Political Repression in Latin American Literature.
Magic realism is often expressed in art and literature in order to convey political opinions without fear of prosecution. Many artists see their work as a forum for their political views. Often times artists were not able to avoid prosecution for criticism of the government which ruled them. A theme of political repression emanates throughout Latin American literature and art as artist try to find a medium for bringing forth change to dysfunctional governments. .
Graham Greene's The Power and The Glory is a prime example of citizens being stripped of freedoms by their own governments. In the novel, a priest is on the run from a Mexican lieutenant who wishes to imprison the priest during a time of religious prosecution. Although the priest has not lead a completely pious life, he feels a sense of duty to stay and help his people. .
During the 1920s, as Mexico was still reeling from the violent revolution, famous artists like Diego Rivera produced politically charged murals on prominent public buildings. Rivera's art hoped to serve a political and social role in society. As did other muralists, Rivera depicted scenes from the 1910 Revolution as well as indigenous life before the Spanish conquest. Actively engaged in the great artistic and political revolutions of his time, Rivera moved, over the course of his career, from easel paintings addressed to art connoisseurs to monumental compositions designed to influence the widest audience possible. He aspired to create not merely public art, but truly populist art possessing the visual and rhetorical power to change the world. In addition to being a celebrated and controversial artist, Diego Rivera was also a provocative political activist who incited debate not only in Mexico, but also in the USA and Soviet Union. Since his death in 1957, his hundreds of public artworks, his many oils and watercolors, and his political daring continue to contribute invaluably to the development of public art across the Americas.
