Mural — The Art History by jennmariana

Mural The Art History

MURAL - THE ART HISTORY First published in this format in 2017 GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jennifer Mariana Halim hi.jennmariana@gmail.com 42415007 DIGITAL GRAPHICS 2 Visual Communication Design Art and Design Faculty Petra Christian University

Without a doubt, murals have been around as long as people, as a form of valuable testimony of life from the prehistoric time to today. From the cave paintings at Lascaux Grotttoes in southern France to the street art murals of today, people have been leaving signs of their own existence in many places around the world. It is because of the earliest scratchings, carvings, etchings and paintings that we now have priceless knowledge of our history and predecessors, and these murals hold great significance for mankind, as they depicted life activities, everyday scenery and usually religious traditions of the time they were created in, giving us a priceless look of the diversity of our cultures during different periods. Over the course of time, murals have covered the interiors and exteriors of many public buildings, such as palaces, temples, tombs, museums, libraries, churches and the houses of rich art patrons, spreading onto the streets and architectural elements more recently, all the while keeping their initial meaning and purpose: to paint a picture of society, created from stories, values, dreams, change.

EDITOR IN CHIEF JENNIFER MARIANA

INTRODUCTION 08 What is Mural? A Walk Through History 10 Mural Techniques

16 Modern Times Murals Tools of Social Emancipation

CON-

18 Visual Characteristics of a Mural

TENTS MURAL ARTISTS 22 Diego Rivera 28 JosÃ© Clemente Orozco 32 Keith Haring 38

David Alfaro Siqueiros 44 Thomas Hart Benton MURAL ARTWORKS 44 Most Beautiful Mural of The Year 2016

INTRO-

Background Information.

Telling you Mural's

DUCTION

INTRODUCTION

The word mural originates from the Latin word “murus”, meaning “wall”. Today, we can define murals as any piece of artwork painted or applied directly onto a wall, ceiling or other larger permanent surfaces, flat, concave or convex, to be precise. A favorite technique of many artists, including masters like Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti, the art of muralism flourished during the 1920s, after the Mexican revolution. It is during Mexican Muralism that murals got a new dimension as a powerful visual communication tool, meant to promote the opinion of the people and to transmit social and political messages towards unity. Through the large paintings of “the great three”: Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros, murals became the most important form of expression, often the subject of controversy and always a symbol of solidarity,

freedom and hope. The Mexican muralism art inspired the creation of many other similar movements around the world, the biggest being the Chicano art movement in the 1960s. Murals also represent one of the most important features of Northern Ireland, depicting the region’s past and present political and religious divisions. Since the 1970s, the country has seen almost 2,000 paintings dedicated to the fight against racism and environmentalism, among many other issues. Another famous place charged with political murals was the Berlin Wall, whose Western side saw many murals between its creation in 1961 and its destruction in 1989, including the works by artists Keith Haring and Thierry Noir.

Introduction 01

What is a Mural? A Walk Through History

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INTRODUCTION WIDEWALLS.CH

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INTRODUCTION

Introduction 02

Mural Techniques

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When you take a look at the career path of many established street artists working today you cannot help but notice that mural painting is one of the capital parts in their body of work. There is a point in the career of every street artist when he wants to take his artistry on the next level, and you can’t go bigger than trying your chances in the field of mural painting. For those emerging talents who aspire to enter the scene of street muralists, there are some serious things to consider regarding the mural painting techniques, tools, choice of the materials and the location. Let’s face it, mural painting is timeconsuming and expensive work especially in large-scale projects. It is rarely done against the law and often requires a permission,

sometimes not so easily obtained. But if you are a young artist, eager to do his first mural painting, you won’t let technical issues like these to get in your way. If there is a will there is a way and if you want to learn how to paint a mural maybe we can help you by introducing some essential tips you should keep in mind before you hit the streets packed only with your talent, good will and ambition. In the next paragraphs, we are bringing the mastery of mural painting to you step-by-step, in a short preview of the main techniques, tools, materials, supplies and everything else you should know for your first mural project. WIDEWALLS.CH

INTRODUCTION

HOW TO PAINT A MURAL – CHOOSE THE RIGHT WALL

materials.

