Arnold Belkin has been referred to as "the Canadian son of Mexican muralism". Belkin was born in Calgary, Alberta in 1930 and raised in Vancouver. He began drawing and painting at an early age and completed his initial studies at the Vancouver School of Art. Arnold's father was a left-wing Russian Jew who had quite a prominent name in the Vancouver Jewish community, and his English mother was responsible for instilling a very strong sense of culture in her son.

As a young man Arnold Belkin was not drawn to the traditional Canadian style of painting. When he was 14 years old, Belkin discovered Diego Rivera and Mexican Muralism in the pages of "Time Magazine". The magazine showcased a few of Rivera's work...