American Masters

Man as Orozco: I OFFER THIS BRIEF TALE OF MY LIFE.

THERE IS NOTHING OF SPECIAL INTEREST IN IT, NO FAMOUS EXPLOITS OR HEROIC DEEDS, NO EXTRAORDINARY OR MIRACULOUS HAPPENINGS -- ONLY THE CONSTANT STRUGGLE OF A MEXICAN PAINTER TO LEARN HIS TRADE AND FIND OPPORTUNITIES TO PRACTICE IT.

Anjelica Huston: AT THE FOOT OF A VOLCANO, JOSE CLEMENTE OROZCO IS BORN IN 1883.

HIS FATHER RUNS A PRINT SHOP.

HIS MOTHER SINGS AND PLAYS THE PIANO.

YOUNG CLEMENTE PLAYS IN THE FAMILY GARDEN, WHERE BURNT ASH DRIFTS DOWN FROM TIME TO TIME.

WHEN HE GROWS UP, THE ARTIST WILL PAINT AGAIN AND AGAIN THE DESTRUCTIVE AND PURIFYING FIRE FROM THE MOUNTAIN.

[ "Dnde ests corazn" plays ] Huston: WHEN THE FAMILY FALLS ON HARD TIMES, THEY MOVE TO MEXICO CITY.

BARELY FIVE, CLEMENTE STRUGGLES TO FIND HIS PLACE AMONG WEALTHIER AND MORE WORLDLY SCHOOLMATES.

Boy: CLEMENTE WAS A QUIET BOY.

Girl: HE LIKED TO BE ALONE.

Girl: HE AMUSED US WITH HIS LITTLE FIGURES.

Boy: HE LIKED TO KEEP HIS DISTANCE FROM THE OTHER KIDS.

Man as teacher: HIS PRIDE AND HIS FAMILY'S REDUCED FINANCIAL SITUATION HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH A CERTAIN MISANTHROPIC STRAIN IN HIS DISPOSITION, WHICH, WITH ALL OF HIS EXCELLENT QUALITIES, PERSISTED THROUGHOUT HIS ENTIRE LIFE.

Huston: FROM HIS EARLIEST YEARS, CLEMENTE'S SECRET AMBITION IS PAINTING.

AT NIGHT, HE STUDIES AT THE RENOWNED SAN CARLOS ACADEMY, DRAWING BY ROTE AND COPYING THE EUROPEAN MASTERS.

DOWN THE STREET IS THE PRINT SHOP OF THE MOST FAMOUS ILLUSTRATOR OF THE ERA, JOSE GUADALUPE POSADA.

As Orozco: ON MY WAY TO SCHOOL AND BACK, I WOULD STOP AND SPEND A FEW ENCHANTED MINUTES TO WATCH HIM.

SOMETIMES I EVEN VENTURED TO ENTER THE SHOP AND SNATCH UP A BIT OF SHAVINGS THAT FELL FROM THE METAL PLATE AS THE MASTER'S GRAVER PASSED OVER IT.

THIS SET MY IMAGINATION IN MOTION, AND IMPELLED ME TO COVER PAPER WITH MY FIRST LITTLE FIGURES.

THIS WAS MY AWAKENING TO THE EXISTENCE OF THE ART OF PAINTING.

Huston: THE SAN CARLOS ACADEMY AND POSADA'S VIVID ART OF THE STREETS ARE THE TWO FORMATIVE INFLUENCES OF CLEMENTE'S YOUTH.

BUT HIS PARENTS WANT HIM TO PURSUE A RESPECTABLE PROFESSION.

HE TRIES AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING, BUT CONTRACTS RHEUMATIC FEVER AND RETURNS HOME WITH A HEART CONDITION.

HE THEN STUDIES ARCHITECTURE, BUT LEAVES SCHOOL WHEN HIS FATHER DIES OF TYPHUS.

[ FIREWORKS EXPLODE ] Huston: AFTER THE TERRIBLE ACCIDENT, OROZCO EXPERIENCED A SENSE OF RELIEF.

SO CLEARLY DID THE CALL OF DESTINY RING IN HIS MIND AND HEART THAT HE ACTUALLY REGARDED THE LOSS OF HIS HAND AS A CAUSE FOR LOOKING AT LIFE WITH NEW HOPE.

HE SAID TO HIMSELF, THE DEVIL WITH THEM!

NOW, AT LAST, I AM FREE TO BE A PAINTER.

[ "CUANDO DOS CORAZONES" PLAYS ] Huston: REBELLION IS IN THE AIR.

IT IS THE TWILIGHT OF 35 YEARS OF DICTATORSHIP, THE EVE OF A REVOLUTION.

YOUNG ARTISTS LAUNCH THEIR OWN REBELLION AGAINST THE RIGID METHODS OF THE SAN CARLOS ACADEMY OF ART.

THEY SET UP BARBIZON, AN OPEN-AIR SCHOOL OF PAINTING MODELED ON THE FRENCH IMPRESSIONISTS.

BUT OROZCO VIEWS THIS NEW TREND AS JUST ANOTHER FOREIGN PRETENSION.

