At the State Museum of V. V. Mayakovsky kept a portrait of the poet, written by the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera. For the picture, created in 1955 in Moscow, is hidden a great story of friendship between two great men.
In 1924, the Soviet Union and Mexico established diplomatic relations. Mexican progressive community has shown great interest in Soviet literature and art, and in the 1920s between the two countries began a cultural exchange. One of the first cultural figures of the Soviet Union, visited Mexico, was
In Latin America, the poet went on 21 June 1925 from the French port of Saint-Nazaire on a transatlantic ship. On the road he kept a diary. “STEAMER “‘ESPAGNE” 14 000 tons. The ship is small, like our “GUM”. Three classes, two pipes, one cinema, cafe, library, concert hall and the newspaper,” wrote Mayakovsky, who was riding first class. Journey to the Mexican port of Veracruz lasted for 18 days, including a stop in Havana.
“Meet
slowly, than the body of the seal,
the steamer from Mexico
and we
there.
and can not be Otherwise.
the Division
labor.”
This is a line from Stihotvorenija Mayakovsky wrote during the trip. 18-day voyage was the inspiration for several works — also appeared “Spain”, “Six nuns”, “Atlantic”, “black & white” and “Christopher Columbus”.
Mayakovsky arrived in Veracruz on July 8. The poet was smitten: “This earth I have never seen and never thought that such lands are. Against the red sunrise, themselves ukreplennye red, standing cacti.Huge ears in warts was listening the Nopal favorite delicacy donkeys”.
To Mexico city from Veracruz Mayakovsky traveled by train. At the station he met. Mayakovsky knew that he was going to meet the greatest artist in the country and one of the founders of the Mexican Communist party. He could not wait to see the river firsthand.
Speaking of his wife, Rivera meant was Guadalupe Marin, a Mexican writer and model, which was married for the second time in the years 1922-1927.which will be the third and most famous wife of Diego Rivera, during a visit Mayakovsky had just turned 18 years old. At the time she was in school “Preparatoria”, where he studied medicine and where, incidentally, first met with Rivera. The artist taught at the school in the early 1920s.
the First thing Diego Rivera led the Mayakovsky Museum, where they looked “ancient, round, stone Aztec calendars of the Mexican pyramids, dvumernykh idols of the wind, in which one person catches the other.” More of the poet was impressed by the painting the building of the Ministry��TBA public education made by Rivera. Mayakovsky called the mural “the first Communist mural in the world,” in which the artist showed “the past, present and future history of Mexico.”
At that time the poet had already visited Germany and France, so in a letter to Lily Brik of July 15, 1925, held such a comparison:
Vladimir Mayakovsky stayed in Mexico for about three weeks. With Rivera, they saw each other every day. The meeting took place at the Soviet Embassy, where he stayed a poet, visiting the artist himself and from friends.
Once at the same table brought together Russian and Mexican political figures, artists, engineers and writers — each of them “was ready to kill someone who would dare to question his revolutionary”. Guests toasts, conducted conversations and debates, which as a result has outgrown mexicanas with Russian — in the course were bottles, glasses and chairs, and soon in the hands of the Mexicans were revolvers.
During his stay in Mexico Mayakovsky toured the neighborhood, visited theatres, cinemas, museums and even bullfighting. In addition to exploring local culture and history, the poet spoke to the workers, willingly communicated with the press, and became acquainted with artists and political figures, among them was the Minister of education Meetings Mayakovsky was so much that he even ordered to Mexico city business cards.
impressions of the country resulted in the poem “Mexico”:
five Hundred
Mexico
poor tribes,
a full
one language
with one hand squeeze the lemon,
one locks the lock.
can Not
the fight
in tribes russicats.
Beggar beggars
next!
Try to
on the ground
from the country of the Mexicans,
akin to a scream:
“Kamarad!”
Hunger
the master of human beings to equate.
Each Indian
who goal.
The future fire
kin-smut
Aztec
Metis
and Creole.
July 27, Mayakovsky left Mexico and continued his journey in the United States.
Diego Rivera his first visit to Moscow in 1927 he was invited by the Soviet Union for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the October revolution.
In Moscow, he visited exhibitions, theatres and as guest of honour attended the meetings of the world Congress of friends of the USSR. Rivera has lectured on Latin American art and became one of the founders of the artistic Association which included artists, architects, filmmakers and writers. Main purpose of the “October group” was to promote “to further development in the USSR and in the world of a genuinely revolutionary, i.e., proletarian currents in the field�� spatial arts.”
Diego Rivera even signed an agreement on the creation of murals in the Central house of the red army and received an offer to write, but for various reasons neither the first nor the second is not implemented.
During Rivera’s stay in Moscow, he met with Mayakovsky. The artist remember one of these meetings in mid-November in the house of Mayakovsky and Brik in Gendrikov lane.
In Moscow, Rivera remained until may 1928.
the next and last time Diego Rivera arrived in Moscow in the fall of 1955 for treatment. In January 1956 the staff of the State library-Museum of V. V. Mayakovsky sent the artist a letter asking to paint a portrait of the poet:
“We really want You to do a portrait of Vladimir Putin for our Museum, depicting him as You remember him. For us and for our visitors it would be a big and expensive gift and memory of the V. V. Mayakovsky, and other River — the best artist of Mexico, who visited us in the fall of 1955”.
a request of the river was performed in memory of the poet made his portrait, on which was written:I have the honor to be called”.
