Copalli
Diego Rivera
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Widely known by the 1930s as a muralist and political activist, Diego Rivera often undertook subjects rooted in indigenous Mexican traditions and folklore. This painting of bizarre tree forms set against a rocky hillside takes its name from the Spanish word for copal (copalli, in the indigenous Aztec language of Nahuatl), the aromatic tree resin employed for centuries in Mesoamerica as incense. Copal was considered the “blood” of trees, and thereby suitable as food for the gods in the form of incense. The substance had artistic significance as well, as a binder for pigments employed in ancient mural painting.
Caption
Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886–1957). Copalli, 1937. Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 1/16 in. (91.5 x 122cm) frame: 44 1/8 x 56 3/16 x 3 in. (112.1 x 142.7 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, A. Augustus Healy Fund, 38.36. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Copalli
Date
1937
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
36 x 48 1/16 in. (91.5 x 122cm) frame: 44 1/8 x 56 3/16 x 3 in. (112.1 x 142.7 x 7.6 cm)
Signatures
Signed lower left: "Diego Rivera 1937"
Credit Line
A. Augustus Healy Fund
Accession Number
38.36
Frequent Art Questions
You are right, the shape of those trees is very interesting! In his landscape paintings, Diego Rivera focused on plant life and terrain that were unique to Mexico, and he created a contrast here between the harsh rocks and dry trees and the soft, blue sky behind them. The word "copalli" refers to a species of tropical tree whose resins (like sap) are used for incense, varnish, and ink. Their fragrant incense, in particular, was used for ceremonial purposes in pre-Columbian Middle America -- so Rivera was making a reference to Mexican history and heritage.
Was Diego Rivera influenced by Dalí? Or the other way around? This reminds me of "Persistence of Memory."
We don't have any notes that suggest that either of the artists were influenced by each other in this work but I see what you mean about the bare and twisted tree branches. They're almost human-like in their forms. Dali and Rivera were definitely contemporaries, although I don't think they ever spent time together.This looks rather sensuous!
Hello! Yeah, I can see that aspect in Diego Rivera's work, too. These trees are native to Mexico and their sap is used to make incense used in ceremonies.What makes you think it looks sensuous?Looks like a penis on the left and a vagina on the right.Copal trees do branch like that naturally, but I think your response is also a very valid way to view the work.Why is a Mexican artist's work shown in the American art section?
That is a great question. In our galleries you might notice America is used not to refer not only to the United States, but to all the Americas. You'll see several works by Canadian, Mexican and South American artists on view.The hope is to expand the definition beyond just the borders of the United States of America but to expand it to all of North, Central, and South America, including the "First Peoples" who inhabited the continents.Why is this art?
Especially from the 1870s onward (Rivera's Copali was painted in 1937), whether or not something is considered "art" has a lot to do with how the creator intended the work. Debates over the definition and character of art heightened in the wake of the Whistler-Ruskin trial, in which painter James Whistler sued critic John Ruskin for libel after Ruskin claimed his abstract work was a scam. Whistler chose to create “art for art’s sake,” preferring the visual sensation of a work over it’s narrative content. Diego Rivera was a very famous painter who led the Mexican Muralist movement, wherein he promoted pride in native Mexican traditions and culture - so in painting the native Copali tree he actually presents to us an icon of pre-Columbian Mexico. This piece boasts both a more minimal, modernist composition as well as a strong ideological message.
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