Expressions

Diego Rivera's "Expressions" is a brush and black ink drawing over charcoal on tan laid paper, a study of human facial expressions that reveals Rivera's interest in capturing the range of human emotion through the simplest means. The drawing shows multiple faces or expressions on a single sheet, each one capturing a different emotional state—perhaps joy, sorrow, anger, surprise, contemplation. This sheet of studies belongs to the tradition of the "expression study" that stretches back to Leonardo da Vinci's caricature heads and was central to the training of artists in the academic tradition. Rivera's treatment is energetic and expressive, the brush and ink creating bold, sweeping strokes that capture the essence of each expression with remarkable economy. The charcoal underdrawing provides an initial structure. This drawing shows Rivera working through one of the fundamental problems of figurative art: how to represent the inner life of the human subject through external physical signs. It reveals the thoughtful, analytical side of the artist behind the monumental murals.

Rivera's expression studies demonstrate the intellectual foundation of his art, showing that his monumental figures were built from a deep understanding of human anatomy and expression.

This sheet of expression studies reveals Rivera the analyst, systematically exploring the range of human emotion through dramatic ink strokes that capture the essence of feeling with remarkable directness.