Murals of Phoenix
Muralism:
Portraits of Phoenix
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| Work by Angel Diaz -- 1st Street south of Jackson -- Phoenix, Az |
Murals
are more than an art form, they are part of the lifeblood and fabric of the
communities in which they are painted. Whether their locale is a barrio or a
newly gentrified neighborhood, murals paint a picture of struggle, culture,
history, politics, and activism. They are an outlet for the oppressed, a
conduit that connects people from various walks of life, they are a link between
the past and present, they are at once a symbol of protest and a beacon of hope
for what a unified community could look like.
Murals
in Mexico predate the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the early 16th
century. Much like paintings on cave walls, murals were a communication
tool for the illiterate masses. They depicted images of the gods, warriors, animals,
changes in seasons, life and death. One of the immediate difficulties the
Spanish faced upon their landing in Mexico was the language barrier. Brute
force was the primary language of the invading army, but murals and drawings were used to communicate until Hernan Cortes enlisted the help of a shipwrecked Spaniard named Aguilar,
who had learned the Mayan language while in captivity. Aguilar, along with an
Indian woman named Malinche (to this day considered a traitor in Mexico),
played a key role as a translator. Without their help, Cortes would’ve faced a
much more difficult task negotiating with and manipulating the indigenous
populations he was conquering. As the Spanish empire and mission system grew and spread
outward so did the prevalence of murals, mostly as a tool in the religious
conversion process. This cultivation, or culture, of muralism became a mainstay
throughout the centuries.
During
and following the Mexican revolution at the beginning of the 20th
century, the context of murals became more politically charged led by “Los Tres
Grandes,” Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. These
three great muralists did artwork that depicted the victory over the dictator
Porfirio Diaz, portrayed the wave of populism that washed over Mexico, and
included themes of communism in the wake of the fallen dictatorship. Los Tres
Grandes went on to do commissioned murals in the USA in the 1940’s, 50’s, and
beyond. In addition to the works of these great artists, the United States
government initiated the Works Progress Administration as part of the New Deal.
The WPA provided money for the commission of murals in public buildings across
the USA. Los Tres Grandes and the WPA project helped fuel new artists, whose
artwork was constantly evolving according to the political and social climate
at any given moment. Cities with dense Hispanic populations, especially in the
Southwest, saw the greatest increase in murals. The civil rights movement of
the 60’s and into the 70’s, along with the burgeoning labor rights movement,
provided muralists with abundant motivation and material.
Themes
began to change with the times, with La Raza and Chicano themed murals becoming
prevalent throughout California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, while the
abuses of big industries became common themes in American Rust Belt cities of
the North. Regardless of race or ethnicity, murals were becoming an outlet for
downtrodden social classes everywhere.
The
murals of Phoenix, which I have researched and photographed for this project,
run the gamut from Chicano themes, political activism, globalization, sports,
to whimsical features, including pre-Columbian icons as well Mexican
patriotism. Some are in redeveloped, gentrified art-centric neighborhoods,
others in the kind of neighborhoods you don’t want to frequent late at night. I
went back through some of my old photos of murals before I even started the
project, I’ve always been drawn to them, and revisited those sites. I spoke to shopkeepers and got tips on where to find certain paintings, and I
took my kids, who are now young mural aficionados, along with me.
Sometimes
one can’t see the forest for the trees, murals get taken for granted in the
same way. Some get ignored because of our divided political views, or get lost
in the hustle and bustle of daily life, in which we find ourselves looking at
the smartphone in our hand instead of the environment around us. Others are in
disrepair, faded by the harsh desert sun. But with a keen eye and a little
motivation one can find an exterior art gallery in various parts of town; on
the long walls of otherwise drab strip malls, on the street-facing store fronts
of barrios, religious murals on the sides of restaurants or along the walls of
freeway underpasses. It’s worth one’s time to stop and appreciate the artwork,
just as it is to stop and smell the roses.
Below are a few slides of various Phoenix murals and their locations:
Jesse A.
5/11/17
PHX, AZ
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