Esquina de casa y figuras [Corner of House and Figures]

José Clemente Orozco’s firsthand experience of the Mexican Revolution and dissatisfaction with its outcome are evident in the melancholy tone of his revolutionary scenes. Here a mother bodes farewell to her male and female children who leave home and family to join the revolutionary conflict. The house’s corner, parts the image like a ship’s keel. On the lighter left side, an elderly woman modeled on the artist’s mother stoically watches her children go, while on the darker right side, the figures move forward towards an uncertain future.