the new art of making murals

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Mural is short for mural artwork.

A mural is a site-specific image just like a viewpoint or a crushed pigeon.

It is an image fixed to a wall in an undetachable way, usually with paint.

A muralist does not create a mural, he creates only the painting, or he copies one.

The wall was created by an architect and a mason at an earlier time. The wall may have been tagged afterwards by locals. The wall has its own meaning in the neighborhood. It has a shape, a structure, color and orientation. It may also have windows, gates, climbing plants, gutters, cracks, water damage and lichens.

The blank canvas the painter has left in his studio does not exist in the street.

A mural can be an accidental combination of a wall and an image irrelevant to the wall or the street. This we call street art, an image that contrasts with the grey wall only because of its color and therefore it is considered art. Art that can be seen in the street. Hence street art.

A mural can also be an autonomous work of art that taps into the uniqueness of the wall and its meaning and then enhances it or enters into dialogue with it: this is where the new muralism begins.

The old muralist does not feel responsible for choosing the wall or preparing the surface for painting. He is a painter. In the new muralism, the artwork is the combination of the wall, the applied materials or paint and the interaction with the audience. The artist takes responsibility for the whole process. He looks for a wall with character or with a story. He listens to the wall, he feels the wall. The new muralist will gratefully observe irregularities such as windows, cracks, gates and plants. He listens to the users of the space where the wall is located. The artist then sees the artwork on the wall even before he intervenes. He helps others see what he sees.

In the old muralism, the artist paints a picture.

In the new muralism, the artist creates a contextual work of art.

 

(based on Ulises Carrión, “THE NEW ART OF MAKING BOOKS”)