Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

This portrait depicts Don Jésus Robles, who worked for Rivera at his home in the Mexico City suburb of Coyoacán. Robles’ feathered headdress and armadillo-shell lute identify him as a conchero, a member of a religious society dedicated to preserving traditional Mexican dance, music, and costume. Here, Robles is dressed for a concheros dance performed on December 12, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico’s patron saint. The bold, bright colors and clearly delineated composition highlight Rivera‘s skills as a mural painter. At the time he painted Danzante, Rivera was also occupied with his mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda, a commission from the Hotel del Prado in Mexico City.