As mentioned earlier the right wall and good location for a mural are not easy to find. You can’t just spray some paint and run if required because you will be working on your masterpiece longer than you expect. In many cases, you will need the permission from the owner of the building of the city officials, especially if you plan a large project in the public space area. You also want to make your piece visible to the public, because you don’t want to waste your precious time in making the monumental artwork which nobody is able to see. But the visibility opens up a question of the right neighborhood and there are always those local communities that are intolerable towards arts on their streets. Perhaps, one of the best ways to do your first mural is through participation in some of the festivals, as they are usually supported by the officials and the location is given to you on a plate. All you need to do is to have your good skills, great ideas and design that you like, and of course

USE GRID – THE EASIEST WAY TO TRANSFER IDEAS ON THE WALL One of the easiest ways to transfer your design onto the large wall surface is by using grid. Whether you are painting the wall or doing murals in stencil technique it comes really handy to split your sketch into smaller parts and do your work one step at the time. You don’t want to lose yourselves in a big picture. It takes more time to be sure, but better safe than sorry, because when it comes to the large-scale projects the use of grid is the best way to ensure the perfection of your piece. You should leave your free hand painting for some other occasion or even proceed if you feel really confident about the level of your skillfulness. However, if you decide to go with the grid method, the first thing you need to do is to split your sketch into the grid squares in proportion to the wall and planned surface of your future mural. Then you should replicate the squares from your referential

drawing into corresponding squares on the wall surface. After your picture is set you can erase the lines and you’re ready to paint and bring some color into your design. Another useful method for really large projects is the use of a professional projector, which can be costly, so you might skip this option for a while and consider acquiring a projector once again when you are well known and preferably well-off.

INTRODUCTION

USEFUL TIP – WALL PRIMING You will also need the prime paint, usually in white color, to prepare the wall and cover the surface before you even start painting your artwork. And the main thing to have in mind if you’re painting a large wall surface is that choosing the right paints is equally important as calculating the right amount. So once you like your choice of paint you are ready to leave home and create your painted masterpiece. But paint isn’t the only thing you’ll be using and there are additional tools that you simply must have.

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INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTION PASTEL – MURAL FOR MILESTONE PROJECT, GIRONA, SPAIN, 2015 VIA WIDEWALLS.CH

TOOLS FOR MURAL PAINTING YOU DON’T WANT TO FORGET Once your budget is mostly spent on paint let’s see what else might come in handy. First of all you need to have something to apply paint with and this is a choice which depends on your method of work and again the size of your project and surface of the wall. If you don’t go with the stenciled murals and spray paint you will definitely need good quality brushes, paint sprayer even rollers and roller extensions. You also shouldn’t forget ladders for reaching those inaccessible places, additional water and some markers

or a small brush to highlight the details. It is better to start painting background and large areas of color first, and leaving your paint to dry to avoid blending of the separate colors. Once you finish painting of your project, coat of varnish or protective acrylic glaze might come in handy to secure the duration of your perfect mural. GO AHEAD AND PAINT A MURAL! In the end, if you are interested in doing your own murals you are probably already familiar with most of these steps. Mural painting is a demanding and time-consuming activity even for the veterans in

this field, but some tips can make the practice of mural painting easier and more comfortable for those people who are new to the process. Finally, if you are willing to try even though it’s challenging and exhausting we say go forward, make your mark on the wall, cause with the right idea, good paints, patience and great effort the final product will be worth every single hour of your work. WIDEWALLS.CH

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Modern Times Murals Tools of Social Emancipation

