Forced to retreat to painting in a basement in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mexican painter José de Jesús Alfaro Siqueiros conjured the mural Plastic Exercise. It depicted an imaginary underwater world with a type of bubble where sensual feminine figures float in the water. To date, Siqueiros' Plastic Exercise inspired El Mural film by Hector Olivera. Featuring Spanish dialogue with English subtitles, it was screened at the Institute of International Relations, St Augustine Campus, on October 11.
Among those present were Argentine Ambassador Marcelo Salviolo, director, Institute of International Relations Dr Anthony Gonzales and Dr Lancelot Cowie, director, Centre for Latin America/Caribbean and his spouse/ researcher Nina Bruni. The plot revolves around the volatile circumstances leading Siqueiros to paint the famous mural (1933) in Los Granados, sprawling country estate of Natalio Botano. Botano, a self-made man and proprietor of the newspaper Critica, is the most intriguing figure in the film.
Female protagonist Salvadora Medina's machinations take centrestage, too. El Mural opens against the backdrop of 1930s Argentina. Argentine women were deprived of the right to exercise their franchise. The period was characterised by Nazism, communism, anti-Semitism and trade unionism. The opening scenes symbolise Siqueiros' frustrated dream at not being able to paint on the phantasmagoric silos. Historians would learn he absorbed the influence of cubism, coupled with France's Cézanne's affinity for large blocks of intense colour.
The film does not exclude the strong European influences manifested in politics, fashion, entertainment, education and buildings. Captivating photography offers a glimpse of vintage cars, carriages, palatial mansions, banquets and elite lifestyles. It contrasts with common people in the streets; even celebrating Senator Thrush's assassination.?There are powerful lines like "Social revolution can't become an option." Great grief manifests itself when young Papito dies. Salvadora's screams reach the high heavens. The denouement reveals why and how. Botano philosophises: "Death is our loyal mate for our lives."
Salvio's remarks
In his address, Salviolo traced the link between Siqueiros' artwork and Argentina's socio-political issues. He said, "Argentina was characterised by periods of instability and several coup d'etats orchestrated by the armed forces who were aligned to the commercial and land owning elite.
"It?was a new paradigm in the discipline of muralism, not only because of its plastic makeup and innovative technique that gives the impression of movement, but also because it bears witness to the ideals of Latin American integration." Freedom and equality inspired revolutionaries. Siqueiros was convinced "art is revolution."
His radicalism even forced him to flee Argentina in late 1930s. Salviolo said President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Mexican president Dr Felipe Calderon unveiled a restored Plastic Exercise mural on December 3, 2010. Art connoisseurs can now view it hanging at a place of honour Taylor's Custom House-a few metres from La Casa Rosada–de Kirchner's office.
The importance of Siquerios' mural and its survival "is the timeless message of art as a political and unifying force."?Bruni said both murals and film compel the viewer to appreciate and understand shared culture and history. "Interestingly, the '30s marked a period of trade union agitation (Butler Riots) in T&T," said Bruni.
While a line asserts that "women were created only to give birth," Bruni noted it addressed women's struggles to combat prevalent rabid machismo. Female protagonists confronted issues like single motherhood, lesbianism, religion, political activism and intellectual life. In contemporary society, women can vote, seek political office and govern democracies.