As Orozco: SO MUCH OPEN AIR WAS LITTLE TO MY TASTE.

IT WAS AS IF THEY WERE ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE, NEXT TO THE EIFFEL TOWER, COMPLETE WITH PULQUE, COWBOYS, ENCHILADAS, HUARACHES, AND KNIFE FIGHTS.

THE BARBIZONIANS PAINTED VERY PRETTY LANDSCAPES, WITH VIOLET FOR THE SHADOWS AND NILE GREEN FOR THE SKIES, BUT I PREFERRED BLACK AND THE COLORS EXILED FROM THE IMPRESSIONIST PALETTES.

INSTEAD OF RED AND YELLOW TWILIGHT, I PAINTED THE PESTILENT SHADOWS OF CLOSED ROOMS, AND INSTEAD OF BAREFOOT INDIANS, DRUNKEN LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

Huston: OROZCO'S PAINTINGS SHOCK HIS CONTEMPORARIES.

ONE CRITIC CALLS THE ARTIST "A DISILLUSIONED YOUTH WITH THE SOUL OF AN OLD PROSTITUTE."

WHILE OROZCO CAPTURES THE PERSONAL TRAGEDY OF THE PROSTITUTES' LIVES, POLITICAL TRAGEDY PLAYS OUT ON THE STREETS OF MEXICO CITY.

OVER THE NEXT DECADE, A MILLION MEXICANS WILL BE KILLED, OR DIE OF STARVATION AND DISEASE.

MILLIONS MORE WILL BE DISPLACED.

THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION IS THE CRUCIBLE THAT WILL FORGE OROZCO'S ART.

As Orozco: THE WORLD WAS TORN APART AROUND US.

TRAINS WERE BLOWN UP, PEOPLE BECAME USED TO KILLING, TO THE MOST PITILESS EGOTISM, TO NAKED BESTIALITY.

TRAINS FROM THE BATTLEFIELD UNLOADED THEIR CARGO IN THE STATION -- THE WOUNDED, THE EXHAUSTED, THE MUTILATED SOLDIERS, SWEATING AND TATTERED MASSES.

A PARADE OF STRETCHERS WITH THE WOUNDED IN BLOODY RAGS, AND SUDDENLY, THE SAVAGE PEALING OF BELLS AND THUNDER OF RIFLE FIRE.

Man: HE HAD A FEELING OF SPIRITUALITY, IN HIS SENSE OF FEELING FOR PEOPLE.

HE HAD THE OTHER SIDE, WHICH WAS THAT PEOPLE WERE TERRIBLE... TO EACH OTHER.

SO HE WAS CAUGHT IN THAT DILEMMA.

Huston: OROZCO'S DISABILITY LIKELY SAVES HIS LIFE.

HE WILL SURVIVE THE REVOLUTION FROM THE SIDELINES, DRAWING SAVAGE CARTOONS FOR OPPOSITION NEWSPAPERS.

As Orozco: DRAMA, FARCE, BARBARITY.

TO ME, THE REVOLUTION WAS THE GAYEST AND MOST DIVERTING OF CARNIVALS -- THAT IS, OF WHAT I TAKE CARNIVALS TO BE, FOR I HAVE NEVER SEEN ONE.

[ "DIOS NUNCA MUERE" PLAYS ] Woman: THE TRAGEDIES IN HIS LIFE -- LOSING HIS HAND, HIS FATHER DYING -- HE FELT THESE THINGS SO DEEPLY.

TRAGIC THINGS HAPPEN IN MEXICO THAT PEOPLE MAKE JOKES ABOUT, BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THEY CAN DO, AND HE HAS EXPRESSED THESE THINGS IN HIS WORK.

As Orozco: IN 1917, FINDING THE ATMOSPHERE IN MEXICO UNFAVORABLE TO ART AND WISHING TO KNOW THE UNITED STATES, I RESOLVED TO GO NORTH.

I MADE A BUNDLE OF THE PAINTINGS THAT WERE LEFT IN MY STUDIO AND SET OUT.

IN LAREDO, TEXAS, I WAS DETAINED IN THE CUSTOMS AND MY BAGGAGE WAS INSPECTED.

MY PICTURES WERE SCATTERED ALL OVER THE OFFICE AND EXAMINED IN DETAIL BY THE CUSTOMS OFFICIALS.

AFTER THIS, OVER SIXTY OF THEM WERE SET ASIDE AND DESTROYED.

I WAS LED TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS AGAINST THE LAW TO BRING IMMORAL DRAWINGS INTO THE UNITED STATES, OR THAT THEY ALREADY HAD ENOUGH OF THEIR OWN.

AT FIRST, I WAS TOO DUMBFOUNDED TO MAKE A SOUND, BUT WHEN I DID PROTEST FURIOUSLY, IT DID NO GOOD.

I SADLY CONTINUED ON MY WAY TO SAN FRANCISCO.

Enrico Caruso: OVER THERE, OVER THERE SEND THE WORD, SEND THE WORD OVER THERE Huston: OROZCO DISCOVERS THE U.S.

