Mexican muralist Arnold Belkin was born on December 9, 1930, in Alberta, Canada. His parents were Jewish immigrants, his mother from England and his father from Russia, both socialists, whose ideals are apparent as influences in Belkin's later work. The artist began his study of art in Canada, but relocated to Mexico after reading an article about Diego Rivera in Time magazine, at age 18. He enrolled in La Esmeralda, studying with painters Agustin Lazlo and Carlos Orozco Romero. In addition to mural and canvas painting, Belkin also created engravings, but he is best known for his murlas. He became known as the "Canadian son of Mexican muralism".
Arnold Belkin's work is characterized by his dark, somber colors, using ochre, gray, sepia tones. His themes focused on historical and social messages: war, peace, injustice, death, etc. with the human figure and geometric shapes central. He created over 30 murals, primarily in Mexico, although he did some work in the US. He identified with Mexico as his home and became a naturalized citizen in 1981.
Belkin's best known mural series is located at University Autonoma Metropolitana, in Iztapalapa, Mexico City. I am including one of the series below.
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