The word mural originates from the Latin word murus or "wall." Thus, mural art refers to any form of visual expression created on a wall. Mural art is a longstanding public art form that has expressed religious and political beliefs within societies. Mural art has also helped individuals to form communities.
Early History
The earliest form of mural art was found in caves from the Paleolithic Era. In France, the caves at Lascaux enclose wall paintings from 15,000 B.C. In 1700 B.C. mural paintings emerged in China and could soon after be found in Korea and Japan.
Religious History
In their early history, murals were often used to display symbols from religion. For example, in the 30th century B.C., Egyptians painted the walls of their tombs with pictures of gods and goddesses. The Ajanta Caves in India contain mural paintings from approximately 200 B.C. that depict symbolic representations from Buddhism. During the 4th century A.D., Christians decorated their tombs with images of Christ. Finally, during the Italian Renaissance, artists like Giotto di Bondone painted biblical scenes on church walls.
Political History
In the 20th century, artists created many political murals. For example, in the early 1930s, Mexican artist Diego Rivera created a mural called "The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City." This mural took on the theme of industrialization in the U.S. In the 1970s and 1980s, American artist Keith Haring created murals of figures in such spaces as the New York City subways. Haring's murals challenged notions of where art could be displayed.
City Initiatives
Many United States cities have programs for the creation and maintenance of murals. The Los Angeles Mural Conservancy has been set up to keep track of the murals throughout the city of Los Angeles. The Chicago Public Art group helps to create and organize the creation of murals and other forms of public art. As of 2009, The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program has sponsored the creation of over 2,800 murals throughout Philadelphia. One aspect of its mission is to "use the power of art and the mural design process as tools for community engagement, blight remediation, beautification, demonstration of civic pride, and prevention and rehabilitation of crime."
In the Museum
American Artists of the 21st century have been known to create murals on the inside of museums and galleries. Some such artists include Kara Walker whose black paper silhouettes are pasted directly onto gallery walls. Similarly, Jonathan Borofsky and Sol Lewitt draw murals directly on museum walls. A difference between murals created on the walls inside of museums and murals created on exterior walls is that murals inside of museums are often removed after a designated period of time to make room for new art exhibitions.
