Mexico is known worldwide for its folk art traditions, mostly derived from the indigenous and Spanish crafts.
Notable handicrafts include clay pottery from the valley of Oaxaca and
the animal figures from the village of Tonala. Colorfully embroidered
cotton garments, cotton or wool shawls and outer garments, and colorful
baskets and rugs are seen everywhere. Between the Spanish conquest and
the early Twenieth Century, Mexican fine arts were largely in imitation of European traditions. After the Mexican Revolution,
a new generation of Mexican artists led a vibrant national movement
that incorporated political, historic, and folk themes in their work.
The painters Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros became world famous for their grand scale murals, often displaying clear social messages. Rufino Tamayo and Frida Khalo produced more personal works with abstract elements, and other arists like Alfredo Ramos Martinez, Armando Garcia Nunez, Luis Sahagun, Miguel Covarrubias, Ernesto Garcia Cabral and Carlos Orozco Romero, each in his very unique way, contributed to the variety and intensity of what Mexican art is today.