Diego Rivera began his artistic training at the age of six in Mexico City. At twenty-one, he left for Europe. He lived in Spain, France, and Italy, studying both classical painting styles and the contemporary painting style of his day. Rivera returned to Mexico in 1921, after the Mexican Revolution, to take part in a new national mural program. He created murals, draw- ings, and paintings about Mexican history, culture, and traditions, and about the daily life of common people.