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INTRODUCTION

Staying true to their role of expressing religious and political beliefs within societies, murals represent a mighty tool of emancipation, freedom of expression and social activism and propaganda. They are considered an important aspect of socially engaging art and play a significant role in the relationship between art and politics. Today, in many places around the world and mostly in South America, mural art is used to speak in the name of and depict communities, nations and cultures. At the same time, murals represent an aesthetic element which helps them integrate into their environments and turns them into true cultural artifacts and even monumental works. Apart from their well-defined meanings, murals are also created with other purposes, such as advertising or simply for the sake of a beautiful image on a wall. With urban art becoming more mainstream, many big brands often collaborate with mural artists in creating promotional campaigns and designs, and many worldfamous street art and graffiti artists successfully paint their murals everywhere, showing incredible skills and talent which formed their own highly distinctive artistic styles. With such remarkable legacies of

artists like Keith Haring, Shepard Fairey, Os Gemeos, FAILE and many others, an army of younger artists came to produce truly extraordinary works, like the ones of Nychos, Blu, Seth Globepainter, Millo, Phlegm, Icy & Sot and many, many more, creating an amazing oeuvre themselves for the world to enjoy and relate to. From courthouses, to libraries, to schoolrooms, to classic hotel watering holes, this book introduces readers to a wide range of cultural icons and artistic treasures. Fullcolor images of works by the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most celebrated artists including Marc Chagall, Roy Lichtenstein, Maxfield Parrish, and more are accompanied by informative and historical commentary. Murals Of New York City is perfect for art and architecture lovers and serves as a resource for New Yorkers, and a souvenir for the millions of tourists who visit the city every year. The book contains addresses and historical information on each mural, artist, and location, including the circumstances in which they were created, restored, and preserved. WIDEWALLS.CH

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Visual Characteristics of a Mural

ROBERT JENKINS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; LEEDERVILLE GOAT MURAL VIA WIDEWALLS.CH

INTRODUCTION

Mural, a painting applied to and made integral with the surface of a wall or ceiling. The term may properly include painting on fired tiles but ordinarily does not refer to mosaic decoration unless the mosaic forms part of the overall scheme of the painting. Mural painting is inherently different from all other forms of pictorial art in that it is organically connected with architecture. The use of colour, design, and thematic treatment can radically alter the sensation of spatial proportions of the building. In this sense, mural is the only form of painting that is truly three-dimensional, since it modifies and partakes of a given space. Byzantine mosaic decoration

evinced the greatest respect for organic architectural form. The great artists of the Renaissance, on the other hand, attempted to create an illusionistic feeling for space, and the masters of the subsequent Baroque period obtained such radical effects as to seem to dissolve almost entirely the walls or ceilings. Apart from its organic relation to architecture, a second characteristic of mural painting is its broad public significance. The mural artist must conceive pictorially a social, religious, or patriotic theme on the appropriate scale in reference both to the structural exigencies of the wall and to the idea expressed. BRITANNICA.COM

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ARDiscover The Best Mural Artists From Time to Time

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Mural Artist 01

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Diego Rivera 1886-1957

Painter and muralist Diego Rivera sought to make art that reflected the lives of the working class and native peoples of Mexico. SYNOPSIS Born on December 8, 1886, in Guanajuato, Mexico, Diego Rivera sought to make art that reflected the lives of the Mexican people. In 1921, through a government program, he started a series of murals in public buildings. Some were controversial; his Man at the Crossroads in New York City’s RCA building, which featured a portrait of Vladmir Lenin, was stopped and destroyed by the Rockefeller family. EARLY LIFE Now thought to be one of the leading artists of the 20th century, Diego Rivera was born on December 8, 1886, in Guanajuato, Mexico. His passion for art emerged early on. He began drawing as a child. Around the age of 10, Rivera went to study art at the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts in Mexico City. One of his early influences was artist José Posada who ran a print shop near Rivera’s school. In 1907, Rivera traveled to Europe to further his art studies. There, he

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“In a wall painting, the message is crucial, but it needs to be well painted,” -Dardo M.

