Mexican artist Diego Rivera painted ‘Cargador de Flores’ (The flower carrier) in 1935 which is an oil and tempera artwork made on Masonite, exuding a lot of symbolism and meaning. In conformity with his Marxist views, he worked on the canvases that champion indigenous Mexican culture and workers’ plight. The painting depicts a symbolic portrayal of a worker’s struggle in a capitalistic society by displaying a peasant in a white suit and a yellow straw hat struggling with a spectacularly oversized flower basket which is strapped to his back with a yellow sling. His wife is trying to support him as he tries to get up. Though the flowers are remarkably lovely, he can’t see their beauty and is only concerned with their monetary value as he carries them to the market.

The painting is part of the Albert M. Bender Collection and is exhibited at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.— M.I

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, November 15th, 2015

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