ON THE BRINK OF WORLD WAR I -- HE HAS EXCHANGED ONE TYPE OF WAR HYSTERIA FOR ANOTHER.

TO SURVIVE, THE 34-YEAR-OLD PAINTER IS REDUCED TO COLORING MOVIE AND PROPAGANDA POSTERS.

As Orozco: IT WASN'T SUCH A BAD BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, AND THERE WASN'T THE SLIGHTEST GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE.

IN FACT, THE MORE INHUMAN AND SHOCKING I MADE THE POSTERS, THE BETTER THE PUBLIC LIKED THEM.

BESIDES, I STILL BELIEVED THAT THERE WAS SOME LAW AGAINST ART IN THE UNITED STATES.

I WASN'T TAKING ANY MORE CHANCES.

Huston: OROZCO NEXT MAKES HIS WAY TO THE NATION'S ART CAPITAL, NEW YORK CITY.

HE HOPES TO EXHIBIT THE PAINTINGS THAT SURVIVED THE DISASTER AT THE BORDER.

BUT THE ARTIST IS TOO SHAKEN BY THE EXPERIENCE TO PROMOTE HIS WORK OR PICK UP HIS BRUSHES.

Man: HE DIDN'T ATTEMPT TO DO ANY PAINTING THERE.

SO HE MADE HIS LIFE THROUGH COMMERCIAL ART, AND I SAY IT WAS VERY SAD BECAUSE, FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS, HE DIDN'T PRODUCE ONE SINGLE PAINTING.

Huston: INSTEAD, HE VISITS THE CITY'S ART MUSEUMS AND EXPERIENCES FIRSTHAND THE POWER OF THE MASTERS.

As Orozco: HAVE I SEEN PAINTING!

AN EXTRAORDINARY EXHIBITION OF SPANISH PAINTING AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM -- HOW CAN I PUT INTO WORDS?

MODERN ARTISTS MAY BE "GREAT MASTERS," BUT EL GRECO IS GOD.

Huston: THE ONLY WORK OROZCO CAN GET IS PAINTING KEWPIE DOLLS.

HIS NORTH AMERICAN EXPERIMENT HAS FAILED, AT LEAST FOR NOW.

HE RETURNS TO MEXICO.

MEXICO IS COMING BACK TO LIFE AFTER A DECADE OF REVOLUTION.

OROZCO STARTS A NEW LIFE AS WELL, FALLING IN LOVE WITH MARGARITA VALLADARES, AN EDUCATED YOUNG WOMAN FROM A MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILY.

As Orozco: SEORITA, UNFORTUNATELY, MY INCOMMUNICATIVE CHARACTER HAS KEPT ME FROM GETTING CLOSER TO YOU.

HOW CAN I TELL YOU WHO I AM IF I DON'T EVEN KNOW MYSELF?

MY SOUL IS TOO COMPLICATED, IT'S AN IMMENSE FOREST WHERE THE LIGHT NEVER PENETRATES, A FANTASTICAL GROTTO WITH IMPENETRABLE SHADOWS.

I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM, I ONLY KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU.

Woman as Valladares: WHEN HE TOLD HIS MOTHER WE WERE GETTING MARRIED, IT MADE SUCH A BIG IMPRESSION ON HER THAT SHE BECAME ILL.

HIS BROTHER AND SISTER GOT THE SURPRISE OF THEIR LIVES, BECAUSE THEY'D ALWAYS THOUGHT HE WAS UNMARRIABLE DUE OF HIS HERMETIC AND DIFFICULT PERSONALITY.

[ "Ay, Panchita, que cal!"

plays ] Huston: THE NEW MEXICAN GOVERNMENT WANTS TO EDUCATE THE INDIGENOUS AND THE POOR AT THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY, BUT MOST MEXICANS CAN'T READ OR WRITE.

SO PUBLIC ART -- GIANT MURALS COVERING THE WALLS OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS -- WILL SERVE AS A HISTORY BOOK FOR ALL TO SEE.

A SELECT GROUP OF ARTISTS IS COMMISSIONED TO DECORATE PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

SOME, LIKE DIEGO RIVERA, HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM EUROPE.

OROZCO IS KNOWN ONLY FOR HIS POLITICAL CARTOONS.

HE WATCHES BITTERLY FROM THE SIDELINES AS RIVERA AND OTHER PAINTERS LAUNCH THE MEXICAN MURAL MOVEMENT.

Huston: IN 1923, OROZCO IS FINALLY GIVEN A CHANCE TO PAINT ALONGSIDE HIS COLLEAGUES AT MEXICO'S NATIONAL PREPARATORY SCHOOL.

HE IS 40 YEARS OLD.

Catlett: OROZCO WAS PAINTING A MURAL AND PABLO O'HIGGINS, AN ASSISTANT TO DIEGO, CAME IN AND SAID, "COULD YOU USE SOME HELP, JOSE CLEMENTE?"

AND HE SAID, "CON MI BRAZO BASTA" -- WITH MY ARM, IT'S ENOUGH.

