Showing papers on "Mural published in 2001"

Postcards from the edge: Reading political murals in the North of Ireland

Abstract: This article traces the evolution of political mural painting in the north of Ireland and analyses the political relevance of dominant trends and significant shifts in the mural painting practice, with particular reference to the post‐ceasefire period. Examining political murals as a body of work and the dynamic between mural painting and political developments reveals much about the prevailing ideologies and current moods of the two communities that produce them. This is especially the case at key points in the political events of the Troubles, including the proroguing of Stormont in 1972, the 1981 Hunger Strike, the Anglo‐Irish Agreement of 1985, the 1994 ceasefires, and the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

Invested with life: wall painting and imagery before the Qajars

Abstract: IN THE MAJORITY OF ISLAMIC COUNTRIES, THE ART OF PAINTING HAS BEEN restricted to non-figural and geometric designs in the public sphere, and strictly limited to small-scale narrative illustrations of manuscripts in the private sphere. By contrast, Qajar Iran witnessed the development of large-scale figural painting. Such a decisive break with Islamic tradition-where religious and social beliefs were primarily expressed through textual and calligraphic means-indicates that Iran possessed a distinctive, strongly visual culture. Nevertheless, Qajar painting has been perceived in the past as an offshoot of European easel painting. In fact, Qajar painting, most particularly during the reign of the second ruler Fath cAli Shah (1797-1834), represents the culmination of a long-standing indigenous tradition of imagery in both monumental painting and sculptural formats, primarily utilized for the decoration of palaces, exemplified by the bas reliefs and sculptures of the Achaemenid palace of Persepolis. Wall painting predated and subsequently coexisted with the better known traditions of decorative and manuscript painting. Mural painting was utilized throughout Persian history to convey the power of the Persian court in the public sphere and to serve as an erotic stimulus in the pfivate spaces of palace complexes. In more recent periods it was also found in popular contexts such as bath-houses, coffee-houses, and bazaars. The memory of such imagery was preserved through oral tradition, popular sayings,' and historical and literary texts, and was perpetuated through philosophical and ontological beliefs in the power of images. Of the numerous palaces of antiquity embellished with figural wall painting only two sites-Kuh-i Khwajah (third-fourth centuries A.D.) and Panjikent (seventh century A.D.)-have survived, although the principal subjects of palace decoration-enthronement, battle, and feasting-were described by Arab geographers of the medieval period. For instance, the thirteenth-century author

The Water God's Temple of the Guangsheng Monastery: Cosmic Function of Art, Ritual and Theater

Abstract: The 14th century dragon king temple in Southern Shanxi is the only known intact survivor of this ancient Water God institution once existing in every Chinese agricultural community. After describing the history, lay-out and mural paintings of the building, its original Yuan time mural paintings enable the author to depict the ritual of praying for rain, and the actual rain-making of the god. The meaning of the unique painting of a theatrical company is interpreted as to subject and its connections with the ritual of praying for rain. Rainmaking magic is compared with similar practices in other parts of the world (India), and thus suggests a common cosmological basis of Chinese and Indian cultures, and a common pattern of human behaviour and mode of thinking concerning human procreation and food production.

