the Mural Culture

San Francisco Mural Culture

The visit of Mexican fresco artist Diego Rivera and his wife (painter Frida Kahlo) to San Francisco in the Thirties seems to have imbued local artists with fresh enthusiasm AND reinforced the concept of the mural as a political statement.

One of the richest elements of the inner city culture is the dazzling array of murals throughout its streets. Being one of the most tangible manifestations of Mexican influence the mural tradition is both decorative, popular and political.

There wasn't any plan to this page - I just wandered about San Francisco and snapped a mural whenever one caught my attention (usually forgetting to make any note of where it was). This selection is but a tiny sample of what I saw and what I have subsequently found on the net. Of course copyright remains with the artists and owners.

The text to this mural reads in part "Our Roots Are Still Alive, Palestinian People will survive"

Most murals are signed and may be commissions. Graffiti on murals is rare and businesses often commission them to maintain some control over the external appearance of their business. This one was on the wall of the proverbial corner shop where I bought groceries and a paper every day. It is signed Sirron 4/7/00 and appears to be a very personal portrait of the city.

On 21st Street a block from Valencia. If someone would email me I'd love to know what this one is about.

On 24th and South Van Ness you'll find this pastel-coloured masterpiece. Click above for a larger version. Incidentally I don't know why Gio has a plastic teddy bear on his dashboard - it's the sort of thing men don't discuss.

Again I'd love to know what this is if anyone can tell me. I have dubbed it "The Temple" but I think it is some kind of school.

Some mural work appears close to graffiti but under the circumstances it conveys a message of accessibility and non-elitism. This is the recreation center at People's Park, Berkeley.

By contrast the nearby People's Park Memorial mural is large and elaborate. The above is but one small section of it.

Now are these people eating something with chopsticks or have I totally missed the point? No matter, the colours are brilliant, technique impeccable and it fascinated me everytime I walked past on my way back to Gio's

Okay, maybe it's not a mural but it's definitely wall art - albeit a bit conceptual. This artist appears to be welknown in SF but I didn't catch a name. This was my favorite although I'm quite fond of the twin wall signs by a car park: one pointing up to "BIRDS" and the other downwards to "CARS".