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Luna Llena
Inspired by Mexica and Maya works, Balam created "Luna Llena." His mural encompasses many skillful design techniques and elements that contribute to this design. Luna Llena also contains elements of modern art and design. Created in August 2024, this piece containing pre-Columbian Indigenous art draws on design elements from the era. It is in the St Paul “ChromaZone” at 711 Vandalia Street. The person depicted in this painting is Ix Chel, an ancient moon goddess. Surrounding her are rabbits, which are often associated with this figure. This figure is also reaching out their hands for corn, which also has a historical relevance to this painting. The lines used in this painting are mostly curved. They allow the viewers’ attention to be directed around the mural without specific elements standing out more than others. In the symbol behind the figure, all of the lines are curved, with each side going into a “spiral.” With the lines not being straight and sharp, it allows for a softer image. Looking at the symbol behind the figure, the curved lines that form a semi-circle around the figure are used to bring the eyes of the viewer to the figure. This line direction is also used to signal the viewer where to look. Seen on the headpiece of the figure, there are more lines going horizontally than vertically, which leads the viewer to look left-to-right, drawing attention to the hands. Additional lines are used in this mural to make the goddess figure stand out. The entire figure is surrounded by a thin purple and yellow line that separates the figure from the background. It also gives it more of a 3-dimensional appearance. The symmetry in this mural is well done; the elements on each side of the mural give the mural balance. This is seen with the hand reaching out for the corn on the right and the headpiece reaching out on the left. This is also seen at the top, with the background symbol extending to both the left and right sides of the painting. To add to this symmetry, each side is composed of horizontal lines that balance out the vertical lines on the top and bottom of the mural. The rabbits are also representative of these elements as there is one on each side, providing symmetry. However, one of these rabbits is a farther distance from the figure than the other. This helps focus the viewer’s attention on the focal point in the mural because the rabbit is located directly beneath it. The hand in this mural is the primary focal point. This hand is pictured to be facing palms-up while corn flows into it. There is a green bracelet around the wrist, which is bolded to make it stand out from the rest of the mural. This gesture being made by the goddess appears to be receiving corn from something. To add to this, the entire hand and the rest of the figure being highlighted by a line adds more depth to the mural. An additional focal point is the head of the goddess, where a green earring is seen along with the extravagant headpiece. The color choices in this piece are vibrant yet balanced. The purple/pink background set the stage for the white and gray symbol and figure. These colors give the work an eye-popping burst of energy, which allows for the focal points to stand out. The colors used in the mural are used to make clear distinctions for the differences between the background and the subject of the mural. The gray is used to be a background element that the viewer does not need to pay close attention to. This is seen in the symbol in the background and the rabbits towards the bottom of the mural. The same effect is used for the focal points, where Xilam uses green to signify the focal points. These can be seen with the earrings on the goddess and the bracelet around the wrist of the hand. Another interesting color element toward the center of the mural is the bright white shell attached to the head of the person. This white is the brightest shade of white in the painting, which stands out from the rest of the work and matches the cloak the figure is wearing. The texture of this mural is made of cinder block. While much of the background hides this with color and symbols, the lined texture remains. The entirety of the wall for this mural consists of horizontal lines approximately 8 inches apart. The lines highlight and bring attention to where the location of this mural is and call for acknowledgment of the wall the mural was created on. The advantage of having these cinderblock texture lines also adds background characteristics that bring more depth to the mural. It also contributes to the spacing. Looking at the space in this mural, there is a clear background, middle ground, and foreground. The background elements include the purple directly on the wall in addition to the pink symbols. These background elements contribute to the viewer’s overall recognition of the mural, as they provide a contrast to the other elements of the mural. The middle ground consists of the gray symbol and rabbits. In addition to the meaning of these symbols and elements, they draw attention to the main focal points of the mural. The symbol in the middle extends to the top and then wraps around the figure in the center of the mural in a semi-circle, which sets the viewing points for the viewer. There is also a large amount of space above the goddess figure, where the top is approximately halfway down the painting. This leaves room for the symbol at the top to be seen, where it extends to the left and right and fills the upper space. In the foreground, the goddess figure is layered on top of the rest of the elements in the mural. As has been already mentioned, this is distinguished by the highlighted purple and yellow lines surrounding the entirety of the figure. This makes the figure stand out from the rest of the mural. The space in the foreground figure is centered. The figure’s head starts in the middle and extends downward, going off the bottom of the wall. This makes the painting appear “cut off,” where the viewer has the perception that the entirety of the painting hasn’t been shown. The depth in all three layers in his painting is well executed. The middle ground elements have elements that go over the background, and the foreground has elements that go over the middle ground. These bring a layering effect that makes the figure pop out from the rest of the mural. -
UBUNTU
Jordan Hamilton is a Twin Cities based artist that created the piece titled, Ubuntu (I am because we are). Hamilton created this piece in 2024 and it is located on 928 Raymond Ave. in St. Paul Minnesota. Hamilton uses his ancestry in his work to create a sense of community. This mural consists of Adinka, Nkonsonkonson, and Nkyinkim symbols that bring a part of history into today’s world to make a change within the community. These symbols together really help add to the value of the Chromazone area, by trying to bring people together and build the community.