befriended many leading artists of the day, including Pablo Picasso. Rivera was also able to view influential works by Paul Gaugin and Henri Matisse, among others. FAMOUS MURALISTS Diego Rivera had some success as a Cubist painter in Europe, but the course of world events would strongly change the style and subject of his work. Inspired by the political ideals of the Mexican Revolution (191415) and the Russian Revolution (1917), Rivera wanted to make art that reflected the lives of the working class and native peoples of Mexico. He developed an interest in making murals during a trip to Italy, finding inspiration in the Renaissance frescos there. Returning to Mexico, Rivera began to express his artistic ideas about Mexico. He received funding from the government to create a series of murals about the country’s people and its history on the walls of public buildings. In 1922, Rivera completed the first of the murals at the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria in Mexico City. Known for numerous dalliances with women, Rivera married fellow artist Frida Kahlo in 1929. He already had been twice before he wed Kahlo, who was 20 years his junior, and had several children from his past relationships. Rivera and Kahlo shared an interest in radical politics and Marxism.

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THE LAST OF THE CORRIDOR PANELS VIA WIDEWALLS.CH

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MAN AT THE ARSENAL VIA WIDEWALLS.CH

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COMMERICAL SUCCESS In the 1930s and ‘40s, Diego Rivera painted several murals in the United States. Some of his works created controversy, especially the one he did for the Rockefeller family in the RCA building in New York City. The mural, known as “Man at the Crossroads,” featured a portrait of Russian Communist leader Vladimir Lenin. The artist had reportedly included Lenin in his piece to portray the turbulent political atmosphere at the time, which was largely defined by conflicting capitalist and socialist ideologies and escalating fears surrounding the Communist Party. The Rockefellers disliked Rivera’s insertion of Lenin and, thusly, asked Rivera to remove the portrait, but the painter refused. The Rockefellers then had Rivera stop work on the mural. In 1934, Nelson Rockefeller famously ordered the demolition of “Man at the Crossroads.” Publish backlash against the Rockefellers ensued; after long proclaiming a deep dedication to the arts, the powerful family now looked both hypocritical and tyrannical. John D. Rockefeller Jr. later attempted to explain the destruction of the mural, stating, “The picture was obscene and, in the judgment of Rockefeller Center, an offense to good taste. It was for this reason primarily that Rockefeller Center decided to destroy it.” LATER LIFE AND WORK In the late 1930s, Rivera went through a slow period, in terms of work. He had no major mural commissions around this time so he devoted himself to painting other works. While they always had a stormy relationship, Rivera and Kahlo decided to divorce in 1939. But the pair reunited the following year and remarried. The couple hosted Communist exile Leon Trotsky at their home during this period. Rivera returned to murals with one made for the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition held in San Franciso. In Mexico City, he spent from 1945 to 1951 working on a series of murals known as “From the PreHispanic Civilization to the Conquest.” His last mural was called “Popular History of Mexico.” BIOGRAPHY.COM

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Mural Artist 02

1883-1949

The life of José Clemente Orozco is a tale of tragedy, adversity and outstanding achievement. Born in Mexico in 1883, he was raised in Zapotlán el Grande, a small city in Mexico’s southwestern region of Jalisco. When he was still a young boy, Orozco’s parents moved to Mexico City in hopes of making a better life for their three children. His father, Ireneo, was a businessman, and his mother, Maria Rosa, worked as a homemaker and sometimes sang for extra income. Despite his parents’ efforts, they often lived on the edge of poverty. The Mexican Revolution was heating up, and being a highly sensitive child, Orozco began noticing the many hardships people around him faced. While walking to school, he witnessed the Mexican cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada working in an open shop window. Posada’s politically engaged paintings not only intrigued Orozco, but they also awakened his first understanding of art as a powerful expression of political revolt. At age 15, Orozco left the city and traveled to the countryside. His parents sent him away in order to study agricultural engineering, a profession he had very little interest in pursuing. While at school, he contracted rheumatic fever. His father died of typhus soon after he returned home. Perhaps Orozco finally felt free to pursue his true passion, because almost immediately he began taking art classes at San Carlos Academy. To support his mother, he also worked small jobs, first as a draftsman for an architectural firm, and then later as a post-mortem painter, hand-coloring portraits of the dead.

