Lola Alverez Bravo

Influences

Lola personally knew many of the important artists of her time. Jose Clemente Orozco, a leading muralist in Mexico was one of the influences in her life. Orozco painted murals in an expressionistic manner that focused on peasants and class struggle in the post-revolutionary period. Frida Kahlo, another artist that was a close friend, was an influence on her as well. Kahlo was often labeled a surrealist. However, she would respond"...I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality."

Another important artist that influenced Lola's work was Diego Rivera. Rivera trained at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. He would go on to develop his style of cubism infused with symbols of his Mexican identity. Tina Modotti, an Italian born photographer was also a close associate of Lola's. When not taking portraits of important artists and intellectuals, her work focused on the daily realities of the Mexican population during the years between World War l and World War ll.

Clearly, based on the artists that were in her social circles and amongst her friends were all interested in capturing real people demonstrating the reality of the struggles of daily life. I believe there are two key events that influenced Lola's work. The first event is when she was orphaned. She had to go live with an uncle but ended up spending her formative years in a boarding school. The second event has to be the influence of being surrounded by other famous and talented artists. Almost all of these artist had a focus on documenting the life of the common citizen in Mexico.

In spite of being orphaned at the age of eight in a male dominated society, Lola found a way to succeed in a male dominated profession, which allowed her to support herself and her son