Browse Items (12 total)
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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. -
Wonderland
The mural features a minimalistic and narrative-driven design. It depicts women in dynamic and contemplative poses, accompanied by symbolic elements such as a black cat and a white rabbit. These figures are set against a soft, pastel-toned background with colors of peach, yellow, green, and blue that blend smoothly in a gradient-like transition. This color palette evokes a sense of calm and lightness, while the use of black and white for the figures creates a striking contrast, ensuring they remain the focal point. The natural growth of plants around the building further enhances this integration, blending urban and natural elements. Overall, the piece conveys themes of everyday life, introspection, and connection to nature, inviting viewers to interpret its narrative through its symbolic simplicity and harmonious composition. -
The Exploration
Formal Analysis:
Composition:The elements in this mural – the girl, the vines, and the moon – are crafted disproportionately. They complement one another but their vibrant colors and odd shapes against the background emphasize a fictional or imagined location, perhaps in the girl’s mind. Despite being the focal point of the mural, the girl is in the corner of it but takes up almost a quarter of the total space to draw attention to her character. She appears to be a daydreamer-- lying on the ground and looking up with her headphones on and her arms behind her head, lost in the fictional night sky. Overall, the arrangement of the elements and their tones create a balance to the scene suggesting that this is a calm place.
Color:The artist uses vibrant colors against a grey background – perceived as the night sky. There is a contrast of two main palettes; one composed of shades of red, yellow, and green, and the other a variation of blues, purple, and pink. There are hues of red, orange, and peach surrounding the arch of what seems to be a doorway, and these colors as well as green are littered in some of the leaves and vines. These colors seem to represent warmth and daylight somewhere in the distance. The other palette is of the blues and purples in the vines and leaves in the night sky and the pink in the character’s clothes. The color arrangement with the night sky palette coloring the larger elements indicates that the character is laying in the night and dreaming or reminiscing about the day.
Line:No element in the mural aside from the character contains straight lines. There are no straight lines in nature so the use of curved lines and round shapes in the background indicates a natural, outdoor setting. Additionally, straight lines may convey stability and order, while curved lines indicate a sense of movement and fluidity which can further support the setting being a fictional location. The character is the only element in the mural defined in a thick black line which distinguishes her from the background as perhaps the only “real” thing in the scene.
Texture:The mural is painted on a smooth brick wall. The background grey is matte, but all the other vibrant colors are shiny and reflect the light beautifully. The texture compliments the mural well and adds a rustic touch and the shiny paint draws the viewer's eye to the elements while muting the background, which seems to be an intentional touch.
Space:The artist mostly uses the size of the elements to create depth in the mural. By layering elements and varying their scale, the artist creates a sense of depth that invites exploration. The largest element in the mural is the girl in the foreground. The middle ground is a flurry of leaves and vines of various sizes and the doorway. The smallest element is the moon which is the only element in the grey background.
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The Afrocentric Spectrum
This mural is depicted in the Creative Enterprise Zone, and it was created in the 2020 Summer Art Festival. The colors meet evenly in the middle, and it creates contrast between the two people, yet there is symmetry and uniform. The artist uses hues of yellow and orange on the left side of the mural. On the right, the artist uses shades of blue, purple, and pink. Gradients of both horizontal and zig zagged lines overlay the bold colors on the right side. The artist uses geometric shapes, along with checkered lines which direct the eyes to the buildings. There are also lines that vary in thickness that travel both upward, and horizontally. On the left side of the work, the artist uses more curved lines, but he also includes checkered and horizontal lines.
At a glance, the viewer can identify two people, a sun, flowers, buildings, lights, and skylines. The two sides to this mural act as categories. The vibrant yellows and oranges correlate with the yellow sun and orange flowers. The buildings, lights, and neon sky best correlate with the blues, yellows, and purples on the right side. The artist uses texture to show the detail of the flowers and their petals. Texture is also included in showing the sun melting up into the horizon, passing through the horizontal lines. The building windows are also textured allowing one to envision windows on the skyscrapers. The artist uses space in an elaborate way. The two people take up the middle of the work from top to bottom. On the left, the space is majorly occupied in the bottom of the mural with the sun and the flowers. The top left shows the sunrise and skyline. On the right, much of the action is in the middle and top of the mural. The checkered pattern on the bottom directs one's eyes to the buildings along the spotlights beaming up to the top of the mural. -
Under the Same Sun
This mural features a vibrant array of colors, with shades of green and red being the most prominent. It resembles a painting on canvas, portraying two parts of a city connected by a bridge over a river, with a large sun in the background, evoking a sunset. The sky’s red hues, typical of twilight, enhance this impression. A boat can be seen crossing the river, adding a dynamic touch to the scene. The natural elements, such as leaves and vines, are painted in various shades of green, with hints of orange suggesting the onset of fall. These details bring a sense of nature's closeness to the viewer. Different types of leaves are scattered across the mural, some symmetrical while others appear to be swaying in the wind, adding movement and realism. The mid-background buildings feature shaded walls influenced by the sun’s position, with colors transitioning based on their distance and orientation. The color palette includes shades of red, pink, blue, and brown, with gray contours representing roads and streets. Many buildings display symmetry in window placement and size, enhancing their structural clarity. The bridge connecting the two city sections is an old-style structure, identifiable by its arched design. It is primarily painted in gray, with darker tones highlighting connecting rods and bins that form part of its framework. The sun dominates the farthest background, drawing immediate attention with its size and impact on the overall mural. Its partially hidden base indicates it is setting, and the surrounding red and orange sky emphasizes the beauty of this transition to night. The boat on the river is painted with three main colors: white for its windows, brown for its doors, and pink for its structure. Its symmetry in windows and other elements adds to its visual appeal. -
