Mario Orozco Rivera

Mario Orozco Rivera, whose artistic creativity was inextricably associated with his active political commitment – he was a member of the Mexican Communist Party (Partido Comunista Mexicano) for over 30 years and later on a member of the Socialist Unity Party (Partido Socialista Unificado de México) – worked for a long period together with David Alfaro Siqueiros, whose political activities (Siqueiros belonged to the Mexican leftists) influenced him considerably. Under Siqueiros' aegis, Orozco Rivera became a leading member of the monumental project of the Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros.

Although Orozco Rivera's work in the beginning was strongly influenced by Siqueiros, whom he openly referred to as his master, he later found his own direction in painting, both thematically and stylistically. His creative contribution to Mexican art assured him a prominent position among national artists.

He received recognition from the goverments of several countries, with Bulgaria, France and Czechoslovakia awarding him prizes for his work.