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The Diego Rivera Story


 
See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Langston Hughes Story. 
Life Lesson #35 – Value Responsibility.
 

It was 1886, when twin boys were born in a little village hidden in the mountains of Mexico. Señor and Señora Rivera named them Diego and Carlos. They loved those boys and were very sad when little Carlos became sick and then died before he was even two years old. Diego became ill, too, but finally grew strong and healthy. He loved playing in the jungle, and he loved drawing, too. He started drawing on everything, so his father decided to cover some walls with blackboards and gave Diego lots of colored chalk. He drew wonderful pictures that covered the whole room. Diego’s father also taught him to have a very deep respect for the people of Mexico and for hardworking people all over the world.

As he got older, Diego’s parents sent him to art school where he learned how to paint. He began painting people—people who were happy and people who were sad or angry. When Diego Rivera grew up, he went to France and to Italy to study more about painting. Then he went back to his home in Mexico and started painting big murals that made him famous. His murals told the story of the Mexican people. He painted huge pictures on walls of palaces and government buildings, so that everyone could see them and be proud of who they were.

Soon, large cities in the United States wanted him to paint murals for them, too. Diego Rivera was a man with great love for all people. He had a wonderful talent and he worked very hard to develop that talent, so he could use it in a very important way.

– Jim Lord