Cosmic Higher Class Dimensional Origins
“Cosmic Higher Class Dimensional Origins” by Michael Engebretson portrays an out-of-this-world approach to color and shapes. The mural is painted on a garage door of the Universe Building on University Ave, facing the street, displaying the highlighted designs to people walking and driving by. When you first interact with the piece, the green background pops out of the red brick of the building it sits on. The figures inside the piece have a drawing-like style, made with strictly black lines and shapes, which fill the large lime landscape. The characters and objects created by these lines portray a futuristic marvel of technology, including robots and spaceships, and also unrecognizable creations. Michael builds a world beyond our own inside his head and uses his art and this mural to build that world for the world to be able to immerse themselves in this cosmic journey. -
Untitled
Color:
The color palette is soft yet form outer space, using muted purples, blues, greens, and browns with a few vibrant accents like the teal. The overall mood is eerie and dreamy, evoking a sense of uneasiness yet mystery, as though the scene takes place on a alien landscape. The soft, pastel-like hues, combined with the brighter teal focal point, create a feeling of depth and wonder.Line:
The mural makes extensive use of flowing, curved lines, especially in the representation of the rock-like structure. These curved lines contribute to a sense of movement, as if the mural is alive or in motion. The branches and cracks curl in various directions, giving a sense of fluidity. There are also some sharper, more angular lines near the top right, which provide contrast and a slightly more aggressive, jagged feel, balancing the softness of the curves.Texture:
Though the mural is painted on a flat wall, the use of color gradients, shadowing, and intricate detailing creates an illusion of texture. The texture invites the viewer to imagine what the surface of the rock might feel like. The back rock also looks like it has some purple algae on it making the viewer even more curious of how it feels.Space:
The artist effectively uses space to create a sense of depth. The rock-like structure dominates the foreground, with its branches and roots extending outward, while the teal planet or moon and the distant, barren landscape create a background that feels far off. The black spot in the bottom right of the image makes it feel as thought the viewer is in a cave looking at the landscape. -
Make Every Day Count
Composition: The mural’s staggered arrangement leads the viewer’s eye from "Make" at the top down to "Count" at the bottom, creating a visual rhythm that reinforces its motivational theme. The words are positioned in an intentionally asymmetrical pattern, adding a lively, dynamic quality that makes the message visually engaging.
Color: Bright pinks, blues, and yellows create a cheerful, nostalgic tone reminiscent of vintage diner signs. These colors stand out against the peach background, making the text easily readable and inviting. This warm color palette reflects the welcoming atmosphere of Urban Growler, a women-owned brewery that values community.
Line: The mural combines bold, straight lines for words like "Make" and "Count" with curved, cursive lettering for "Every Day." This variety in line style adds movement and energy, while the thick outlines and shadowed details give the letters depth, enhancing the mural’s three-dimensional look.
Texture: Painted directly on a wood-paneled surface, the mural incorporates the building’s natural texture, grounding it within the space. The text’s shadows and layered paint create a tactile feel, making the words seem to hover above the wall and adding to its vintage diner aesthetic.
Space: Through the use of layered text and cast shadows, the artist creates depth and dimensionality, with the letters appearing to float off the background. This spatial layering, along with the foreground text, draws the viewer in, making the mural an immersive and impactful part of its urban setting.
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Untitled (The Midway)
Composition: The main text, "THE MIDWAY," is prominently centered near the top, creating a strong horizontal focal point. This bold, uppercase lettering is counterbalanced by the illustration of a figure on the right, which adds a human element and helps draw the viewer’s eye across the mural. The text and images are layered and interspersed with smaller words like "LEASE CONTRACTS CO." and "TRACTOR & TRUCK LEASING," creating a layered, almost collage-like effect that gives the piece visual complexity. The artist's placement of these elements guides the viewer's gaze from left to right and top to bottom, establishing a flow through the composition.
Color: The color palette is shades of green, white, black, and hints of gray. The green tones bring a fresh, lively feel to the mural. Black and gray tones add contrast, grounding the mural and adding a level of seriousness or professionalism to the tone. The use of white in the text makes it highly visible against the darker and more saturated green background, ensuring readability. Overall, the colors create a balanced mood that combines vitality with the ruggedness of industrial work. Line The mural utilizes a variety of lines: straight, bold lines in the lettering, which give it a structured and formal look, and finer, sketch-like lines in the illustration, which add a sense of hand-drawn authenticity. The vertical lines from the corrugated surface of the wall itself are subtly incorporated into the mural, giving it a textured, linear rhythm. These lines convey a sense of structure and stability, fitting for a business-focused mural. The mix of line styles adds visual interest and depth, separating the different elements while keeping them interconnected.
Texture: The corrugated metal surface of the wall adds a distinct physical texture to the mural, with ridges that create natural shadows and highlights. This texture enhances the mural by giving it an industrial, weathered look, adding to the theme of hard work and durability. The roughness of the surface makes the painted image feel gritty and robust, aligning well with the mural’s likely target audience in the trucking and agriculture industries. This texture also introduces a sense of realism, making the mural appear more three-dimensional and tactile.
Space: The mural uses a relatively flat composition, but the artist has created some depth through the layering of text and imagery. The text serves as the foreground, due to its bold size and contrast, while the figure to the right, slightly faded in places, sits more in the middle ground. The bottom of the mural features additional layers that resemble an industrial setting or equipment, creating a background that enhances the industrial theme. The layering effect gives the mural a sense of depth, allowing viewers to feel as if they are looking through levels of information and imagery. This subtle use of space keeps the mural engaging without cluttering the composition. -
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.