José Clemente Orozco
Language Resources

Life of José Clemente Orozco

José Clemente Orozco was born on November 23, 1883 in Ciudad Guzman, Mexico City. He is known for being a social realist painter and an important muralist who led the Mexican Muralism movement along with Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

Orozco has been noted for his use of symbolism. He was politically committed to many causes, particularly those having to do with the rights and conditions of peasants and workers, and his political views appear in much of his artwork. He had a strange fascination with human suffering, though while his fellow artists depicted suffering with realism, he sought to extract and depict values and issues on a more universal level.

His paintings and murals can be found around the world, particularly in Mexico (Mexico City, Orizaba, Guadalajara, Jiquilpan, etc.) and the United States (California, New York, New Hampshire, etc.).

His work includes:

  • The Elements.
  • Man in Battle Against Nature.
  • The Trench and the Trinity.

Famous work can be seen in:

  • The Industrial School in Orizaba.
  • New School for Social Research, New York.
  • Dartmouth College, New Hampshire.
  • Juárez Reborn was his final piece completed in Mexico.
Chat with us