Where People Dwell Amidst Art....Some Glimpses Of Mural Art

Mural art refers to any form of visual expression created on a wall and is acknowledged as the oldest human art form. A lot of what we learn about ancient civilizations emerges from the murals of that period. They have important cultural significance and express the ethos of a group of people in a deep way which words cannot describe.
Perhaps the largest collection of murals in the world is in the Shekawati region of Rajasthan. I visited the region couple of years ago and glimpses are at: http://www.profraguram.com/havelis-of-shekawat.html and http://www.profraguram.com/chatris-of-shekawati.html. Unfortunately they are poorly cared for and are in throes of decay.
Recently when trekking in the Swiss hinterlands, we came across a quaint village, Ardez. Set amidst rolling meadows, spectacular Alpine peaks it seemed to pop straight out of pages of a children’s fairy book! It was a beautiful sight to see the facade of many of the houses in the village covered with splendid paintings. The designs ranged from simple borders of doors, windows and outer walls and basic geometric patterns to very detailed and complex flowing abstract designs and murals. Every house seemed to have a character, rather a life and personality of its own and appeared to speak to us in the language of silence. In the main street, there was a beautiful old house built in1647 which was decorated with a large and elaborate mural depicting the story of Adam, Eve and the devil in the form of a snake. It was an incredible experience to walk through the village, savoring works of art at every turn of the street. Glimpses of our visit at: https://goo.gl/photos/S7cZEUKtrK2CGuhv8
There seems be an amazing renaissance in mural paintings recently. A good example is the murals adorning the street walls in the Mission district of San Francisco. Murals brighten every corner and are deeply woven into the life of the community. The roots of these vivid paintings can be traced to the grand tradition of Mexican muralism, pioneered by artists like Diego Rivera. They capture aspects of the neighborhood's culture - from its Aztec and Mayan roots to its Latino civil rights leaders. They reflect the concerns, aspirations and anguish of a dynamic neighborhood. The themes are a commentary of the social issues and problems faced by the community and range from drugs, gangs, housing, family and social justice. They engage the viewers in a dynamic visual dialogue. These are some glimpses of these amazing urban murals: https://goo.gl/photos/2oMW25osvwTzA4de7
Take your time and savor them….at leisure!