AND THEN HE DREW AN ARM OR SOMETHING, WITH MAYBE ONE STROKE, AND THAT WAS THE END OF THAT.

Huston: OROZCO BRINGS THE IRREVERENCE OF HIS POLITICAL CARTOONS TO THE HALLOWED WALLS OF THE PREPARATORY.

HIS LEERING JESUS CHRIST AND BUMBLING GOD THE FATHER ARE BLASPHEMOUS TO MANY IN THIS DEVOUTLY CATHOLIC COUNTRY.

As Orozco: STUDENTS AT THE PREPA DID NOT TAKE KINDLY TO THE PAINTING.

IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT NONE OF THEM LIKED IT.

LADIES OF THE RED CROSS NEEDED THE MAIN PATIO FOR A CHARITY BAZAAR, BUT INSTEAD OF POLITELY ASKING ME TO SUSPEND MY WORK, THEY ORDERED ME TO WITHDRAW, HAD MY SCAFFOLDINGS DISMANTLED ON THE SPOT, AND PUT ORNAMENTS DIRECTLY OVER THE PICTURES IN PROGRESS.

IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO GO ON WORKING ANY LONGER.

SIQUEIROS AND I WERE DRIVEN OUT BY THE STUDENTS, WHO BADLY DEFACED OUR PICTURES WITH CLUBS AND KNIVES AND STONES.

WE WERE DRIVEN OUT LIKE MAD DOGS.

Huston: FOR TWO YEARS, OROZCO IS SHUT OUT OF THE MURAL SITE.

BUT DURING THIS TIME, HE HAS A CREATIVE BREAKTHROUGH.

WHEN HE COMES BACK TO THE PREPA, HE WILL CREATE A PERSONAL TESTIMONY OF THE REVOLUTION.

Man: TO HAVE A TRAGIC VISION IN THE AMERICAS IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.

WE DON'T HAVE HOMER AND WE DON'T HAVE SOPHOCLES, BECAUSE WE WERE FOUNDED AS THE BRAVE NEW WORLD OF HAPPINESS, THE GREAT UTOPIA.

SO WHEN A WRITER LIKE FAULKNER BREAKS THROUGH THE OPTIMISM OF THE UNITED STATES, OR A PAINTER LIKE OROZCO BREAKS THROUGH THE PROMISE OF MEXICO, OF THE NEW WORLD, IT IS A VERY STRIKING EVENT.

As Orozco: TRUE MURALS ARE REALLY PAINTED BIBLES, AND PEOPLE NEED THEM AS MUCH AS SPOKEN BIBLES.

OBVIOUSLY, TO PAINT ON PUBLIC WALLS IS A GREAT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ARTIST, BECAUSE WHEN A NATION GRANTS ONE ITS CONFIDENCE, THE PAINTER WILL LEARN, EVOLVE, AND, IN THE END, ATTAIN ARTISTIC DIGNITY.

Huston: THE CRITICS HAIL OROZCO AS THE CONSCIENCE OF HIS GENERATION, BUT THE GOVERNMENT CUTS FUNDING FOR PUBLIC ART.

AN UNEMPLOYED ARTIST WITH A FAMILY TO SUPPORT, HE HEADS NORTH ACROSS THE BORDER ONCE AGAIN -- THIS TIME, IN SEARCH OF A WALL TO PAINT.

Huston: IN NEW YORK, THE SPECTER OF ARCHRIVAL DIEGO RIVERA HAUNTS OROZCO.

As Orozco: AS FOR THE MATTER OF THE POTENTATE RIVERA, IT'S MORE SERIOUS HERE THAN IN MEXICO.

HE ALREADY HAS GREAT PUBLICITY, AND EVERYONE BELIEVES THAT HE IS THE GREAT CREATOR OF EVERYTHING AND OTHERS ARE ONLY HIS DISCIPLES.

WHENEVER I AM INTRODUCED AND THEY HEAR "PAINTER FROM MEXICO," THEY SAY, "OH, THEN YOU KNOW THE GREAT RIVERA, DON'T YOU?"

Huston: THE STRUGGLING ARTIST MEETS ALMA REED, AN AMERICAN JOURNALIST WITH A DEEP LOVE OF MEXICO.

SHE TAKES HIM UNDER HER WING.

Barnet: SHE WAS ACTUALLY A VERY BEAUTIFUL, TALL WOMAN, A LOT OF GRACE TO HER, AND YET A GENTEEL QUALITY ABOUT HER.

SHE LOVED HIM.

HER WHOLE LIFE WAS AROUND OROZCO, COMPLETELY.

AND I KNEW THAT SHE'D ORGANIZED THIS GALLERY CALLED THE DELPHI JUST FOR HIM.

Huston: REED INVITES OROZCO INTO THE DELPHIC CIRCLE, AN INTERNATIONAL SALON OF ARTISTS AND INTELLECTUALS.

THE GROUP WELCOMES THE LONELY ARTIST INTO THEIR 5th AVENUE ASHRAM AND GIVES HIM THE NAME "PANSELANOS," AFTER AN ANCIENT GREEK MURALIST.