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José Clemente Orozco

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CARNIVAL OF THE IDEOLOGIES VIA THEARTSTORY.ORG

Just around the time Orozco became certain about pursuing a career in art, tragedy struck. While mixing chemicals to make fireworks to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day in 1904, he created an accidental explosion that injured his left arm and wrist. Due to the national festivities, a doctor did not see him for several days. By the time he was seen, gangrene had taken over and it was necessary to amputate his entire left hand. As he healed, the Mexican Revolution was eminent in everyone’s minds, and the personal suffering Orozco experienced was mirrored in the growing political strife happening all around him. BIOGRAPHY.COM

MEXICAN REVOLUTION VIA THEARTSTORY.ORG

THE TABLE OF UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD VIA THEARTSTORY.ORG

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a painting or other work of art executed directly on a wall.

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Mural Artist 03

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Keith Haring 1958-1990

SYNOPSIS Artist Keith Haring was born on May 4, 1958, in Reading, Pennsylvania. He moved to New York City in 1978 and began using the city as his canvas, making chalk drawings in subway stations. His art was eventually seen everywhere from public murals and nightclubs to galleries and museums around the world. He was also known for his activism in promoting AIDS awareness. He died of AIDS-related complications on February 16, 1990, at age 31. EARLY LIFE Keith Haring was born on May 4, 1958, in Reading, Pennsylvania. His parents, Allen and Joan Haring, raised Haring and his three sisters in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. As a child, Haring was fascinated by the cartoon art of Walt Disney and Charles Schultz and the illustrations of Dr. Seuss. He spent many hours drawing with his father, an engineer whose hobby was cartooning. After graduating from high school in 1976, Haring briefly attended the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh, dropping out after two semesters. In 1978, he decided to return to school, moving to New York City to enroll at the School of Visual Arts. EARLY ARTWORK When Haring arrived in New York, it was home to a thriving underground art scene. Haring befriended fellow emerging artists like Jean-Michel

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TUTTOMUNDO, 1989 VIA FRANCETV EDUCATION

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Basquiat and Kenny Scharf, who shared his interest in the colorful and transgressive graffiti art of the city's streets. Haring and these other artists organized exhibitions at downtown nightclubs and other alternative locations, where art, music and fashion all came together in a dynamic mix.

POPSHOP NYC, 1986 VIA HARING.COM

Beyond the clubs, Haring began using the city as his canvas. Riding the subway, he noticed the black paper rectangles of empty advertising panels on station walls; using white chalk, he began filling these black panels with simple, quickly drawn pictures. His signature images included dancing figures, a "radiant baby" (a crawling infant emitting rays of light), a barking dog, a flying saucer, large hearts, and figures with televisions for heads. These graffiti drawings attracted the attention of New York commuters, as well as the city authorities: Haring was arrested for vandalism on numerous occasions. SUCCESS AND ACCLAIM Haring soon began to apply his universally recognizable imagery to freestanding drawings and paintings. The energy and optimism of his art, with its bold lines and bright colors, brought him popularity with a wide audience. He had his first solo exhibition in 1981, at the Westbeth Painters Space in Manhattan. In 1982 he began to show his art at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery, which would represent him for the rest of his career.

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“Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times. It brings together man and the world. It lives through magic.” —Keith Haring

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ACT UP, 1989 VIA MELBOURNEHARINGMURAL.COM.AU

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Throughout the 1980s, Haring's work was exhibited widely both within the United States and internationally. He also collaborated with other artists and performers, including Andy Warhol, Grace Jones and William S. Burroughs. Always wanting to make his art more accessible, Haring opened a retail store called the Pop Shop in New York City's SoHo neighborhood in 1986; the shop sold posters, T-shirts and other affordable items featuring Haring's signature designs. Over the brief span of his career, the artist completed more than 50 public works, including the anti-drug mural Crack is Wack in a Harlem playground and an illuminated, animated billboard of his "radiant baby" image for New York's Times Square. He also hosted numerous art workshops for children. In 1988, Haring was diagnosed with AIDS. The following year, he created the Keith Haring Foundation to support children's programs and organizations dedicated to raising AIDS awareness. BIOGRAPHY.COM

