Wallnutz

Wall murals are the oldest form of human artistic expression, used in prehistoric cave paintings at least 30,000 years ago. The oldest examples of wall mural painting are the caves of Lascaux, France. Wall murals are large scale paintings that are applied to indoor or outdoor large, flat surfaces and portray a complex scene.

Murals have been used throughout the ages for ceremonial and celebration purposes in Egypt, Greece, Rome and India. Both ancient and recent wall murals are found in Tibetan culture called “mandalas”, which are geometric designs symbolic of the universe and they are used in Buddhist meditative practices. Among other famous religious murals are those ceiling murals painted from 1508 to 1511 by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, commissioned by Pope Julius II.

Wall murals also provide a forum for political expression, popularized in the 1930’s and 1940’s in the United States and Mexico. The New Deal and the Works Progress Administration in the mid 1930’s funded the creation of over 2,500 wall murals in hospitals, schools and other public arenas. In both the U.S. and Mexico, the subject of these wall murals focused on workers and daily life, a departure from the religious murals of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages.

Depicting common life in wall murals in public spaces naturally led to the use of wall murals for advertising and commercial purposes, the precursor to the modern day billboard advertisements.

While not often considered a positive art form because of the location of the painting, graffiti is another style of mural, with the paint typically applied by spray can. Graffiti wall murals can be found in urban areas, displays of rebellion and frustration felt by disenfranchised city youth. Some graffiti artists are quite accomplished, however, and produce high quality works of art in sprayed on wall mural form.

Wall murals are also being used to rejuvenate cities and towns by beautifying business districts. Lake Placid, Florida is one community where wall murals have imbued residents with a sense of their town’s history, painted in 31 colorful murals found on the sides of downtown businesses, as well as improving business through tourism.

Wall murals have also become a popular style of home décor beginning in the 1990’s and continuing today. Hand painted wall murals can be found in the wine cellars of high end homes, as well as do-it-yourself wall mural projects completed by parents in their children’s bedrooms and playrooms.

Walls and ceilings provide wide open canvasses for artistic expression, advertisement and communication of values and beliefs. The popularity of wall murals will continue as it has throughout the history of humankind, ever changing to reflect and define the societies they serve.

Sources:
Walls That Talk: In the Short North, the painting’s on the wall. January 2005, Kaizaad Kotwal
What is the History of Mural Painting? Wise Geek
New Deal Cultural Programs: Experiments in Cultural Democracy. 2006, Don Adam and Arlene Goldbard
A History in Murals. Thomas Murphy, AmericanProfile.com.