The speech by Colombian Senator Miguel Jiménez López (1875–1955) reproduced in this document was given in the context of the debate on the reform of public education proposed by the administration of President Alfonso López Pumarejo (1886–1959).
Jiménez López’s reaction to the proposal was later reaffirmed by Colombian politician Laureano Gómez (1889–1965) [see “El expresionismo como síntoma de pereza e inhabilidad en el arte”, doc. no. 860244], who was elected president of Colombia in 1950. The wider context surrounding the debate was the Liberal Party’s defeat of the Conservative Party in the 1930 elections, after nearly half a century of hegemonic governance by the latter. This political change was furthered when liberal candidate Alfonso López Pumarejo won the presidential elections with a platform known as the “Revolution on the March,” which was inspired by the Mexican experience during the previous decade. . López Pumarejo’s administration affected modernizing reforms that disturbed traditional sectors, and, specifically in the realm of the visual arts, muralism was encouraged.
The Revolution on the March, which took place throughout Alfonso López Pumarejo’s term (1934–38), was named such in order to differentiate it from the “National Concentration” of López Pumarejo’s predecessor, Enrique Olaya Herrera (1930–34). The Revolution on the March entailed, among other things, a series of sweeping social reforms. These included extending and reforming the Political Constitution of Colombia (implemented in 1886);officially recognizing trade unions as well as the right to strike; , and reforming public education, a key concern of this government. López Pumarejo increased the education budget at all levels, bolstering the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and constructing the Ciudad Universitaria in Bogotá.
