Created by Diego Rivera in the period of 1926 – 1927, the artwork titled “Indian Boy and Indian Woman with Corn Stalks” is a fresco belonging to the Naïve Art (Primitivism) movement and is categorized within the genre of genre painting. This piece is installed at Chapingo Autonomous University in Texcoco, Mexico.
The artwork features a striking composition divided symmetrically around a central wooden door. On either side of the door are two distinct figures: to the left, an Indian boy seated gently, surrounded by a golden array of corn stalks, and to the right, an Indian woman absorbed in her labor, with a similar backdrop of corn stalks. The use of earthy colors and the intimate, almost meditative expressions of the subjects underscore Rivera’s commitment to portraying the everyday life and working conditions of indigenous people in Mexico. The detailed renderings of the corn stalks serve as a testament to their cultural and economic significance, while the architectural elements of the fresco integrate seamlessly with the structure of the university itself.