OVER PRESERVED ORANGE BLOSSOMS AND ROSE-FLAVORED TURKISH COFFEE, WE TALKED ABOUT THE PACIFIST DOCTRINES OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST TEACHERS -- JESUS AND BUDDHA, LAO-TSE, ZOROASTER, WALT WHITMAN, EMERSON, AND GANDHI.

Huston: NOW, THINGS BEGIN TO HAPPEN -- A PRIVATE SHOWING AT THE DELPHIC CIRCLE LEADS TO A GALLERY EXHIBITION.

THE CRITICS TAKE NOTE.

OROZCO'S ART TRAVELS TO PARIS, AND THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.

WITH ALMA REED AS HIS AGENT, HIS CAREER TAKES OFF.

BUT AS HIS FORTUNES IMPROVE, THE SOCIETY AROUND HIM GOES INTO A TAILSPIN.

As Orozco: ONE MORNING IN 1929, SOMETHING VERY SERIOUS HAPPENED IN NEW YORK.

THOUSANDS LOST WHATEVER THEY POSSESSED IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.

MANY LEAPED FROM THEIR OFFICE WINDOWS, AND THEIR BODIES WERE GATHERED UP BY THE POLICE.

THIS WAS THE CRASH -- DISASTER.

MY LOVE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT PLANS TO MAKE FOR THE FUTURE, IN VIEW OF THE COMPLICATED LIFE WE FIND OURSELVES LIVING.

WHEN I WAS PAINTING FRESCOS IN MEXICO, I CAME HOME IN THE EVENINGS TO REST WITH MY MITI, BUT NOW, I JUST RETURN TO MY ROOM TO PONDER MY SORROWS.

NOW, MITI, COMES THE HARD QUESTION -- WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

Huston: SEPARATED FROM HIS FAMILY FOR TWO YEARS, OROZCO FINALLY GETS HIS BIG BREAK WHEN POMONA COLLEGE IN CALIFORNIA INVITES HIM TO DECORATE THE WALLS OF THEIR NEW STUDENT CAFETERIA.

BUT WHEN OROZCO ARRIVES, HE DISCOVERS THE SCHOOL HAS NOT RAISED ENOUGH MONEY FOR THE MURAL.

HE WAS BITTER, YET HE WAS CLUTCHING AT EVERY SLENDER THREAD OF HOPE.

THE YOUNG REPORTER ON THE COLLEGE WEEKLY RELATED THAT OROZCO, PALE ON LEARNING THE DISTRESSING FACTS, QUIETLY ASKED, "BUT DO YOU STILL HAVE THE WALL?"

Huston: WHILE STILL IN NEW YORK, OROZCO HAD BEEN EXPLORING THE THEME OF PROMETHEUS, THE HERO OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY WHO STEALS FIRE FROM THE GODS AND GIVES IT TO HUMANITY.

THE AESCHYLUS PLAY "PROMETHEUS BOUND" HAD BEEN THE SUBJECT OF A SERIES OF LECTURES AT THE DELPHIC CIRCLE.

THE ARTIST HAD BEEN STRUCK BY THE MODERN SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STORY, AND THE ROLE OF THE LONELY REBEL IN THE ARTS AND SCIENCES -- A ROLE HE CLAIMED FOR HIMSELF.

Fuentes: WHAT CAN BE MORE TRAGIC THAN A MAN WHO HAS THE POWER TO BRING FREEDOM TO HUMANKIND, AND IS CONDEMNED TO BE CHAINED TO A ROCK WITH HIS LIVER PECKED AWAY BY A HAWK FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE?

AND WHAT IS TRAGEDY?

TO BE AT ODDS WITH ONE'S SELF.

IT IS NOT TO BLAME THE OTHER, BUT TO BLAME WHAT IS INSIDE YOU.

Huston: THE UNITED STATES HAS ITS FIRST TRUE FRESCO PAINTING.

JACKSON POLLOCK HITCHHIKES TO POMONA AND DECLARES "PROMETHEUS" THE GREATEST PAINTING IN NORTH AMERICA.

HE AND OTHER ARTISTS, SUCH AS PAINTER JACOB LAWRENCE AND SCULPTOR ISAMU NOGUCHI, WILL WATCH AS OROZCO PAINTS HIS NEXT FRESCO, AT MANHATTAN'S NEW SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH.

THEY WILL TAKE OROZCO'S VIVID EXPRESSIONISM IN THEIR OWN DIRECTIONS.

OROZCO'S WORK EXPRESSES A PERSONAL RESPONSE TO THE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND CLASS DIVISIONS HE HAS WITNESSED.

IT ELECTRIFIES A GENERATION OF AMERICANS WHO WANT TO USE THEIR ART TO EXPLORE THE SOCIAL ISSUES OF THE DAY, AND PARTICULARLY ATTRACTS AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARTISTS COMING OF AGE DURING THE DEPRESSION.

