José Chávez Morado (1909–2002) was among the second generation of muralists. In 1931, he left Silao, Guanajuato, and went to Mexico City on a government scholarship. That same year he enrolled at the Escuela Central de Artes Plásticas at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Mexico City. He frequented the Centro Nocturno de Pintura [Center for After-hours Painting], where he met the printmaker and political activist Leopoldo Méndez (1902–1969). Chávez Morado was a member of LEAR (Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios) [League of Revolutionary Writers and Artists] and he was among those who went to Spain to support the republican cause during the Civil War. He joined the Communist Party in 1937, and spent his life fighting for universal artistic education, which explains why his easel paintings, prints, and murals always criticized the political and social conditions of his time.
In the highly charged environment provoked by the creation of the Commission and the attitude of the “Big Three” [Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros], Chávez Morado was not looking for confrontation. He was in favor of “regulating the development” of mural painting in Mexico; but he cautioned the trio that a dialogue between all parties was essential to avoid dictatorial or arbitrary decisions. He was also in favor of promoting mural painting as an integral part of a fusion of architecture, painting, and sculpture.