Martinez Murals at Scripps College

As I stood staring at a Alfredo Ramos Martinez painting in an exhibition at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, a man approached and whispered to me that I should check out the murals in Claremont. Initially confused but better informed after a quick internet search, I made it a point to visit the murals at Scripps College as soon as possible. The garden is open for viewing only on weekdays and it’s a wonderful place to relax.
The mural occupies the 100-​foot length of the south wall. Martinez began sketching all the images of The Flower Vendors in 1946 but he died unexpectedly in November of that year. What remains is a riveting work-​in-​progress frozen in time. I think it’s a better mural, too, in its unfinished state. My favorite panel: a woman with an elaborate headdress, sketched in red with black accents, stares at the viewer with a seductive gaze. The panels that were completed are richly colored and look incredible (probably benefiting from the conservation efforts in 1994 by the Getty Endowment).
Alfredo Ramos Martinez was called the father of the Mexican muralists and it’s easy to see the work of Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and (Martinez student) David Alfaro Siqueiros in these images. I’m grateful to the man who whispered the existence of this mural into my consciousness.