Is mural a form of art? Understanding the significance of mural art

Seeing mural art nowadays is not uncommon. Most people have seen it somewhere or the other during their daily commute. It is popular globally, and murals can be found on the streets from small to big towns. It is a beautiful way of decorating the streets. If one thinks it is a pretty new concept, they are mistaken, as it has existed for centuries.

What is mural art?

The mural is not a new art form, but it has existed for centuries, even from the beginning of humankind. This is an ancient artwork where the painting is done directly on the wall or ceiling. One may have heard about cave paintings and wall paintings. These are nothing but forms of mural art.

History of mural art

There is evidence of the existence of murals from prehistoric times. This is how humans have left traces of their existence, and they can be found all over the world in different parts of caves. Scribblings on the cave walls provide knowledge of the past and human ancestors. Because of these scribblings, humankind learned about the religious traditions of the historical era. Not just caves, but the scribblings continued to castles, churches, shrines, and libraries. These scribblings depicted the stories of their existence, their value system, and how society functions.

Modern mural art

Murals have been a way of expression for years, though they could also be used for beautifying spaces. Murals can improve the aesthetic component of a space, not just in public places, but also in homes when created by a talented mural artist.

Murals painted outside sometimes come along with a reason, like propaganda or advertising. But nowadays, governments are also encouraging mural artists to create beautiful art pieces and improve the area’s aesthetics. Especially when hosting international games such as the Commonwealth, streets filled with mural art pieces can be found to enhance the area’s aesthetic and create an international impact.

Mural wall painting techniques

There are several techniques in which mural painting is done by mural artists. Frescoes paintings are one of the oldest and most common techniques in which paint is put on plaster on the drywall. The paint is combined with water, reacting with air that is applied over wet plaster to produce a chemical reaction to fix the pigment particles.

Tempera can also be considered one of the earliest mural painting techniques, where the pigments are attached to an albuminous substrate.

Further, oil painting developed in the 16th century was considered an easier technique and used to create murals. But oil painting lacks vibrant colours. Hence it is not considered the best material to create murals. Also, as the painting is hung outdoors, it gets impacted by environmental factors soon.

Recently, mural artists are also inclined towards creating wallscapes painted straight on the wall or printed as vinyl that is adhered to the surface.

Murals as an art form

Being the oldest form of depiction by humans on walls and ceilings as the canvas, murals can definitely be called an art form. It is a public expression of art that can be viewed by all classes of society. It can be called a public artwork that the general public can view. These kinds of public artworks have existed for centuries for the general public and lower classes so that everyone enjoys the art form rather than just the elite class. Murals can be used to give the public some information, sell products, or even as propaganda. The same techniques of canvas painting are used to create murals by painters.

Is a mural the same as graffiti?

Many people consider graffiti and murals to be the same. While both are public art forms, they are created on walls and similar surfaces, but they are not the same , and there are significant differences between them. For starters, graffiti is usually found on streets and created illegally, whereas murals are made with proper permissions.

The techniques by which both are created are also very different. Murals are created using traditional techniques like paint and brush, and graffiti is usually made quickly with the help of spray paint. Hence, the detailing found in a mural is much more intricate.

Purchasing murals

Usually, murals are not traditionally sold as they are integrated into the surface, that is, the walls or ceiling surface of the building. So, if one wants to own a mural, they need to commission it by hiring a talented mural artist. They can work with the mural artist and share their ideas with them, and the artist will devise a creative way of portraying those thoughts on the walls or ceilings, ensuring it will be one of a kind.

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