The Canvas Mirror: Painting as Politics in the New Deal

Abstract: Of all the arts during the period of the Great Depression, I perhaps the most prominent was painting, particularly mural painting. And yet there remains, even among otherwise well-informed individuals, a great deal of confusion about exactly which governmental agency of Roosevelt's New Deal was primarily responsible for this. It is commonplace today (and even during the depression) to refer to all art produced under the auspices of the New Deal as "WPA art," but this is only partially correct. The WPA, or Works Progress Administration (later retitled the Works Project Administration), was a large umbrella organization that funded a wide range of programs. In addition to its other areas, the WPA created several projects dealing directly with the arts: the Federal Writer's Project (FWP), which funded writers and focused on guide books to the then forty eight states; the little-known Federal Music Project (FMP); the Federal Theater Project (FTP), which was responsible for such highly controversial theatrical productions as "living newspapers" that commented on current events; and the Federal Art Project (FAP), popularly known as "The Project," which funded unem ployed artists. The roots of the FAP go back to 1933 with the creation of a national art project based on the works of the Mexican School, sponsored by Mexican President Alvaro Obregon. Although the socialist and Marxist murals of artists such as Diego Rivera, Clemente Orozco, and David Siqueros expressed quite different political views from what George Biddle envisioned for America, he approached Franklin Roosevelt about the possibilities of pro moting Roosevelt's "revolution" by means of such public art. "Noting the grand achievements of the Mexican Muralists, [Biddle] portrayed young American artists, supporters of a Roosevelt guided social revolution, as being eager to express the ideals ofthat revolution on the public walls of America" (1). The result was the creation of the short-lived Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), which lasted only until June 1934. The PWAP, under the directorship of Edward Bruce, sought to pro mote images of the "American Scene" and did not confine artistic productions to murals, but promoted easel painting as well. The "American Scene" focus (which was encouraged by the PWAP, but not insisted upon) featured optimistic visions of America during a time of economic desperation, a vision that coalesced into what has been termed "Regionalism," which we will explore shortly. Paintings funded by the PWAP, however, were not monolithic in their bucolic optimism, and there were several radical departures from this, especially Seymour Fogel's canvas painting of a Klan lynching in the Deep South. The short-lived existence of the PWAP did not destroy the impetus for such public art, and in 1935 it was replaced by the WPA, specifically the FAP. However, between the demise of the PWAP and the advent of the FAP the federal government created another agency devoted to art, the Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture, later renamed the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and popularly contracted to "The Section," which was created in October of 1934. The chief focus of the Section was mural art, especially art in post offices, and much of what is popularly known as "WPA art" was, in fact, Section art. The Project and the Section existed concurrently, and most artists on the public payrolls during the 1930s drew checks and commissions from both agencies. As we have already stated, the impetus for such art projects, especially mural art in public buildings, was largely propagandis ts. It was intended to advertise Roosevelt's vision of an America restored to economic and emotional health by means of govern mental largesse. As such, Regionalism would seem to be the most rosy, and most obvious, result. However, Roosevelt's America was still one of dire hardship and personal tragedies, despite his efforts at restoration, and many artists sought to depict America as it really was, rather than America as it was once and was hoped to soon be again. Such artists approached their vision of America

Present Situation and Prospect of the New Mural Materials

Abstract: In this paper, the production and application and the policy basis and the superiority of the new mural materials are analyzed; the raw materials and the production facilities are introduced; the main question is proposed. This will create favorable conditions to spread their application.

Mosquito net as well painting

Abstract: The utility model relates to a mural mosquito net which can be folded to be used as a mural. The mural mosquito net is composed of a mural frame, a fixing seat and a mosquito net enclosure curtain and is characterized in that side frames on both sides of the mural frame are symmetrically provided with two pin shafts; the mural frame is hinged with the fixing seat through connecting arms which are arranged on both sides and are hinged with the two pin shafts. The mosquito net enclosure curtain is connected with the rim of the inner side of the mural frame. When the mural frame horizontally spreads, the mural is connected with and inlaid in the surface of the mural frame, which forms a mosquito net roof and thus the utility model can be used as a mosquito net. When a mosquito net is not needed, the mosquito net enclosure curtain is folded in the mural frame which can be folded and placed on a wall to be used as a mural. The space of a room is not occupied and the environment of a living room is beautified.

From photography to drawing: a segmentation technique for mural paintings

Abstract: In this article the authors present a method for obtaining a line-art representation of a mural painting using colour photography First, the information concerning colour components was separated and then the contours of graphic representations were extracted The result is an exact copy of the original and this level of precision makes it an important solution to the problem of registering and recording mural paintings This method has been shown to be a useful solution for the documentation of the state of conservation of paintings, as well as a means for keeping track of restoration work; furthermore, it provides a fundamental method for analysing paint compositions The approach was developed bearing in mind the possibility of use by non-specialist computer users: no programming knowledge is assumed and the use of shareware software was always preferred