Rosales says he remembers that Rivera often worked for 36 hours straight, making it difficult for his assistants to keep up. He worked so intensely, Rosales says, that he forgot to eat but prodded his helpers to ``Go. Go, and have some food yourselves.''

''By the time he came to eat, there was no food left,'' Rosales says.

Once, Rosales says, he and other assistants got carried away with applying a coat of paint to Rivera's sketch of a mural, and when Rivera saw it, 'he approached us waving his cane and scolded us: `Remember, the mural is mine!' ''

He made them erase everything and start again.

Following in the footsteps of an icon is hard, and Rosales says that for most of his life he has been trying to develop his style.

''I wanted to separate myself from his influence and do more around country themes, local works, instead of the national murals for which Rivera is known,'' says Rosales, whose mural Los precursores de la revolución técnica (The Precursors to the Technological Revolution) is installed in a government building in the port city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán.

Fourteen pieces by Rosales, including two murals, are on display through July 30 in South Miami. Also shown is a sketch Rosales drew for La puerta de Latinoamerica (The Door to Latin America), a mural he dreams of creating in Miami with the help of young artists.

Standing before two murals -- one a rendering of a typical fiesta pueblerina, a township celebration, and the other a portrait of Emiliano Zapata, a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution -- Rosales is delighted to be reunited with his work.

His murals feature cockfights, fireworks and a theme he calls his ``tribute to the countryman's working tools -- the pick, the machete and the shovel.''

He created the murals in 1954 for a restaurant.

''I can't remember the last time I saw these. They left me so long ago,'' he says. ``After half a century, one forgets.''

Asked which of his pieces he loves most, Rosales offers a piquant smile.

''It's all or none,'' he says. ``It's like asking me which woman I have loved the most. Well, it depends.''

And like his famous mentor, Rosales has loved many, many women. ''Ten children carry my last name,'' he says. ``I have been married four times, but I'm currently single, if you want to know.''

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@