Diego Riveras Murals @ the Ford Amphitheatre

From the press release ~ "On the evenings of June 7, July 12, and August 16, GREGORIO LUKE AT THE FORD, LIFE SIZE MURALS unfolds on the Ford Amphitheatre’s outdoor stage. Though Mr. Luke has performed extensively in the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, which he directed from 1999 to 2007, this would be the first time he brings his mural presentations to a Los Angeles venue. This series of three spectacular multi-media presentations by Gregorio Luke showcases the work of famous Mexican artists. Murals are projected life size using the most advanced projection technology that gives viewers the sensation of being in front of
the original murals.

“We have always known that murals do not move” says Luke, “and yet modern technology allows us to project these murals with absolute fidelity.” Gregorio Luke is a pioneer in these multimedia presentations; he has offered hundreds of lectures in Mexico, Europe and the United States.

Mr. Luke is an engaging speaker and gifted story teller. His talent and knowledge have earned him a worldwide following. Gregorio Luke’s presentations blend the visual and narrative into seamless, intriguing productions. They combine the scale of film, the excitement of story telling and the exhilaration of learning. A curator and lecturer for more than 20 years, Mr. Luke has brought a new way of combining the visual with the narrative.

When prepares for lectures he completely immerses himself in the subject matter in a similar way that an actor preparing for a role. And when Mr. Luke presents his lectures, he does so without notes and using a clear and entertaining communication style. The series will begin Sunday, June 7, 8:30 pm with the work of Diego Rivera. Diego Rivera is the most well

known of the Mexican muralists. Throughout the presentation Luke will explore all aspects of Diego Rivera’s life and career; it will include samples of his cubist paintings, and follow Diego to his return to Mexico and his artistic experiences in the U.S. Ten of his murals will be projected life size, including the controversial Man at the Crossroads, destroyed by Rockefeller because Rivera refused to remove the portrait of Russian revolutionary leader Lenin and masterpieces such as The Dream of a Sunday Afternoon at the Alameda Park, and his murals in Mexico’s Palacio de Bellas Artes.

On Sunday, July 12, 8:30 pm the focus will be on the art of Rufino Tamayo, considered the great art dissenter in Mexico. He challenged Diego Rivera and his colleagues and refused to include politics in his art. Instead he found inspiration in Mexico’s Pre Hispanic and popular art. Tamayo became one of the most respected contemporary artists of the 20th Century and is considered one of the master colorists of all time. Murals to be shown are México Moderno y Nacimiento de Nuestra Nacionalidad at the Instituto
Nacional de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Prometeo for the Library of the University of Puerto Rico, Israel de Ayer e Israel de Hoy for the Israeli oceanliner Transatlántico Shalom and Dualidad,at the Museo Nacional
de Antropología, Mexico City.

The series will conclude on Sunday, August 16, 8:00 pm with an in-depth look at the art of Miguel Covarrubias, perhaps the most complete Mexican artist of the 20th century. This presentation will discuss all aspects of his career. In addition to projecting his murals there will be live blues music and dances inspired by Josephine Baker, Balinese, Oaxacan, and modern dancers from Mexico will interpret the classic ballet Zapata for which Covarrubias made the scenery and costumes."