The Year of the Poet VIII May 2021

Foreword: The month of May this year marks for the book in your hands a commemoration of an art piece by Diego Rivera. "I paint what I see" is a statement attributed to this phenomenal visual artist. The context from which this assertion originates concerns artistic integrity as Rivera had viewed it. In our interpretations of the focal mural, we had no other option but to compose poems that depend on how we (want to) see his creative work. Had he lived today, would he have approved our varying observations of the one and the same fresco? Most probably, yes. For this monthly publication's contributors have, as in all past times, embraced the principle of "integrity" with high respect. While none of us could answer the rhetorical question above, each of us have committed ourselves into doing extensive research on the life and work of this prominent Mexican painter. The field of art historiography recognizes Diego Rivera as a revolutionary painter. His frescoes have been and continue to be celebrated as the birth of a mural movement in Mexican and international art. Having started his art studies at the age of ten, a multitude of opportunities accompanied Rivera. His 15-year long stay in Europe - primarily in Paris, a prevalent destination point for young European and American artists and writers, exposed him to various art movements, including Cubism which Pablo Picasso was leading. After he welcomed the realistic and post-impressionistic art styles, his paintings began to attract a growing attention outside Paris. His preference during that time to use simple forms and large areas of vibrant colors had made a significant impact in- as well as outside widely noted art circles. Following his life in Europe, Rivera painted murals throughout Mexico and in a considerable part of the US. Thanks to his extensive and innovative work between 1922 and 1953, the concept of public art was rediscovered. The reinvented public art which materialized in the hands of Diego Rivera in the 20th century is here to guide us in our era along the poems composed in his art's honor. As we approach one mural by this ground breaking painter, we would like to invite you to hold dear the story behind it. Not unlike his other paintings, Rivera has engraved a story also on this fresco, a story reflective of his life and work at large. His own words in My Art, My Life attest to this fact: As an artist, I have always tried to be faithful to my vision of life, and I have frequently been in conflict with those who wanted me to paint not what I saw but what they wished me to see. We hope that you will enjoy today's poetic journey on the international platform of The Year of the Poet through this artist's mural of our designation. In our creative treatment of the selected painting, we have "tried to be faithful" to the painter's "vision of life" as reflected in the quote above. May we not belong among those people with whom Diego Rivera was in conflict when his view of his own art was concerned.hülya n. y?lmaz [sic]Professor Emerita (Liberal Arts, Penn State, USA) Director of Editing Services at Inner Child Press (USA) Published tri-lingual authorLiterary translator