In this mural, we can see two large symbols that are then surrounded by several other smaller symbols as well. In between the two large symbols, you can also see the title which is also important to the message of the mural. The large symbols in the center draw the attention of the audience especially because they use the more detailed images inside rather than the smaller symbols using just lines. Once the audience sees the two larger symbols, they can continue to go around the edges of the mural to find more symbols with different meanings. Each symbol is different in shape, size, and color. While looking at the mural and focusing on the 2 pieces in the middle, you can see that they are in the shape of a doorway and then contain a symbol in each doorway. On the left piece, you see an image that looks like some sort of maze or path that leads to 4 different tunnels at the end of it. On the right you can see a symbol that looks similar to a chain link that also contains images on the inside and above it.
The background of this mural is brown while almost all the symbols are created with dark colors around the outsides that help create a contrast between the pieces. The two large pieces in the middle of the mural use the most color. The one on the right includes many different colors that just bring a lot of attention to that part of the mural. You can also see on the inside of the symbol that there is a pyramid like shape with a similar color to the brick background. Above the symbol you can also see the earth which is tying different parts of the world together into one piece. The one on the left starts out with a darker color on top and fades to a lighter color towards the bottom, switching between a green, yellow, and orangish color. Most of the smaller symbols on the outside and in between the two large images, are created with black lines and a little bit of filler using a lighter color. The darker colors on the mural just make the symbols pop out from the wall in order to catch the audience’s attention. The darker color may lead to a darker mood but once you understand the messages that they are portraying, it is much easier to understand. The darker colors just help create the detail of each image.
Once again, the mural contains several different black lines that are quite thick and rounded. The thick black lines help draw the attention to what is located in between those lines as well as creating detail within each image. The black line is also used to create a contrast to really highlight the spots that color is being used. The lines around the outside of the two large images in the middle contain the thickest black line, which is used to create a frame of the symbols that are located on the inside. The smaller symbols still use thick black lines that also create contrast with the background of the wall. This helps add to the importance of the symbols. Although they are smaller, they are still full of meaning and are important to the mural overall.
Hamilton seems to use a smooth texture that almost makes the piece look like it is popping out at its audience. You would think that the wall being brick would create a rough texture that would break the piece up and make it harder to read but the way that Hamilton has created the piece he draws the eye away from the brick and makes you focus on the images that are there. For the smaller symbols that use a lighter color, the brick is quite visible but still does not destroy the messages that are being portrayed. On the left image, the color is fading from top to bottom which creates an implied texture, making the audience follow the piece to read the entire symbol. The image on the right contains some rings around it that is creating another implied texture that gives the symbol a sense of movement, bringing the mural more alive. Hamilton seems to use the brick to help bring a sense of realism into the mural. Having the brick wall, it helps add texture to the piece to create an authentic finish to the mural.
In this mural, the background is a brown color and then the color of the symbols are a dark contrasting color that end up making the foreground pop out more and become extremely visible to the audience. The symbols are also all in their own space and are spread out, which makes them easy to read, keeping their messages separate from each other but still adding to one another. The two largest symbols are front and center and much larger than all the other symbols around them. This leads the audience to believe that these symbols are the most important and the message that they are trying to portray is highly valued by Hamilton. Hamilton wants the community to build together, and every one of these symbols is a great message of exactly that. -
Bird Enterprise Zone
Bird Enterprise Zone features two birds prominently displayed against a vibrant, patterned background. Both sides of the mural offer subtle differences in the birds' appearances and the background. The birds, painted in tan, brown, and white, contrast against the colorful backdrop, making them the main focal point. Their slightly varied hairstyles and designs distinguish the birds from one another. They are painted in a cartoon style, and they appear to be dancing or jumping. The background made of straight zigzag lines of varying thickness is visually striking but does not overwhelming the birds. Despite the 2D aesthetic the birds are clearly in the foreground creating depth in the mural.