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Mural Artist 04

1896-1974

In 1922, David Alfaro Siqueiros painted frescoes on the walls of the National Preparatory School and began organizing and leading unions of artists and workingmen. His Communist activities led to numerous jailings and periods of exile. He produced thousands of square feet of wall paintings in which numerous social, political and industrial changes were portrayed from a left-wing perspective. EARLY YEARS The son of a bourgeois family, painter David Alfaro Siqueiros was born in Chihuahua City, Mexico, on December 29, 1896. In 1908 he went to Mexico City to study art and architecture at the Franco-English College. His schooling came at an interesting time in Mexican history. In 1910 the Mexican Revolution erupted, and a newly politicized Siqueiros became involved in student strikes. The following year he led a successful student strike at the San Carlos Academy that changed the school's teaching methods. At the age of 18 Siqueiros joined the Mexican Revolution Army, eventually attaining the rank of captain. He also joined the Communist Party and worked to undermine Mexico's new military dictator, Victoriano Huerta.

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David Alfaro Siqueiros

THE POLITICIZED ARTIST For Siqueiros, art and politics blended seamlessly together. His murals, big and bold, were often infused with causes that supported his leftist politics. Also, Siqueiros wasn't afraid to bring art to his political work. While still with the Mexican Revolution Army, he co-founded a group called the Congress of Soldier Artists. He also teamed up with Diego Rivera, a fellow muralist and hard-core leftist, and Javier Guerrero, to start El Machete, the weekly paper that became the official mouthpiece for the country's Communist Party. His life and work seemed to bounce between acceptance and repudiation. During the 1920s and early 1930s Siqueiros was jailed often for his political work. Yet in 1922 he was commissioned to paint what may be his most famous mural, "Los Mitos" (The Myths") at the National Preparatory School. In the 1930s, Siqueiros came to the United States and worked in Los Angeles. His murals there told the story of America's forceful relationship with Latin America. His work also took him to South America and then back to New York, where he opened up a school for young artists. The students included Jackson Pollock, then just starting out. Following the rise of the left-leaning Lรกzaro Cรกrdenas to the Mexican presidency, Siqueiros returned to his home country. But his stay there was

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CENTER BY SIQUEIROS, 1957

short-lived. After the Spanish Civil War broke out, the artist traveled to Spain to serve and fight against the Fascists. Siqueiros' Communist sympathies ran so deep, and his affinity for Stalin was so strong, that in 1940 Siqueiros led an attack on the home of Leon Trotsky, who'd been granted asylum in Mexico by President Cรกrdenas. Trotsky survived the ambush, but was later assassinated, an act that Siqueiros may or may not have had a hand in. FINAL YEARS As an artist Siqueiros relented little on his ambitious projects. He continued his anti-Fascist theme during World War II, with pieces like "A New Day for Democracy," "Death to the Invader" and "Fraternity Between the Black and White Races." In 1959 the Mexican government sentenced Siqueiros to five years in jail for supporting a railroad workers' union. After the artist was released in 1964, he continued to show his fiery passion for left-wing causes. He strongly backed the new Cuban government and its leader, Fidel Castro, and came out swinging against the U.S. and its war in Vietnam. In 1974 Siqueiros died in Cuernavaca, his home for the last decade of his life. BIOGRAPHY.COM

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FROM THE DICTATORSHIP OF PORFIRIO DIAZ TO THE REVOLUTION THE PEOPLE IN ARMS 1957

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STRUGGLE FOR EMANCIPATION VIA ARTSY.NET

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Mural Artist 05

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Thomas Hart Benton 1889-1975

Thomas H. Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri, on April 15, 1889. He was known for his dazzling use of color in paintings that captured realistic depictions of people at work, play or in repose in various habitats, often in rural settings. Some of his famous works include “America Today,” “Persephone,” “Planting” and a mural for the Missouri State Capitol. He was also teacher to Jackson Pollock. He died on January 19, 1975 in Kansas City, Mo. BIOGRAPHY.COM

Thomas Hart Benton was an esteemed 20th century painter and muralist renowned for works like “America Today” and “Persephone.”

