Beyond the status of colleagues and friends, the Contemporáneos were collaborators. For the Contemporáneos, the city was a hub of Mexico's evolving modernity. While celebrating Mexico's unique traditions, the Contemporáneos embraced this idea of universal cosmopolitanism,and believed that Mexican culture should remain open to international influences and to the voice of the urban intellectual. An instructor who continued to serve as a mentor even after she left Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (Academy of Fine Arts) was Rufino Tamayo. Sharing a studio with the young artist for 4 years, Tamayo had a profound impact on Izquierdo's early development as an artist. Introducing her to watercolor, the two shared similar subject matter and color palettes. Both believed art should serve more as a poetic outlet than a political one, and while their professional relationship grew, so did a romantic one. Throughout their relationship, Izquierdo remained independent. Becoming an active part of the Liga de Escritres y Artistas Revoluctionaros (LEAR; League of Revolutionary Writers and Artists) in 1934, Izquierdo went on to use the artistic techniques that Tamayo helped her develop to create her own artistic style. Within just her first year at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (Academy of Fine Arts) María Izquierdo participated in four art exhibitions. The first art exhibit opened on November 19, 1928, and was organized by the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (Academy of Fine Arts) student union, showcasing three of her paintings: Marina (Seacape), El juicio de Toral (The Trial of Toral) and Cámara con gallo (Camera with Rooster). The exhibition was well attended by those who held prestigious roles at Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (Academy of Fine Arts). Gaining praise from art academy leaders like Assistant Secretary of Education, Moisés Sáenz, the crowd was immediately impressed by her talent. Gaining prominence within the art world, Izquierdo's name continued to spread in the years that followed. Diego Rivera described her at her first individual exhibition as "one of the most appealing figures in the art scene in Mexico". He often described her as "one of the best at the academy" and many publications reviewed the 1929 solo exhibition highlighting Rivera exclamation that Izquierdo "was the only real artist with merit" at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (Academy of Fine Arts) (Craven).