Magicians and Revolutionaries: José Clemente Orozco, Sarojini Naidu, and the Fight over Stereotypes

Volume 23, March 2026
by Renato González Mello


Article Description

This paper examines how José Clemente Orozco’s 1930–31 New School frescoes reimagine global politics through esoteric and revolutionary imagery. Focusing on his portrayals of Sarojini Naidu and Mahatma Gandhi, Renato González Mello argues that the artist used caricature and stereotype to strategically provoke political debate and question Orientalism. Orozco exposed its contradictions, navigating tensions between theosophy, nationalism, and anti-colonial struggle within a contested vision of global modernity.


Related Keywords

José Clemente Orozco, New School frescoes, Sarojini Naidu, Mahatma Gandhi, Orientalism, theosophy, nationalism, and anti-colonialism, global modernity, mural, painting, stereotype