Vendedora by Diego Rivera

Diego Rivera 1886-1957 | Mexican Vendedora (Vendor) Signed and dated (lower right) Watercolor on rice paper Diego Rivera stands among the most important artists of the 20th century, defying the conventions of traditional painting. This watercolor, painted by Rivera in 1937, represents a masterwork within an important part of the artist’s output—his portraits of indigenous vendors. Focusing on a lone woman holding a woven bag, Vendedora explores the dichotomy between the nobility of her trade and the austerity of life in rural Mexico. These sensitive depictions of individuals from Mexico’s working classes are some of the best of his oeuvre. The woman sits peacefully at the center of this composition with her hands neatly crossed over her wares. A glowing yellow hue frames her head, suggesting a kind of reverence with an almost halo-like form. Rivera often chose laborers as the subjects of his portraits for the pivotal social role that they represented. His hardworking subjects had f