Gift of the Joseph Winterbotham Collection, 1941.35
Early in the twentieth century, Emiliano Zapata led the revolutionary struggle in Mexico to return the enormous land holdings of the wealthy to the peasants. After his death by ambush in 1919, Zapata became a national hero.
Zapata is shown standing in the doorway behind two armed fighters. This painting is filled with symbols of danger: the knife pointing at Zapata, the dagger and an ammunition belt, and the kneeling figures. The dark red and brown colors suggest the bloody cost of revolution as well as the land that is being fought over.