Wilson: I IDENTIFIED WITH OROZCO AS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE FELT THE SENSE OF NOT BEING A PART OF OFFICIAL SOETY, NOT BELONGING TO IT, AND ALL OF THE HORRENDOUS WAYS THAT A SOCIETY HAS INVENTED TO KEEP IT THAT WAY, THAT SOMEONE HAS TO TAKE THE LID OFF AND SAY, LOOK, THIS IS IT, STICK YOUR FACE IN IT, AND FOR A MINUTE OR TWO, UNDERSTAND.

Huston: IN 1932, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE COMMISSIONS OROZCO TO PAINT A MURAL IN THE CAMPUS LIBRARY.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, HE IS PAID A REASONABLE SALARY, ONE THAT ALLOWS HIM TO SEND FOR MARGARITA AND THE CHILDREN.

Man: OROZCO WAS A PREOCCUPIED CHARACTER.

HE DRESSED DIFFERENTLY, HIS HAIR WAS DIFFERENT, HIS GLASSES WERE DIFFERENT, HIS POSTURE WAS DIFFERENT.

AND, OF COURSE, YOU COULDN'T MEET HIM WITHOUT NOTICING THAT HE WAS CRIPPLED.

AND HE PAID NO ATTENTION TO BEING CRIPPLED, SO NOBODY PAID ATTENTION TO IT.

Huston: DARTMOUTH'S HISTORY INSPIRES OROZCO TO PAINT "THE EPIC OF AMERICAN CIVILIZATION."

THE 24-PANEL MURAL EXPLORES THE AMERICAS'S INDIGENOUS PAST, ITS CONQUEST BY EUROPEANS, AND THE COMING OF THE MODERN INDUSTRIAL AGE.

Stair: WHEN THAT SKELETON WAS PAINTED, ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BONES, PEOPLE'S BONES.

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?

OROZCO WAS POINTING OUT SOMETHING THAT EVERY STUDENT WAS AWARE OF -- THAT WE WERE STUDYING DEAD IDEAS.

PEOPLE WHO'D NEVER THOUGHT OF SUCH A THING BEFORE, ALL OF A SUDDEN FOUND THEMSELVES SAYING THINGS THAT THEY HADN'T EVER THOUGHT THEY WOULD SAY, OR TAKING STANDS THAT THEY WERE ASHAMED OF.

AND YOU'VE GOT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY IN A ROIL.

Huston: DAVID ALFARO SIQUEIROS'S MURAL DEPICTING A LYNCHING HAD RECENTLY BEEN WHITEWASHED IN LOS ANGELES.

DIEGO RIVERA'S MURAL AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER HAD JUST BEEN DESTROYED BECAUSE RIVERA REFUSED TO REMOVE HIS PORTRAIT OF LENIN.

Man: A PRETTY WELL-DEFINED MOVEMENT WAS STARTED THAT WE SHOULD FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF ROCKEFELLER CENTER AND DESTROY THE MURALS AND THUS RID OURSELVES OF THE AFFRONT TO ALL OF THE DECENCY FOR WHICH THE COLLEGE STANDS.

Woman: DARTMOUTH WAS FOUNDED AS AN INDIAN SCHOOL, TO BE SURE, BUT TO IMPOSE OUR CULTURE ON THEIR CULTURE.

Man: I SUPPOSE THAT, WHEN I THINK OF WHAT I FACE AND WHAT I LOVE, I SHALL BE SEEING THE HORRIBLE GRINNING SKELETONS OF INTELLECTUALISM AGAINST THE LOVELY BROWN MUSCLES OF THE MAN WORKING HIS MAIZE.

Woman: I WANT TO REGISTER MY UTTER DISGUST AT THE OROZCO PAINTINGS, WHICH, IN MY OPINION, ARE HIDEOUS IN THEMSELVES -- AND VIOLATE ORDINARY GOOD TASTE.

Huston: IN THE END, THE COLLEGE DEFENDS OROZCO'S RIGHT TO PAINT AS HE SEES FIT.

[ CHOIR SINGS HERBERT HOWELL'S "REQUIEM" ] Huston: HE RESPONDS TO THE CONTROVERSY WITH "MODERN MIGRATION OF THE SPIRIT."

IN IT, CHRIST HAS DEFIED HIS DESTINY AND CHOPPED DOWN HIS CROSS.

HE IS NO LONGER THE LAMB OF GOD, BUT A REBEL WHO TEARS DOWN THE BELIEFS AND INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE ENSLAVED MANKIND.

[ "REQUIEM" CONTINUES ] Barnet: AFTER ALL, THE RENAISSANCE DID ALL THESE CRUCIFIXIONS AND TERRIBLE SCENES, TOO, YOU KNOW.

BUT THEY DID THEM VERY AESTHETICALLY -- CHRIST IS A VERY AESTHETIC FIGURE ON A CROSS.

CHRIST BY OROZCO IS A VERY FIERCE CHRIST.

PERHAPS THAT'S CLOSER TO THE TRUTH THAN THE ONES THAT ARE IN THE VATICAN.

Huston: THE EXAMPLE OF THE MEXICAN MURALISTS INSPIRES AN AMERICAN MURAL MOVEMENT.

AS FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT'S NEW DEAL PUTS U.S.

