Murals Artistic Expression and Imagination

Murals are works of art whose canvases are building ceilings, walls, and other surfaces. Cavemen first experimented with murals as a means of creative expression by painting on the walls of the caves they lived in. As a result, the genre of art is regarded as the oldest in the history of mankind's art. Murals are often compared to graffiti, although the distinction between the two is that murals are lawfully sanctioned, while graffiti is often performed secretly on public or privately owned land by people who do not approve of the type of writing. Murals have a communal aspect as they can be used to enhance social unity and harmony. Since they are expensive, murals are often sponsored by entities such as corporations or governments who do so for a specific purpose. Some of the famous mural artistes include Diego Rivera and Leonardo da Vinci. The objective of this paper is to undertake an analysis of murals as a form of artistic expression and imagination. The historical development of murals as an art form and the modern methods of the art will be discussed herein. Moreover, I will delve into an interpretation of the valuable aspects of mural form of art.

Historical developments in the creation of murals as a form of artistic expression and imagination

Murals are as old as mankind and their origins are spread out all over the world. Cave paintings during prehistoric times have been discovered in various areas including Indonesia, France’s Lascaux caves and Niaux. The murals of the prehistoric times were depictions of the way of life of the societies. Some of the expressed artwork apart from the social activities such as hunting and gathering include funeral and religious rites. Murals served different purposes: some were meant to capture the history of a people while others conveyed lessons and unified people; for example through the religious murals of Tibet which reflected Buddhism which united the society.

The Roman Empire made great contributions to murals as a form of artistic expression. During that era, the ceilings and walls of most buildings were painted as murals. The preferred pictures which were depicted in murals in both private and public buildings included landscapes and figures. The Renaissance in Europe also contributed to the art form of murals. The Renaissance was a period which was marked with great appreciation of art. Wealthy patrons therefore paid mural artistes to undertake either public or private, mural paintings. In the bedrooms, for example, murals were painted n the ceiling in order to enhance the bedtime experiences of the wealthy patrons. Artistes of public murals are grouped according to the period, during the Renaissance within which they undertook to portray the art. The time periods were classified as the Early, High and Late Renaissance. The element of the mural art which was prevalent amongst the most popular artistes of the era was developed in Florence. Masaccio’s mural painting in Florence for instance utilized the integration of light, shade and gesture, thereby creating a dramatic effect. Artistes such as Melozzo da Forli replicated the same form. Other artistes preferred traditions such as the Gothic and romantic realism. In the 15th century, all the discussed elements were incorporated in murals. In the 17th Century, Baroque artistes like Peter Paul Rubens improved the manifestation of murals by depicting movements in the art they painted.

Mexico’s revolutionary movement in the 1920s developed contemporary artistic expression through murals. Renowned artistes like Diego Rivera were contracted by the government of President Alvaro Obregon to instill social change and a nationalist spirit due to the adverse aftermath of the civil war that had taken place. The artistes’ mural painting posited nationalist ideology, the Mexican culture and political commentary. Murals such as “National Palace Mural” by Diego Riviera portrayed the reality in the history of Mexican albeit in a manner that left the task of interpretation in the purview of the audience. The technique which was preferred by Diego in the articulation of his murals was the fresco technique which was essential for durability of the mural. The paintings of murals often took several days and were therefore done in sections.

The use of art to spread hope after disillusionment was taken up by other countries like the United States with the aim of bringing about political action through art. Moreover, the significance of the influence of mural form of art on the populace was due to the art being brought into public spaces whereby it could be accessed by a wide variety of persons. The contemporary mural paintings combine the form of artistic expression with function thereby differing from gallery art whose appeal was to the elite class. The images depicted in contemporary murals in the United States represent the social plight of the society, especially the Middle class thereby advocating for change. A famous mural is that of William Walker, and others called “Wall of Respect”. The mural used a combination of illustrated images and words to explore themes such as unity, confrontation and oppression in Chicago.

The current method of mural art

Murals have transformed significantly over the course of time. Currently, the form of art has been transformed through technological developments such as the creation of a camera. Murals were originally created by artistes based on their memory of certain images as there were no photographs at the time. However, with the invention of photography, artistes can convey artistic expression based on preexisting images. Murals made from photographs were initially used in advertisement through billboards. Modern murals do not have to be directly painted on surfaces of buildings. Instead, some murals are portable and can therefore be carried into buildings and attached to the walls or ceiling.

The techniques used to create modern murals are stippling, antiquing, stenciling and glazing. Glazing enables the exploration of the color element of art through shading. The method is also used for adding dimension to a mural painting. Through the use of mediums of acrylic glazing; antiqueness can be portrayed in a mural painting. The use of stencils of different shapes has made mural art painting quite easier in the modern age as it assists artistes to create shapes. Stippling involves the layering of different colors of similar shades in order to enhance the color element of art. Texture is enhanced through the use of sponging. The use of a color on top of another one is used to create the illusion of death in mural paintings.

The value of murals as an art form

The value of a form of art can be evaluated on the basis of its aesthetic appeal, inherent meaning, and fulfillment of intention, skill and uniqueness. In my opinion, murals are valuable form of art because they embody all the five essential qualities. I will hereinafter undertake a discussion of the manner in which murals exemplify all the five aforementioned characteristics.

Murals possess aesthetic appeal or beauty because of their embodiment of elements of art such as color and beauty. Colors are especially used to exhibit the artistic works in murals. Through techniques such as stenciling and glazing, different colors and shapes are created which enhance the beauty of the finished work.

The skill depicted in murals lends credence to their value as forms of art. Murals are created to be shown on already developed architectural designs which they have to conform to shows the superior abilities of the artistes who develop such a form of art. The ability to create a man whose facial symmetry is intact on surfaces that may have been designed to have movements that are asymmetrical show the amount of skill possessed by the artistes of murals.

The inherent meanings which can be deciphered from works of art lend credence to the superiority of the works. Most mural art pieces tell different stories. The works of Diego Riviera, for example, were depictions of the history of Mexicans’ social, cultural and political spheres. The incorporation of emotion in the works such as “Wall of Respect” by William Walker enhances its ability to explore themes such as oppression. I am of the opinion that despite fulfilling this quality, the meanings of art pieces in murals are quite simple and do not exemplify thought provoking ideas. As such, murals as a form of art are lacking when it comes to the communication of non-obvious meanings.

The intention of artistes of murals can be deciphered through an analysis of their paintings. Since the messages meant to be conveyed in murals are simple, they can be easily picked out by the intended audiences who are the public. Notably, the reason why murals conveyed easily understood messages may be because they were meant to inspire social change or hope. As such, it was essential that every member of the society understands the intended meanings by the artistes.

Conclusion

Murals are a form of art conveyed in public spaces such as walls and ceilings. The development of murals began from cave paintings and transformed to contemporary murals that are meant to convey ideas for social change as opposed to mere aesthetic beauty. Murals are a valuable art form because they entail all the qualities which art should have. It is however important that murals transform to convey more complex ideas derived from the society. Although it is notable that murals were an artistic expression which was meant for the entire society; the use of simple ideas may be through a lack of belief in the abilities of the common man to decipher art which is a denigrating perception.



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