Question

Man at the Crossroads by Diego Rivera. A man in the center holds an orb with wing-like structures behind him. Two glass magnifiers are on both sides of the wings. The top left corner has a crowd in gas masks. The top right corner has a crowd gasping. The bottom left and right corners have people sitting and looking at the man. Trees grow underneath the wings.

What does the painting above depict?

b.
a Communist revolt
c.
a man controlling the universe through technology

Answer 1

c. It depicts a man as "controller of the universe" — humanity at a technological/scientific crossroads (Rivera even retitled the recreated mural "Man, Controller of the Universe"). The work also contrasts political forces (including communist imagery) and social conflict, but it’s not simply a depiction of a communist revolt.