ARTISTS TO WORK, THEY ROLL UP THEIR SLEEVES AND PAINT THE NATIONAL STORY ON THE WALLS OF SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, POST OFFICES, AND OTHER PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

Barnet: MANY OF THE WPA ARTISTS WERE VERY MUCH TAKEN WITH OROZCO.

AND, OF COURSE, THE WPA THING WAS ONE OF THE GREAT MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY, WHERE THE ARTIST, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WAS A PROFESSIONAL, GOT PAID FOR BEING AN ARTIST.

WE DIDN'T DISCUSS MAKING MONEY OR BEING IN GALLERIES AND THINGS, WE DISCUSSED WHAT DIRECTION WE WANTED OUR WORK TO GO, AND WE ARGUED OVER THAT, THAT WAS OUR BIG MOMENT.

EVERYBODY WAS AWARE OF A SOCIAL SITUATION THAT HAD TO BE CURED IN SOME FORM, SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE ABOUT IT.

[ THUNDER RUMBLES ] Huston: AFTER SEVEN YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES, OROZCO RETURNS TO MEXICO CITY.

Huston: HE RECEIVES A COMMISSION TO PAINT A MURAL AT THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS, AND PAINTS "CATHARSIS," WHERE TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN FOLLY LAY WASTE TO THE WORLD.

Huston: OVER THE NEXT DECADE, OROZCO PAINTS MEXICO'S GREATEST PUBLIC WALLS AND TACKLES ITS MOST REVERED INSTITUTIONS.

HIS MURAL OF PADRE HIDALGO -- THE GEORGE WASHINGTON OF MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE -- DEPICTS A FIERY PROPHET BRANDISHING A SWORD, PURIFYING THE WORLD WITH BLOODSHED.

Wilson: OROZCO'S DIFFICULT, AND HE REFUSES TO MAKE THINGS LOOK PRETTY.

THEY'RE ANGLES, THEY'RE ALL ANGLED AND SHARP, THEY'RE LIKE DAGGERS -- EVERYTHING COMES TO A POINT, LIKE A BLADE, YOU KNOW, HE'S SLASHING.

AND OROZCO REFUSES TO LET YOU RELAX.

AND -- [Laughs] AND, YOU KNOW, HE'S ALWAYS STICKING IT TO YOU.

HE'S NOT TELLING YOU HE HAS A FORMULA THAT IS THE ANSWER.

AND HE CERTAINLY MISTRUSTS ANYONE ELSE WHO SAYS THEY DO HAVE THE ANSWER.

Barnet: YOU CAN'T LOOK AT HIM AS BLOOD AND KNIVES AND TERRIBLE DEMONS AND ALL THAT, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT HIM MORE FROM A LONG DISTANCE OF TIME, THAT THESE WERE WONDERFUL IMAGES, THEY'RE BEAUTIFULLY DONE.

IN THE END, WHAT DO I KNOW ABOUT ANCIENT ROME?

HOW MUCH DO I KNOW ABOUT THE POLITICAL LIFE OF ANCIENT ROME?

BUT I DO KNOW, WHEN I LOOK AT A PAINTING, THAT IT IS GREAT VISUAL PERCEPTION, GREAT VISUAL EXPERIENCE.

THAT'S WHERE THE LASTING QUALITIES ARE.

IT'S NOT IN THE STORY -- THE STORY IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

Huston: HIS "MAGNUM OPUS" IS A MURAL CYCLE IN THE HOSPICIO CABAAS, GUADALAJARA'S HISTORIC HOSPICE.

OROZCO SPENDS TWO YEARS CLIMBING SCAFFOLDING OVER 100 FEET HIGH.

THE HOSPICIO WILL BECOME KNOWN AS THE SISTINE CHAPEL OF THE AMERICAS.

Fuentes: OROZCO TRAVELED A LONG ARTISTIC ROAD, FROM BEING ILLUSTRATIVE, CRITICAL, TO EXPRESSIONISM, TO ARRIVE AT A TRAGICAL VISION.

AND WHEN HE TRANSCENDS IT, HE CAN BE METAPHYSICAL.

HE CAN TRANSCEND THE CRITICISM IN ORDER TO SAY, NO, THIS IS THE GREATNESS OF MAN, THIS MAN ON FIRE, THIS IS MY IDEAL, THIS IS THE SUPERB POSSIBILITY OF HUMANKIND.

Huston: IN 1940, NEW YORK'S MUSEUM OF MODERN ART INVITES OROZCO TO CREATE THE CENTERPIECE FOR ITS EXHIBITION, "20 CENTURIES OF MEXICAN ART."

A FEW YEARS EARLIER, PICASSO'S "GUERNICA" HAD MEMORIALIZED THE VICTIMS OF MODERN WARFARE.

NOW, OROZCO DEPICTS THE INSTRUMENTALITY OF THEIR SUFFERING IN DIVE BOMBER AND TANK.

THE INNOVATIVE MURAL FEATURES SIX INTERCHANGEABLE PANELS.

AS A PUBLICITY STUNT, THE MUSEUM ASKS HIM TO PAINT IT ON PUBLIC DISPLAY.

