ARTISTIC WORKSHOP

Mural painting is a two-dimensional artistic expression that is done on a wall. This support usually conditions the work.

Mural painting has always been present in history, from paintings in caves to graffiti on the streets of a city. It has been used to decorate tombs, palaces, temples, houses, and squares, illustrating scenes from daily life and the religious universe.

Many murals deal with social and political issues, as they are a good means of sociocultural transmission due to their public exposure. Mural painting is a tool to teach and a canvas to criticise social injustice.

Painting a mural is an opportunity to learn about and experiment with various materials and different graphic-plastic techniques:

• Water paints or oil paints. Today acrylics are used. A mural can be painted with saturated or dull colours.

• You can use templates (stencil), a brush, a sprayer, etc.

Diego Rivera (1886-1957) was one of the most important artists of Mexican muralism. This is an artistic movement that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. It sought a political, social and economic revolution, extolling nationalism against colonialism.

The ideas and life of an artist influence their work, sometimes causing problems. Rockefeller commissioned Rivera for a mural, which he filled with communist symbols and a portrait of Lenin. For this reason, the mural was destroyed. The artist painted it again elsewhere.

• Embossed murals are created with layers of textures or they have fixed materials (tiles, ceramics, stucco) that adhere to the wall with binders. They can also be engraved or sgraffito carved (uncovering the layer beneath the surface). In this type of mural, light plays an important role, since it generates volume. Even stained-glass windows can be considered murals that occupy hollow spaces in the wall (the stained glass is set with lead or resins).

• Wheat pasting is a technique that uses an adhesive paste (usually wheat flour and water) to paste a piece of work (the sticker) to the wall. In addition, you can colour some areas with paint.

The process will depend on the size of the project. If it is large, it will require a lot of preparation and teamwork. You can work directly on the wall or do it on supports that are later placed on it. The composition must be harmonious with the elements that are already on the wall.

➜ Decide if your work is going to have relief or not. Think if you will paint it, paste elements on it or if you will use several techniques.

➜ Make preparatory drawings. Choose materials and techniques and prepare the support.

1 Brainstorming. The whole class will decide on the event you are going to represent with a critical approach. Then you will all look for a wall in poor condition and ask the owner for permission to create a mural on it. As a group, suggest proposals. Discuss them and choose one. The composition must interact with the elements that are already on the wall. Decide if you want your work to have relief or not. Think if you are going to paint the mural, paste elements on it or both things. You can develop the graphic part on white continuous paper and reuse images.

2 The school’s multipurpose room is usually a frequently visited space, but sometimes it is left undecorated and lacking in personality. We suggest decorating this room in a colourful and positive way through which your educational community is represented. It can be done on recycled supports, such as acrylics, stencils, wheat pasting, etc. You could work on an artistic project along the lines of the mural Love What You Do!, by Boa Mistura.

This artist has been called the ‘godmother of performance art’. She specialises in performances with a close relationship between the artist and the public. In her controversial works, she studies the limits of the body and mind.