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Chimborazo Is Here
In Pablo Kalaka’s "Chimborazo is Here," Kalaka’s vibrant style is evident with his use of bright and highly contrasting colors. The wall itself that the mural was painted on has differing depths, with the front wall of Aspro Auto Sales protruding out from the larger wall of Amaana Adult Daycare Center. As an observer taking in the large mural as a whole, the eye first travels to the piece of “canvas” closest to the observer, which is the awning protruding out from the auto sales office, which Kalaka painted a shingle-like effect with various pinks and reds of various sizes and depths. Below the awning, on the wall of the auto sales office, Kalaka uses the natural set up of the business to set his scene. He paints vibrant green and blue shutters around the existing windows, and paints his own window scene, where he paints a man and a woman appearing inside the building, accommodating the request of a young patron on the outside of the window. On the left side of the mural, Kalaka creates depth with his placement of Mount Chimborazo in the background and an Andean Condor in the foreground. Preceding the mountain, Kalaka lays several wavy, horizontal lines. These lines are filled in with light blue in the foreground and fade into a darker blue close to the mountain, giving the visual of moving waters. Billowing clouds rise up around the snowcapped mountain. The bird and the surrounding vegetation flow into the upper portion of the wall and a continuation of the foreground. The lush vegetation and wildlife settles in behind the illusion of a local business with a beautiful Chimborazo view. Kalaka gives the illusion of the lush vegetation from overlapping and stacked leaves and flowers. Colors pop in this section with bright and contrasting greens and blues of leaves versus oranges and reds of flowers and a cardinal. Kalaka places two other people on the mural as well. On the far right side of the mural, he painted a woman cloaked in magenta, wearing a hijab with detailed natural creases and shadows. Around her, the illusion of wind is given by Kalaka, with garments and fabrics given a billowing effect, as they appear to be blowing in the wind while being hung out to dry. On the side wall of the protruding auto sales business, not visible when viewing the mural from “head on”, Kalaka paints a man walking next to the blue trimmed front door of the business. Like the woman’s hijab on the opposite side, the man’s clothing is given impressive detail and depth with the use of wrinkles and shadows. The man appears old, with a visibly wrinkled face and cane in his right hand. -
[Untitled]
The mural located on 1515 E Lake Street, created by Pablo Kalaka, employs a number of visual techniques that work together to compose a piece detailing community, culture, and elements of social change. Firstly, Kalaka uses distinct vibrant lines framing figures shown on the left-hand side of the mural. A curved red line followed by many lines of red, orange, and yellow give a radiant appearance to the blue, green, and red characters at the center. At the right hand side of the mural, lines serve as texture for the background to give a wood plank appearance making the colored figures pop out. Lines are also used to box off certain figures on the far right hand side of the mural making them stand out against the background. In terms of shape, Kalaka uses sharp geometric shapes like squares to surround important figures as well as objects. The shapes that Kalaka uses involve shading which give the mural a 3D lifelike appearance. Some figures on the right side of the mural are shown behind a wall, while a much larger figure carrying a cutting tool is shown in front of the wall. This gives depth to the mural and provides a natural transition from front to back. The scale of the mural is much larger than life size. The characters appear to be about giant sized and they are depicted with age considered for hierarchy of display. Older appearing figures are the largest and highest in the mural, while younger figures are shorter and almost cutoff. The figures are larger than life size despite being cutoff using shading techniques. There is a very large emphasis on the figures including a man, woman, and child on the right. On the right side there is also large depiction of food items. The mural uses a combination of warm and cool colors but emphasizes the brighter colors like oranges and yellows. On the left side of the mural there is an orange and yellow glow that illuminates the scene providing a backdrop for the darker colored figures to stand out. On the right side the colors are slightly darker but still give a warm feeling as the dark colors appear to be illuminated by light. Animal characters like the cardinal and the dog pop out against the monotone medium they cover. The same goes for the white bones which glow against the dark wood. -
Pablo Kalaka YWCA Abstract
This very colorful mural on the YWCA building in Minneapolis is a very energetic piece of art that brings life to the brick wall. The artist has chosen to use a very bright color palette with colors such as orange, pink, red, purple, black, and blue to make the wall stand out and give the dull brick more character. The mural is made up of many figures and shapes such as hands, lines, circles, and assorted curves that move and connect with each other and the other shapes. The design and use of these figures give the mural a playful tone with a lot of motion and moving parts making the wall very dynamic. Rather than a realistic scene, the artist goes for a more abstract approach for this mural and uses the color and shape to express more emotion and meaning. The big contrasts with the color palette and the many moving parts in the picture draws attention to the wall as a whole and not just to one specific or central part of the mural. The dynamic parts could be some kind of symbolism for a sense of community or teamwork. Overall, the mural gives much creativity and color to an otherwise bland and generic brick wall. The abstract style leaves messaging up to interpretation. The art work helps the building feel more welcoming with symbols of community, creativity, and togetherness in a very publicly visible area