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MURAL ARTISTS AMERICA TODAY VIA NYTIMES.COM

MURAL Showcase and Discover the Latest Mural Artworks from Across the World.

ARTWORKS

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At a time when street art is finally getting the recognition within the realm of contemporary art as a valid form of creation and expression, more and more artists cover the walls around the world with the most beautiful murals. This year has been no exception, and even saw a significant rise in the number of dedicated events, festival and exhibitions at esteemed galleries and even museums. Street and urban art have stopped being referred to as vandalism a while ago and talented individuals working in all its forms and styles are getting commissioned to create works â&#x20AC;&#x201C; something that just ten years ago seemed like an impossible thing to happen. Their pieces tackle a variety of topics, from socio-political situations in every corner of the planet to stunning portraiture in the manner of the greatest masters of art history. We feel lucky indeed to be a part of this ever-evolving movement, which is why weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re engaged in following street creatives on a regular basis through our monthly Street Update articles. Make sure you check out the collection of the 150 most beautiful murals of the past three years as well! Below, you will find those which marked the year behind us, as we look forward to those yet to come. WIDEWALLS.CH

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Most Beautiful Mural of The Year 2016

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53 FIN DAC - RESURRECTION OF ANGELS

FINTAN MAGEE IN AMMAN, JORDAN The portrait in Amman, Jordan painted by Fintan Magee, shows the young girl in limbo, torn between two worlds. It found home in a Predominantly Palestinian neighborhood. The girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image in the foreground is looking outwards towards an uncertain future, her background reflection is looking back, towards the world she left behind. The piece was a part of the aptART project too.

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In Venice, California, Fin DAC portrayed Nicole Wu against a pitch black background on a building, giving her wings. This is why his mural is called Resurrection of Angels and it suggests there should more of such portraits in the future. He is known for his portraiture of women, usually mixed up with elements of local culture.

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BEN EINE IN GOTHENBURG Known for his vibrant typography, Ben Eine is a talented street artist who once again employed his talents for the occasion of Artscape Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden. His mesmerizing vertical piece, which covers a whole side of a building, states “Every time I look up, I feel happy, when I look down, I’m sad”.

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EDUARDO KOBRA PAINTS DAVID BOWIE Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra painted a spectacular portrait of the late David Bowie from his Ziggy Stardust days in New Jersey. The recognizable orange lightning bolt is still there in its original color, but everything else is painted in Kobra’s colorful geometric style – with a touch of black and white. WIDEWALLS.CH

CASE MACLAIM FOR ARTESANO PROJECT In Dominican Republic, Case Maclaim recently painted a mural as part of the Artesano Project, which aims to promote public art in the country. In Keuri, San Pedro de Marcoris, he created a painting of a young man, spreading across two walls and evoking great skill in figurative painting.

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GUIDO VAN HELTEN’S SALT OF THE EARTH Australian prodigy Guido van Helten became a part of a documentary of famous street artists from his country, produced by Wanderers. While the project will be out in early 2017, we can admire this beautiful piece painted on train cars and featuring the artist’s signature portraiture of two elderly people. WIDEWALLS.CH

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LONAC NITPICKING

One of the most beautiful murals of the year belongs to Croatian creative Lonac, who authored this masterpiece for MMSU Rijeka â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Spajalica festival in his homeland. Titled Nitpicking / Pimplovanje, it is a breathtaking portrait of a man focused on the model of a ship. We honestly canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop looking at it!

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WD WILD DRAWING IN ATHENS One of the most beautiful murals of the year belongs to Croatian creative Lonac, who authored this masterpiece for MMSU Rijeka â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Spajalica festival in his homeland. Titled Nitpicking / Pimplovanje, it is a breathtaking portrait of a man focused on the model of a ship. We honestly canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop looking at it!

JENNIFER MARIANA HALIM 4241007 DIGITAL GRAPHICS 2 Visual Communication Design Art and Design Faculty Petra Christian University