Man At The Crossroads

Man at the Crossroads, a fresco by Diego Rivera, was destroyed by Nelson Rockefeller before it was fully finished in 1934. Rivera had depicted the face of Lenin and a Soviet Russian May day parade for a piece which stood in NYC’s Rockefeller Center. Rivera later re-created the piece in Mexico, which is shown above. Rivera’s piece portrays one man torn between two opposite sides of a universe. For Rivera, this divide was ultimately capitalism and communism, but he leaves ample evidence that there is more than ideology which separates the worlds. At first glance, the working man at the very center stands out, questioning and unsure. He looks upward awkwardly as if waiting for answers. Directly underneath him, a hand emerges holding what seems to be a glowing orb of controls. Rivera indicates that it is under mankind’s control what path they choose. On the left lays capitalism, with a bust of Zeus standing strongly in the background. Rivera signifies capitalism lies on the promises of religion while communism is dependant on the strength of the people. Rivera also depicts various STD’s in the lense image to across the man’s right shoulder. It is said to have been placed above the face of Rockefeller, one of the men standing in the circled group, as a sign of disrespect for American business. Rivera depicts a picture of an x-ray machine on the capitalist side next to Darwin, symbolizing the affect of science on American culture. The skeleton, and the masses of people, look ahead into the various diseases, while the communist groups look ahead to the stars and planets. Rivera makes the claim that science has given mankind the power to control the future. He believes that capitalism is headed toward destruction while communism holds the keys to a better future. However his underlying message is that the correct leadership is critical to the safety of humanity, development is inevitable.