HE COMPLIES -- WITH CHARACTERISTIC IRONY.

As Orozco: THE PUBLIC WANTS EXPLANATIONS ABOUT A PAINTING -- WHAT THE ARTIST HAD IN MIND WHEN HE DID IT, IF HE IS GLORIFYING OR CURSING, IF HE BELIEVES IN DEMOCRACY.

YOU ASK ME WHY I HAVE PAINTED A DIVE BOMBER.

I ASK YOU, WILL THERE BE ANYTHING ELSE IN OUR WORLD AS IMPORTANT AS THIS INSTRUMENT OF ANNIHILATION FOR THE NEXT HALF-CENTURY?

Huston: OROZCO'S SINGLE-MINDED DEVOTION TO HIS ART IS TOPPLED WHEN HE MEETS MEXICO'S PRIMA BALLERINA GLORIA CAMPOBELLO.

GLORIA IS THE LEAD DANCER FOR THE MEXICO CITY BALLET.

OROZCO DESIGNS THE SETS AND COSTUMES AND COLLABORATES ON AN ORIGINAL BALLET.

HE IS SMITTEN.

As Orozco: GLORIA, MY LOVE.

BEFORE I MET YOU, I WAS HAPPY, WITH THE SELFISH HAPPINESS OF THE CYNIC WHO HAS NO PROBLEMS OR PREOCCUPATIONS.

BUT I PREFER A THOUSAND TIMES OVER THE TORMENT OF LOVING YOU AND WAITING LONG DAYS FOR YOUR LOVING WORDS AND CARESSES.

MAY THE ILLUSION NEVER END, GLORIA, LET NOBODY DESTROY IT, OR ETERNITY SEPARATE US!

Clemente: AT SOME POINT, I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS QUITE A BIG TENSION BETWEEN MY MOTHER AND MY FATHER.

GLORIA HAD TOLD MY FATHER THAT THE ONLY WAY THEY COULD LIVE TOGETHER WOULD BE IF HE MARRIED HER.

HE ASKED FOR MY MOTHER'S DIVORCE.

MY MOTHER COMPLETELY REFUSED, NO?

SHE SAID, I'M GOING TO DIE THE WIDOW OF OROZCO.

Huston: THE GROWING DISASTER IN HIS PERSONAL LIFE PLUNGES OROZCO INTO A MID-LIFE CRISIS AT THE AGE OF 62.

IN 1945, HE LEAVES HIS FAMILY AND TRAVELS TO NEW YORK WITH GLORIA.

IT WILL BE HIS LAST VISIT TO HIS ADOPTED CITY.

As Orozco: MY DEAREST MITI: I KNOW I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU THAT I AM DOING VERY WELL, BUT IN THE LAST THREE WEEKS, I ALMOST HAVEN'T SLEPT.

I'M NERVOUS, EXHAUSTED, SAD.

BELIEVE ME, MY RIGHT ARM HURTS A GREAT DEAL FROM HAVING TO DO EVERYTHING, ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, WITH ONLY ONE HAND.

I HAVE NOT PRODUCED A SINGLE PAINTING THAT'S WORTH ANYTHING.

I KNOW THAT I HAVE BEHAVED VERY BADLY WITH YOU, AND I HAVE PAID DEARLY WITH MY REMORSE.

I DON'T WANT TO LIVE HERE ANYMORE, I DON'T WANT ANY OF IT, OR EVEN TO SEE IT AGAIN.

MY ONLY THOUGHT IS TO RETURN TO YOU, IF YOU WILL TAKE ME BACK.

Huston: OROZCO RETURNS ONCE MORE TO MEXICO AND HIS MOST ABIDING PASSION -- MURAL PAINTING.

AN UNFINISHED PROJECT DRAWS HIM BACK TO THE OLDEST CHURCH IN ALL THE AMERICAS.

CORTEZ HAD BUILT THE TEMPLO DE JESS IN 1535, ON THE RUINS OF AN AZTEC TEMPLE.

THERE, OROZCO PAINTED A MODERN "APOCALYPSE."

HE NOW HOPES TO EXTEND HIS VISION OF THE END OF THE WORLD.

[ CHOIR SINGS ARVO PART'S "MAGNIFICAT" ] Huston: OROZCO IS PAINTING A PUBLIC HOUSING MURAL WHEN HIS DAMAGED HEART GIVES OUT.

DEATH CATCHES HIM IN HIS SLEEP AT THE AGE OF 65.

Clemente: THE LAST EXHIBITION, I DIDN'T REALIZE IT THEN, AND I REALLY... I REALLY CRIED ABOUT IT, BECAUSE IT WAS THE PREMONITION OF DEATH, NO?

EVERY PAINTING WAS RELATED TO DEATH, NO?

HE WANTED TO MAKE A SQUARE, A BLACK SQUARE WITH NO DIMENSION.

YOU CANNOT GO THROUGH -- IT'S NOT EXACTLY A THRESHOLD, IT STOPS THERE.

IT'S THE END.

[ CHOIR SINGS "MAGNIFICAT" ]