, would stir up controversy. If Lenin was shown doing something bad, it would be different, however, it shows Lenin holding hands with people, as if he is some sort of king. Also painted is a very different background in the communist side compared to the capitalist region. Opposed to the uniform men in the gas masks, there are a variety of people with emotion that looks shocking. Rivera is representing the Americans in a negative way, while it makes the Soviet Union look helpless. Although this was not the case, he does a great job of making the communist side look desirable and superior to the capitalist side.

Rivera experimented with speaking his mind through his artwork, however this did not work out with this piece. Rockefeller has the mural decommissioned once he realized the message Rivera was trying to convey. Despite that this piece was never displayed inside the Rockefeller building in New York, Rivera decided to paint a complete replica of it in Mexico. Rivera’s feelings towards capitalism are not something that should be celebrated, however he did paint some interesting images that make viewers question if capitalism is as great as everyone thinks. He is obviously very biased towards communism, which most Americans would agree is troubling. It seems as if Rivera knew that there would be conflict between these two superpowers in the future, and because of this his painting created so much controversy. If he was forced to paint what Rockefeller wanted, however, Rivera likely wouldn’t have done the painting. He seems to stand by what he believes, and he wanted to stop and nothing to get his message across. 


