Assignment #3 "real-life" writing prompt

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE DIEGO RIVERA MURAL CRITIQUE
Assignment:
3-5 page written analysis of the “Pan American Unity” mural at the Diego Rivera Theater at City College of San Francisco

Murals are a window into the culture and politics of Latin America. What do you think of when you see any mural? What makes murals different than other forms of art? And how are the murals of Latin America different than those found in other countries?

Your assignment is to become a mural expert and share your expertise with others through a critical written essay that discusses Diego Rivera’s Pan American Unity mural.

You should find a class partner to complete this activity with in your class. Just as murals are not completed in isolation, so too this activity should not be completed in isolation.

As you progress through the mural panels, you should take notes about your own thoughts. Then when you and your partner are done writing you should share what you wrote with each other. Your notes will help you complete your final project.

Now that you have become mural experts it is time for you to apply your new skills. Take time now to scroll through the many images found in the Diego Rivera Mural Project website found in iLearn. Copy to your computer images of murals that you find most interesting, more beautiful, or most disturbing.

Analyze the mural:
What can you tell us about the mural by just using your eyes and what you already know about murals in general?

Examine the content and learn the context of the artwork. First, observe what you see in the picture and think about what the people are doing. The characters in a Mexican mural are usually taking an action; you will rarely if ever find works that show people posing idly. Murals are statements about the condition of a time period, as expressed through people, objects and actions. To understand the content of the artwork, it would be helpful to know its context, such as its time period, its author and the events that were happening when the piece was created.

Understand the significance the mural has not only to the community, but also to the individual. Mexican murals have close ties to the community, whether through the artists themselves or through the stories relayed in the work. The culture is very close-knit, and murals have a great importance to both the development of Mexican art and to the progress of certain causes. One of the main purposes of a Mexican mural is to create a work that everyone can share in, whether through production or interpretation.

The toolbox below is loaded with questions to focus your analysis. You will need to use everything in the toolbox in order to do a complete analysis.

Toolbox:

Context
What is the Context of the mural?
• Social context - Who are the people who made it? How does it fit into the community?
• Physical context - Where is it?
• Political context - What is it's purpose? Does it sell, promote, inform, inspire?
• Historical context - When was it made? What difference does that make?

Visual Elements
Pay attention to the colors used in the mural. Colors have significant meanings in murals, particularly in terms of mood and tone. A mural that has a lot of dark colors and great contrasts has an underlying revolutionary tone, while something that has pastel and light colors can reflect simple and idyllic living, particularly in the countryside.

What do you see? How do the light, color, form, and size together create an impression?
• Color - How is color used?
• Scale - What is the scale? How does it compare to other media?
• Light - How did the artist use light? Is one area brighter?
• Lines and Forms - Where do the lines lead your eyes? Do you see solid, stable shapes or lots of curves and diagonal lines suggesting unrest and movement?

Show us what you know:
You and your class partner are art critics. Your classmates are on a tour with you through the streets of of San Francisco looking at the murals. They have come upon the Diego Rivera mural you are experts on. Now it is your turn to share with the tour group (your classmates and teachers) what you know about how to look at that mural.

Put things into perspective by being aware of the scale of the artwork and the number of people involved in making it. Mexican murals usually show people in groups, which is a testament to the bond the Mexican people have with each other and the culture's emphasis on family rather than isolation. Not only are there a number of characters in the paintings, but there were also several contributors who added details and significance to the mural as a whole. Thus, teamwork is expressed through both the characters depicted the mural and every stroke of the brush that the artists employed.

Presentation tips:
• Try pointing to different parts of the mural to illustrate your point.
• Juxtapose the various mural panels to make comparisons
• Before you jump to conclusions about what the mural is about- describe to your class what you see step by step. Then describe how these elements together (color, line, context, etc.) create a visual impression.

GLOSSARY

composition - the arrangement of parts that together form a unified whole
context - the parts of the environment (physical, environment, historical, etc.) that surround something such as a word, passage, or work of art and can throw light on its meaning
depict - to represent in a picture
facade - the face of a building
juxtapose - to place side by side
historical context - the events that took place around something through which you understand that thing
impression - an effect, feeling, or image retained after an experience
media - forms of expression determined by materials or creative methods
physical context - the physical environment around something
political context - the environment in which something is produced indicating it's purpose or agenda
social context - the environment of people that surrounds something's creation or intended audience
subject - the main theme of a work of art