The relevance of the muralist movement in the history of our country is indisputable; it responded to a precise historical moment and to the ideals of that time and although today its relevance and failures are analyzed from different points of view, we cannot but recognize its influence. The popularity of Mexican art in the 1920s and 1930s spread internationally and several artists of the time came to Mexico to learn the techniques of muralism. One of these artists was Isamu Noguchi, who also had the opportunity to create a mural in the Abelardo Rodriguez Market in Mexico City.
Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) is an American-Japanese sculptor, recognized for his abstract sculptures, gardens, public spaces and public furniture, however, during the thirties he was just beginning his artistic career, and had not yet established his international fame. During this period, several Mexican muralists went to the United States, and when José Clemente Orozco painted at Dartmouth College, Noguchi was able to see his work and become his assistant; in 1931 he made a bust of him. So, Isamu Noguchi was aware of the Mexican muralist movement and the political themes that were represented.
In 1933, in the then Federal District, work began on the construction of a market designed by architect Antonio Muñoz in what were the ruins of the cloister of the convent of San Pedro and San Pablo. It was first called El Carmen market, but later changed its name to Abelardo L. Rodríguez, who was president at the time. This market was part of the public works that sought to materialize modernity in Mexico after the revolution. Thus, with the objective of controlling street commerce and facilitating the collection of taxes to the Market Office of the Central Department, the construction of this precinct was planned, which would house several pavilions for stalls; the Álvaro Obregón Civic Center, which had a theater designated for cultural and social activities; a school and daycare center, and the offices of the General Directorate of Civic Action and the General Directorate of Physical Education.
The market was inaugurated on November 24, 1934, although a year before several murals with themes such as agriculture, industry, transportation and popular art had been contemplated, they were not done until the beginning of 1934. Antonio Mediz Bolio and Diego Rivera were in charge of choosing the artists and the motifs for each mural. Finally, Pablo O'Higgins was chosen with La lucha de los obreros; Antonio Pujol, Los alimentos y problemas del obrero; Miguel Tzab Trejo, Historia de los mayas y los aztecas; Ángel Bracho, La influencia de las víctimas; Grace Greenwood, La minería; Marion Greenwood, Los alimentos y su distribución por el canal de la Viga y La industrialización del campo; Raúl Gamboa, Los mercados and, finally, Isamu Noguchi with La Historia de México.
In this high relief, the sculptor takes up the common themes of the time, so we can see a hammer and sickle, as symbols of socialism; the swastika, of Nazism and the cross, that of the church. In the mural relief the workers are crushed by the swastika and the cross. Also present are rifles, tractors, an iron frame, some flasks and a fist; all these elements symbolize in some way the development of Mexico in different areas.
The work measures 21.94 meters long by 1.98 meters high and is sculpted directly on the brick wall and has a colored cement cover, which was donated by the Tolteca company, all the elements are colored in red and black, a fact that stands out in the sculptor's work. It took Noguchi 8 months to finish this mural and he received the same payment as other national or foreign artists, that is, 88 dollars.
It is worth remembering that during these years the role of artists was closely linked to social work and the social problems faced by workers, miners and peasants, because, some researchers say that this meant a great change in the artist's perspective with art and his work, which led him, years later, in the intervention and appropriation of public space. The experience of coming to Mexico deeply marked Noguchi and he even wrote in his autobiography: "Mexico is a paradise! It is free of prejudice towards foreign artists, because artists are appreciated as indispensable workers for the community. Therefore I have never had a sense of alienation".