Montserrat, 1911
Diego Rivera and his wife at the time, Angelina Beloff, visited Normandy, then returned to Paris before they traveled to Catalonia. For several months, the two stayed in Catalonia at the Spanish monastery of Montserrat. Rivera felt inspired by his view of the mountains and the sunlight, which reminded him of his home in Guanajuato, Mexico. Pointillism was popular in Paris at the time. Rivera combined pointillism with aspects of cubism, his typical art style. Montserrat debuted in America in 1916 at the Modern Gallery in New York City, featured in Rivera’s first solo commercial exhibit there. Montserrat is a very captivating piece to look at, because of the details and the colors used. From far away, this painting appears normal, but when I saw it in person at the museum, I was intrigued. I assume this painting took a lot of time and patience to create, and I think that is definitely a reason why I am drawn to it.
