Artwork
Dormindo
Dormindo is an oil painting by the Mexican Muralist artist José Clemente Orozco. It dates from 1930 and is held in the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1930, Dormindo is an oil painting by Mexican artist José Clemente Orozco. The work is held by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and exemplifies the visual language of Mexican Muralism, a movement Orozco co‑founded with Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros.
Subject & Meaning
The composition portrays a family asleep on a modest floor space. A father reclines on his back with a yellow pillow, a mother lies on her side in a blue dress, and a child in a red dress rests between them, all covered partially by a white cloth. The intimate arrangement suggests a moment of shared vulnerability and domestic solidarity.
Technique & Style
Orozco employs a restrained palette of earthy hues, yellows, blues, reds, and muted whites, to convey warmth. The figures are rendered with solid, blocky forms that echo his muralist background, while the simplified setting and clear outlines emphasize the scene’s quiet stillness.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the painting entered the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where it remains on view. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s early 20th‑century interest in Latin American modernism and Orozco’s reputation as a leading figure in the movement.
Context
Orozco’s oeuvre frequently addressed human suffering and social upheaval, often through symbolic motifs. Though Dormindo presents a serene domestic moment, the subdued environment and modest furnishings hint at broader socioeconomic conditions affecting Mexican families during the post‑revolutionary era.
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Artist & collection
Artist
José Clemente Orozco (November 23, 1883 – September 7, 1949) was a Mexican caricaturist and painter, who specialized in political murals that established the Mexican Mural Renaissance together with murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro…
