Murals are the paintings done on the roofs or the walls of a building. In effect, these exteriors are used as the cover for the artworks in this style.
History of Mural Painting
Murals record back to the Stone Age, in the form of cave paintings of around 35,000 BCE. Since then, this style has decorated the walls of many tombs, palaces, sanctuaries, and shrines worldwide.
Mural Painting Details
Murals display beliefs and the sentiments of communities, artists, and the political and social vision of groups and leaders. In 1930, the Mexican Mural Movement recognized the style as an essential tool to communicate socio-political messages. A few of the main techniques of were:
- Fresco – a universal mural technique, where the art is created on the plastered walls using water-based paints with limewash
- Buon Fresco – includes using water-soluble colors on wet plaster.
- Secco – the color is applied over dry plaster. Here, the dye is attached to the wall using glue
- Mezzo Fresco – done on semi-dry plastered surfaces
- Tempera – colors diluted in water and bonded with egg white or yolk
The Artists and the Artworks
The oldest evidence of this art is the San Bartolo murals of the Maya Civilization in Guatemala. India, Mexico, Cuba, and the US (New York) are a few places still housing some of the world’s famous works. Kerala (India) has a blend of ornate murals (9th century) decorating the walls and old temples’ arches. Diego Rivera (1886-1957), José Orozco (1883-1949), and David Siqueiros (1896-1974) were few of the critical Mexican mural artists. In 1976, when the Berlin wall was erected, the artists drew on the western side of the wall until the wall collapsed. The recent works in murals include illusionary wall paintings, graffiti, and ceramic tile paintings.
The Contemporary Styles
Wallscapes are huge displays made using digital printers. They either are painted directly on the wall or are connected to them. Illusionary wall paintings are used to reconstruct a simple-looking wall into fantasyland or natural scenery as per the choice. Modern-day graffiti can be understood as murals with a fundamental difference that graffiti are unlawful and forbidden art displays, while murals are authorized works; generally, the government or community funds it. Painted tiles are the freshest in style. They cover the whole surface and give an idea of a painted wall. Digital photography and composition have created better and cheaper alternatives to the old style of hand-painted murals. The new techniques used are cost-effective as well as time-saving.
