By 1921, Atl, busy painting murals, writing a landmark book about Mexican Popular Art, in which Tonala ceramics received great acclaim, had begun a wild, passionate but short-lived romance with Carmen Mondragon (otherwise known as Nahui Olin), an intense relationship punctuated by violent incidents and outbursts. Even Atl eventually conceded that Nahui Olin, in reality a nymphomaniac, was amongst other things, a “green-eyed serpent”.

Atl’s contribution to the Mexican art revolution had already been considerable; he had encouraged, aided and in several cases taught many major artists of the next generation including Orozco, Siqueiros, Clausell, Zaraga, Galvan and others, including a then unknown Diego Rivera . Atl had pressured his wealthier friends to buy all the works of a Rivera exhibition held to fund Rivera’s first trip to Europe. He had invented Atlcolors, painted several murals, though none have stood the test of time, overseen the rebirth of mural art in Mexico, helped in the transformation of art education throughout the country and made respectable the popular art forms of Mexico such as toys and handicrafts.

The eruption of the Paricutín volcano in 1943 gave Atl the opportunity to live on its ever changing slopes for a year and paint, draw and write to his heart’s content. His landscapes took on a distinctive look, much imitated since but never seen before, characterized by bold, heavy lines, simple forms, stark colours and undeniably Mexican in style. Late in his life, with the aid of borrowed Pemex helicopters, Atl pioneered another entirely new school of landscape painting, the “aerial” landscapes, painting vast tracts of Central Mexico as though seen from an aeroplane

Gerardo Murillo (October 3, 1875 – August 15, 1964) was a mexican painter and writer who signed his works “Dr. Atl”. He was born in Guadalajara Jalisco , where he began the study of painting at an early age, under Felipe Castro.

After showing his abilities, Murillo was granted a pension by President Porfirio Díaz to study painting in Europe. There he broadened his scope of learning, with study of philosophy and law at the University of Rome, and many trips to Paris to listen to lectures about art given by Henri Bergson. His strong interest in politics led him to collaborate with the Socialist Party in Italy and work in the Avanti newspaper. It was at this time that he was baptized “Dr. Atl” (the Nahuatl word for “water”) by Leopoldo Lugones.

Tree of Hope, 
Remain Strong

1946

Frida painted this self-portrait for her patron, the engineer Eduardo Morillo Safa, after a botched operation in New York. She wrote to him about the painting and about the scars “…which those surgeon sons of bitches landed me with”. In the message “Tree of Hope, Remain Strong”, which is written on her flag, she seems to be giving herself courage. The phrase is taken from one of her favorite songs, “Cielito Lindo”.

In this painting we see two Fridas; the one on the left is the Frida who has just been rolled out of the operating room on a hospital trolley and the other is the forceful, upright and confident figure of Frida. The painting is divided into two halves, one day and one night. The maimed and bleeding body is assigned to the sun, which in Aztec mythology the sun is fed by sacrificial human blood. The two gaping wounds in her back are echoed in the fissures in the barren landscape behind. The other Frida, looking strong and optimistic, is assigned to the moon, a symbol of womanhood. In her hand she holds the corset that she has “Hope” of casting off forever after the surgery. Unfortunately, this surgery was terribly botched and resulted in numerous complications. It has been described as “the beginning of the end” for Frida.

In April of 1977, this painting was auctioned at Sotheby’s. The auction estimate was $20,000 - $30,000 with a minimum sale price of $20,000. The painting failed to reach the minimum sale price but was sold anyway to the highest bidder for $19,000.