Orange Empire
California and the Fruits of Eden
Prologue
An Allegory of California
The Goddess of Fruit
In the spring of 1931, a most unlikely figure could be seen in the new
Luncheon Club of the San Francisco Stock Exchange. By all accounts, he
went about his business with as much alacrity and stamina as the most
ardent trader. But this man did not deal in stocks. A devoted Marxist, he
considered such financial speculation the work of "parasitic exploiters."
In any other circumstances, this brown-skinned Mexican would not have
gained access to the exclusive club. But his name was Diego Rivera, and he
was considered by many to be the second-greatest living painter (and
Picasso was not available). In this inner sanctum of an economic system he
abhorred, Rivera was covering the walls with his Allegory of California.
In creating the mural, Rivera acted on his belief that art should relate
to the conditions of life of its audience. He drew inspiration from the
work of pre-Columbian artists, which " ... read full excerpt from Orange Empire: California and the Fruits of Eden ebook
