Where murals tell a tale

Vandana Aggarwal 

In the everyday hustle and bustle of city life, locals as well as tourists frequently walk past the beautiful street art that adorns San Francisco. Not always at the eye level, these artworks cover entire building facades, walls, gates and back alleys. Often a psychedelic and breathtaking explosion of colours, the murals beckon passersby to stop and stare. 

  San Francisco has a long muralist tradition. The iconic Coit Tower was built in 1933 at a time when the country was grappling with the Great Depression. To support professional artists, and provide some colour and character to the 3,000 square feet of bare walls, the city administration commissioned artists to paint murals inside the tower. These murals creatively depict various aspects of life in California effectively showcasing the struggles that the working class was going through. There is powerful undertone as the artists painted hidden political and social messages of the difficult times. Mired in controversy, when they were first opened, the murals were nevertheless retained and speak for San Francisco’s reputation of supporting parallel points of view. 

The immigrant experience

The Mission District, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in San Francisco, is the Mecca of murals. Here murals pop up in every nook and cranny. They tell a story, which is both historic and contemporary, touching upon human rights violations in Latin American countries or paying homage to the Native Americans who were the original residents of the area. 

The murals are beautifully crafted and thought-provoking. Cultural heroes who stood up and raised their voices against oppression are glorified. Here Malala Yousafzai stands side by side with other women activists in a narrative which honours women who are working towards empowering women. There is a lot of focus on immigrant self-expression but, in spite of the propagandist nature and veiled messages, these works carry a lot of artistic and aesthetic value.

Human rights, political corruption and social injustices are some of the recurring themes of these murals that incorporate a high level of detail and artistry. These topics are of personal importance to the artists and to the neighbourhood where they are located. 

Changing times and sensibilities have made some murals controversial. Only recently, the spotlight was cast on a series of 1936 murals depicting George Washington standing over the corpse of a native American. Another one showed him surrounded by black slaves. It was announced that the murals would be painted to atone for the ‘historical wrong’ done to certain communities. However, amid the accompanying brouhaha with the people divided for and against the move it was decided to cover the murals with panels rather than paint over them and destroy them permanently. 

Wall crawl in the Golden City

Murals have turned San Francisco into a virtual outdoor gallery. They are free for everyone to enjoy and appreciate. The artists bring some light-hearted cheer by creating artworks that are whimsical, funny and breathe life into the concrete jungle that is San Francisco.

The eye-catching murals in Chinatown embody the culture and vibe of that area. Amidst dragons, horses and the Chinese Zodiac Calendar, Bruce Lee, a famous son of the city, also makes an appearance.

An interesting feature of street art is that it aesthetically incorporates the architectural feature of its canvas. Thus windows and pipes, letterboxes and doorways all merge into a mural seamlessly and artistically.

Murals play an important role in bringing art to the common man. But for this opportunity, many of these artists may never have been able to showcase their art publically, or convey their message-whether political, social or religious- informally yet strongly. 

The city of San Francisco has a specially appointed Arts Commission to regulate the aesthetics, setting and social context of the murals placed on city-owned property. According to a conservative estimate, nearly 600 murals adorn the streets of San Francisco. There are even guided mural tours to showcase how activism and art intersect in these murals. 

So next time you are in San Francisco keep a lookout for Instagram worthy, urban artwork which gives a vibrant hue to the Golden city and conveys a message that is often thought-provoking and more powerful than the spoken word.