Born in
Guadalajara,
Jalisco, he began studying painting at an early age, under Felipe Castro. At 21, Murillo entered the
Academy of San Carlos in
Mexico City to further his studies. After demonstrating his talent, Murillo was awarded a grant in 1897 by the government of
Porfirio Díaz to study painting in Europe. There he broadened his scope of learning, with study of philosophy and law at the University of Rome, and many trips to Paris to hear lectures on art given by
Henri Bergson. His strong interest in politics led him to collaborate with the
Socialist Party in Italy and work in the
Avanti newspaper. In 1902 during a trip to Paris he took the signature name "Atl" (the
Nahuatl word for "water");
Leopoldo Lugones added the "Dr." to it. Dr. Atl became very active in Mexico when he returned. In 1906 he participated with
Diego Rivera, Francisco de la Torre, Rafael Ponce de León and others in an exhibition sponsored by Alonso Cravioto and Luis Castillo Ledon, the editors of the magazine
Savia Moderna. In 1906, Dr. Atl issued a manifesto calling for the development of a monumental public art movement in Mexico linked to the lives and interests of the Mexican people, a precursor of the Mexican Mural Movement launched in 1922. He was also commissioned by the Díaz government to design a glass curtain for the
Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) under construction in Mexico City, which was executed by Tiffany's of New York. The curtain featured the two volcanoes overlooking the capital. He was also commissioned to paint a mural, which was postponed by the eruption of the Mexican Revolution against Porfirio Díaz in 1910. In 1911, Dr. Atl returned to Europe. In Paris, he founded a journal and wrote about the social and political issues of Mexico, and criticized General
Victoriano Huerta, who had helped overthrow the democratically elected government of
Francisco I. Madero. Dr. Atl supported the Constitutionalist faction in the Mexican Revolution, leaning towards "biblical socialism" and promoting the growth of art, literature, and science. When he returned from Europe, he joined the Constitutionalist forces led by
Venustiano Carranza, and was appointed Director of the
Academy of San Carlos. During the Revolution, he persuaded two young art students,
José Clemente Orozco and
David Alfaro Siqueiros, to join the Carrancistas and illustrated
La Vanguardia, the carrancista official paper. in San Miguel Allende The winning faction of the Revolution rejected the Euro-centric emphasis of the Mexican government in the 19th and early 20th century and following the Revolution, there was a revival of interest in Mexico's rich indigenous past and the popular arts, including folk dance, music, arts and crafts. Dr. Atl and other artists arranged exhibits of the folk arts and performances of popular dance and music and Dr. Atl prepared a two-volume study,
Folk Arts in Mexico, published by the Mexican government in 1922. He had ties to the socialist and anarchosyndicalist labor organization
Casa del Obrero Mundial. During the 1930s and 1940s, Dr. Atl published frequent articles praising European
fascism, especially
Adolf Hitler. His interest in politics seemed to wane as he became more interested in the field of
volcanology. Dr. Atl was also an artistic and literary critic, and for a while head of the
Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature). ==As a writer==