What Do Murals Do?

What Do Murals Do?A Reflection on Different Types of MuralsCompiled by Tara S. Holl, Maryland Artists/Teachers Institute

Teaching Artist

“Murals are large scale paintings which are applied directly to walls, ceilings, and many other large flat surfaces. They are presumed to be the oldest human

art form, as cave paintings at numerous human settlements suggest, and can be found all over the

world.”

– Muralist Eric Jonsson

To record history: One of the magnificent cave paintings from Lascaux, France, perhaps depicting the hunt or showing the abundance and types of animals found. Note that it is believed to be from 15,000 to 10,000 B.C.

To record history, to inform: The early Egyptians decorated the walls of their palaces and tombs with brightly painted murals. While some of the paintings depicted everyday life, many told stories of gods, goddesses, and rulers. Many of these murals have survived for thousands of years.

To document, to decorate: Minoan fisherman from Santorini, Greece, 1650-1500 B.C Minoan Dolphins displayed on a wall painting at Knossos Palace, Crete.These ancient murals give us a glimpse into the past.

To honor, to educate: 2nd Century B.C. Cave Paintings from the Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India. These murals are considered among “the finest examples of early Indian religious and historical art”.

To honor, to celebrate and to record history: Chinese mural from one of the Mogao Caves (or Mogao Grottoes), also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas. The caves contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art spanning a period of 1,000 years.

To provide employment: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Public Works of Art Project, part of the New Deal, supported artists to create this mural (and others) capturing the character of the common folk and their struggles during the Depression.

To record, to commemorate: U.S. Post Office Building, Muncy, Pennsylvania: John W. Beauchamp’s “Rachel Silverthorne’s Ride” (1938) depicts a heroine warning of a British-allied Indian attack in 1778. This mural was one of very few depicting a woman as a prominent figure during historical representations.

To celebrate, to commemorate, to beautify, and to record history: One of several murals (glass mosaic) created in the Harlem, New York, subway stations to depict the culture of the Harlem Renaissance and legends of uptown.

To make political and religious statements: Murals in Northern Ireland have become symbols of the nation, depicting the region’s past and present political and religious divisions.

To commemorate: Bobby Sands mural, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Since the Northern Ireland peace agreement, the focus has become less political. Quite different from when a young republican muralist was shot dead in 1980 with police saying they mistook his paintbrush for a gun.

To promote goodwill and community awareness: The Baltimore Love Project consists of at least 20 murals painted around different parts of Baltimore City. The word “love” is spelled out with hands and fingers. Artist Michael Owen is responsible for this wonderful gift to the city.

To Control: Huntington Beach, California mural – in an effort to control graffiti throughout this town, people were invited to “do” graffiti on a public wall. Police stood by to keep things “clean”. There was a great deal of controversy about this project from the local residents.

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To beautify for public enjoyment: Trompe L'oeil (French term) mural meaning to “fool the eye”.

For community enjoyment: Trompe L'oeil - John Pugh’s Mana Nalu mural in Honolulu, Hawaii, fools the eye.

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To record, to document: The Tea Horse Trade; this trade involved the ancient exchange between China and Tibet, with tea coming from China and horses coming from Tibet.

To revitalize: The Murals of Chemainus, Vancouver Island, B.C. With “Necessity is the mother of invention” as a ruling concept, the leaders and townspeople of Chemainus turned what could have been the end of their hometown into a renaissance, and became known as “The Little Town That did”. The logging industry was no longer a viable business that could support the town as it once had.

To commemorate and revitalize: First Nation People have called this land home in Chemainus and throughout the Canadian Northwest for many long years and they are an integral part of the history that is depicted in some of the 40 plus murals created in Chemainus.

To protest: This mural was done on a huge boulder on Vieques Island off the coast of Puerto Rico. I believe it is in protest as the U.S. military had an installation there for many years where warfare testing went on; many islanders believe contamination on the island and in its surrounding waters is still present.

To advertise: The company Nike has shared its brand by creating compelling advertising for the last several years with clean, inventive and celebratory marketing murals such as this one.

To unify: The overall theme of this 80 foot mural on the west-facing wall of P.S. 11, William T. Harris elementary school, in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City, is a message of international unity. “The idea is One World, One Voice, no borders, no separation, just everything and everyone working together for a single cause that is a better world.” The work was done by two Brazilian muralists Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo.

To embellish: Contemporary circus themed and stylized mural.

OLD MILL NORTH M.S.

To learn, to teach and to embellish: Old Mill North Middle School 48’ student mural about the earth’s biomes. This student mural was created in a common area in the school.

Detail #1 Old Mill North Middle School - Students studied the flora and fauna of specific biomes in order to create a meaningful arts integrated composition.

Detail #2 Old Mill North Middle School - Students researched and then painted appropriate symbols to represent many countries from around the world on the borders of the mural to promote unity.

To celebrate multiculturalism: Lucy V. Barnsley Elementary “We are the World, We are the Children” – students created a mosaic mural reflecting cultures from around the world. They interpreted their vision of the song “We are the World, We are the Children” about Africa by Michael Jackson.

Detail of Lucy V. Barnsley mural; students included details of dress to illustrate different cultures.

Detail - Lucy V. Barnsley Elementary “We are the World, We are the Children” - students chose skin tones that reflected the various cultures represented and included headdresses and other details to further indicate traditional dress.

To encourage reading, healthy values, and artistic expression: Northfield Elementary students created this ceramic mural in 2004 under teaching artist Nancy Sandbower.

Detail – Northfield Elementary outdoor ceramic mural depicting a scene from the Italian story “Strega Nonna” (Italian for Grandmother Witch!) about being honest and making good choices.

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To teach, to unify, to celebrate and to beautify: Northfield Elementary – Students created this 2012 fabric mural inspired by Mexican folk art, the theme depicts cultures and monuments from around the world. This mural is located in the lobby of the school.

Detail of Northfield Elementary fabric mural showing that students researched the appropriate style of dress and shelter for a specific region of the world. The scale of the people and other shapes is reflective of traditional Mexican folk art.

To illustrate and to encourage: Mixed Media mural component inspired by the book Mama Miti to celebrate the concept of planting trees, ideas, and HOPE to bring peace and prosperity to Kenya.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at tshstudios@juno.com

Thank you, Tara S. HollMaryland Artists/Teachers Institute

Teaching Artist