Original Mural Essay

A Unique Type of Artwork: Murals Julie Kaplan
It is said that "Picturing things, taking a view, is what makes us human; art is
making sense and giving shape to that sense. It is like the religious search for God"-
Gerhad Richter. I believe that art is created not only to share its beauty, but to also share a
story behind it, and lets you explicate your own meaning from the artwork. Murals are
one of the most unique types of art in my opinion, just like the quote said; it makes a
sense and gives a shape to that sense. Murals are a painting of art executed directly on a
wall, they range from palaces, tombs, temples, libraries, churches, and other public
places. Majority of murals share a political or social meaning behind it. This is probably
why people are always taking pictures next to it or of it and posting it on social media
because of the aesthetics and the message behind it. A Mural Dedicated to Piece
captivated me the most because of its artistic beauty, its representation of gay rights and
equality, and the inspiration behind the painting, which was a service group, called the
Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance.
Annie Sperling, an artist, who studied art at San Francisco Academy of Art, UC
Berkley, painted A Mural Dedicated to Peace. The mural is located on 1065 Hyperion
Ave. Los Angeles, CA. It is 1500 sq. ft., painted in 1991, and is a community type mural.
In this painting, you can see a diverse population of people. What stands out the most are
the four people in the front, which has two men leaning on each other and two women
below them. One man has black hair and a blue shirt and the man next to him has dirty
blonde hair with a red shirt. They look as if they have known each other since forever and
are comfortable with each other. The woman below him, who seems much older due to
her grey hair and her grey-buttoned shirt, has her eyes shut closed as if she feels the same
comfort the two men do. The woman next to her has a much darker complexion with her
arms wide open, wearing a scintillating yellow tank top with hair like a porcupine. She's
holding two gigantic flowers, one orange and one yellow that resembles the sun above
them. Both the ladies flower and tank top are as bright as the sun above them smiling
with big red lips and eyes. The sun has orange horizontal lines emitting from it, one in
particular seems to have a goddess coming out from the lines, spreading warmth, love,
and peace. Thanks to the goddess of the nurturing sun, many couples from different
backgrounds seem to be dancing and enjoying the suns company, ignoring every bad
aspect there is in the world. Although my interpretation of this mural was that it was for
peace amongst races and cultures because of it's vivid bright colors and the diversity, it's
actually for gay rights.
The true purpose behind this mural was to encourage gay rights, a constructive
way to combat gay bashing, and promote tolerance and understanding in the community.
We came a long way to have same sex relationships socially acceptable, and even now
many countries and places find same sex relations to be taboo and should be punished.
Religion had a big part in making it seem like loving the same gender was a sin or even a
mental disorder that could be treated. Luckily, there were numerous organizations and
marches for gay rights as well as brave celebrities coming out to help change it from
being taboo to being a norm. "Millions of Americans watched as actress Ellen DeGeneres
came out on national television in April 1997, heralding a new era of gay celebrity power
and media visibility (Bonnie J Morris, PhD. The Society for Human Rights, founded by
Henry Gerber in Chicago, was the first documented gay rights organization established in
1924. There are many other organizations, such as The GLBT National Help Center,
Human Rights Campaign, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, and many more. Not
only are there marches and organizations, but there's also huge gay parades, which
usually happens on the last Sunday of June to make people aware of distinguish the
influence and impact of the LGBT folks on the local, national, and international history.
Coming a long way of battling for legal rights against discrimination, gay and lesbian
couples now have the right to marry just like anyone else. According to the Supreme
Court, same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states on June 26, 2015. This was the biggest
step for the LGBT community to have their rights finally granted.
Although there were and are so many organizations and marches to stop against
discrimination for the LGBT community, the mural A Mural Dedicated to Peace, was
inspired by one in particular called Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance. From 1993-
1996, Annie Sperling was the program coordinator for the Sunset Junction Non-Profit
youth center. This organization was for those who were seeking to make peace between
newcomers and longtime Latino residents. It was lead by Joyce Azelton from Silver Lake
and Echo Park in hopes of ending discrimination and promoting peace amongst the new
gay residents and the long time Latino residents. This organization was created from
those who were homosexual or supported, therefore immersing themselves in this street
fair made by the organization, to promote LGBT rights and peace. 60,000 attended the
weekend long festival. Due to this organization, two murals have been painted to send a
message on gay bashing and peace through art, such as murals.
I believe murals are the most unique because it's painted on a wall and you can
find them randomly by walking in the streets You can get so much out of the mural art by
interpretation or looking into the historical or social background of it. A Mural Dedicated
to Peace is beautiful with all the vivid colors and different shapes and sizes especially the
abnormal sun, which indicated a sign of peace. Despite the mural being beautiful, I chose
it because of how empowering the message behind it against gay bashing and for gay
rights. I also chose it because I was able to create my own little story from it for peace
and no discrimination amongst different races and cultures and become unified as one.
Work Cited Page
"A Mural Dedicated to Peace." Mural Locator. Indie, 2 July 2012. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
<http://murallocator.org/2012/07/a-mural-dedicated-to-peace/>.
Eastsider, The. "The Humble Beginnings of Sunset Junction." The Eastsider LA RSS.
N.p., 27 Aug. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2017. <https://www.theeastsiderla.com/2011/08/the-
humble-beginnings-of-sunset-junction/>.
Collins, Michael. "22 LGBT Organizations You Need to Know." Diversity Best Practices.
N.p., 31 May 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2017. <http://www.diversitybestpractices.com/news-
articles/22-lgbt-organizations-you-need-know>.
Morris, Bonnie J. "History of Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Social Movements." Pardon Our
Interruption. American Psychological Association, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.
<http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/history.aspx>.
Gerhard Richter: Test. Writings, Interviews, and Letters 1961-2007, Thames & Hudson,
London, 2009, p. 14

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A Unique Type of Artwork: Murals Julie Kaplan

Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance.

actually for gay rights.

message on gay bashing and peace through art, such as murals.

N.p., 27 Aug. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2017. <https://www.theeastsiderla.com/2011/08/the-

N.p., 31 May 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2017. <http://www.diversitybestpractices.com/news-

Interruption. American Psychological Association, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.

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