Murals are large-scale paintings on solid structures, often considered public art. They can depict scenes in vivid detail and are created using various styles. Muralists can find jobs in interior design and government officials often hire them to liven up public spaces. Some modern artists, such as Robert Wyland and the Bogside Artists, are famous for their murals.
A muralist is an artist who creates large-scale paintings or pictures using a solid structure, such as a wall or ceiling, as a canvas. Many murals are considered public art as they are usually placed on public buildings or structures. Some cities have a long tradition of hiring muralists to create public murals.
From the French word for “wall,” murals are an art form in which size is an important factor. Unlike detailed miniature paintings or even full-size art, murals are often larger than life and can artistically depict entire scenes in vivid detail. A muralist must have a competent sense of scale and a strong vision to create a giant work of art with any coherence.
Although murals are almost always large, they are created using a wide variety of different styles. The history of murals goes back centuries, encompassing everything from the highly decorated walls and ceilings of the Sistine Chapel to Diego Rivera’s colorful crowd-paintings. Modern muralists often use digitally created images that are placed on the wall, floor or ceiling as wallpaper. Some art critics even consider the secret work of graffiti artists to be a type of mural; although the illegality and relatedness associated with gang tagging can undermine a graffiti artist’s status as a muralist.
Some muralists find jobs in interior design, creating custom murals for the interior walls of homes. Murals can be popular in children’s bedrooms, dining rooms, or to create trompe-l’oeil exterior views in a room without windows or natural light. Usually, using computer software, a muralist can project a single image and import it into a computer that can multiply the dimensions according to the size of the walls or the desired surface. The final product can be specially printed on wallpaper and applied to the canvas. By saving the drawings to the computer, a muralist can create a database of murals that clients can order as desired.
Government officials often hire muralists to create art in empty public spaces, thus livening up a simple city with public art. A muralist can have free artistic rein to create whatever he wants, or he can be limited by the wishes of the contracting party. Many public murals depict an aspect of the city, while others may have a social message, such as encouraging recycling. Cities with a long tradition of publicly funded murals can offer tours and maps of all the mural sites in the area.
Some modern artists are famous or recognized for their long history of creating murals. Robert Wyland, painter, sculptor and muralist, is known worldwide for his massive depictions of whales and marine life, called “whale walls”. In 2008, Wyland completed 100 whaling walls in more than 10 countries, the largest measuring 1224 feet (373 m) in diameter and adorning a circular arena in Long Beach, California. In Northern Ireland, a trio of muralists known as the Bogside Artists gained much attention for their politically charged murals depicting the country’s violence and civil rights struggles.
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