Mario Castillo’s Peace Mural (aka Metafisica) painted in 1968 in Pilsen, Chicago, IL TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Table of Contents 2. Decoding the Peace Mural 3. The Music Connection 4. The Mural’s Composition as a Sound Envelope (continued) and the Concerto 5. Meaning in Shapes, The Quetzalcoatl Presence (the feathered serpent), and the Kundalini 6. Native American and Modern Art Connections 7. The Paisley and the Yin-Yang 8. The Peace Symbol and Central Section 9. The Truncated Tree Trunks and the Pareidolic Creature plus the Dying Leaf 10. The Dying Leaf and the Cut Fruit plus the Truncated Sun and its Eclipse 11. The Huichol Art Influence and Huichol God’s Eyes 12. Huichol Yarn Paintings and the Mural’s Far-right Side 13. The Scorpion and the Metafisica Shape 14. The All-Seeing Eyes and The Amoeba/Supernova 15. The Slender Shape with Letters Floating in Air plus Environmental Interactive Art 16. The New Element, The Shadow Pieces, and One-Minute Sculptures 17. Surreal Shadow Piece 18. Animism, Dada, and Shadows and The Dada Principle of Chance or Aleatory Practices & Fluxus 19. Marcel Duchamp’s Readymades and Huichol Color Striations and Huichol Flat Color 20. Huichol Flat Hard-Edge Color, A Liberating Aesthetic, and The 1960’s Cultural Revolution 21. The Cultural Medium in the Atmosphere and a Mural for the Global Village 22. The Peace Mural Was First in Several Ways 23. Fifty Ideas for Possible Art Projects to be Done by Students Based on the Peace (Metafisica) Mural A guide for schoolteachers to use as a stimulus for creating art projects for their students with ideas that can be combined with each other to create different projects or variations on a theme. Teachers are invited to create their own lesson plans based on these or their own ideas derived from Mario Castillo’s Peace mural. 1.
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MarioCastillo’sPeaceMural(akaMetafisica)paintedin1968inPilsen,Chicago,IL
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. TableofContents
2. DecodingthePeaceMural
3. TheMusicConnection
4. TheMural’sCompositionasaSoundEnvelope(continued)andtheConcerto
5. MeaninginShapes,TheQuetzalcoatlPresence(thefeatheredserpent),andtheKundalini
6. NativeAmericanandModernArtConnections
7. ThePaisleyandtheYin-Yang
8. ThePeaceSymbolandCentralSection
9. TheTruncatedTreeTrunksandthePareidolicCreatureplustheDyingLeaf
10. TheDyingLeafandtheCutFruitplustheTruncatedSunanditsEclipse
11. TheHuicholArtInfluenceandHuicholGod’sEyes
12. HuicholYarnPaintingsandtheMural’sFar-rightSide
13. TheScorpionandtheMetafisicaShape
14. TheAll-SeeingEyesandTheAmoeba/Supernova
15. TheSlenderShapewithLettersFloatinginAirplusEnvironmentalInteractiveArt
16. TheNewElement,TheShadowPieces,andOne-MinuteSculptures
17. SurrealShadowPiece
18. Animism,Dada,andShadowsandTheDadaPrincipleofChanceorAleatoryPractices&Fluxus
19. MarcelDuchamp’sReadymadesandHuicholColorStriationsandHuicholFlatColor
20. HuicholFlatHard-EdgeColor,ALiberatingAesthetic,andThe1960’sCulturalRevolution
21. TheCulturalMediumintheAtmosphereandaMuralfortheGlobalVillage
22. ThePeaceMuralWasFirstinSeveralWays
23. FiftyIdeasforPossibleArtProjectstobeDonebyStudentsBasedonthePeace(Metafisica)Mural
Aguideforschoolteacherstouseasastimulusforcreatingartprojectsfortheirstudentswithideasthatcanbecombinedwitheachothertocreatedifferentprojectsorvariationsonatheme.TeachersareinvitedtocreatetheirownlessonplansbasedontheseortheirownideasderivedfromMarioCastillo’sPeacemural.1.
DECODINGTHEPEACEMURAL(AKAMetafisica)ItsPopular,Multicultural,andUniversalImplicationsareFinallyRevealedGentrificationdestroyedthePeace(Metafisica)muralcreatedbyMarioCastilloin1968.Firsttheycutadoorandwindowsthroughitswallin1988.Then,afewyearslater,theysandblastedthewholething.ThisactistiedtotheAmericantraitofdestroyingtheoldtomakeroomforthenew.
Withallcertainty,whennew,thismuralwasnotaboutcreatingan“artforthesakeofart”workofartoraboutcreatinga“prettypicture”todecoratesomewall.Althoughthismuralwassomewhatrevolutionaryinsomerespects,itdefinitelywasnotaboutglorifyingtheheroesoftheMexicanRevolutionbypaintingtheirportraitsalloverthewallashundredsofMexicanmuralshaddonesosincethe1920’s.Instead,itssuiteofabstractedimagesformedanall-embracingtestimonialaboutthehumanconditionofthetimes.Withitssymboliccontent,thePeacemuralwasaworkthatsummarizedinonepictorialstatementtheglobalstateofaffairsattheendofthedecadeof1960’s.
Althoughthismuralwasaproductofthe“Now”,noonehadtakenthetimetoaskCastillothemeaningbehindallthesymbols.Mostofthissymbolismwassoesotericthatitwasnevertotallyrevealed,untilnow.Movingbeyondaddressingonlytheconcernsandissuesofasubculture,thePeacemuralwasdesignedtobemoreuniversalinscope.OftheNewPublicArtmurals,thismuralpresenteditselfasbeingthefirsttodealwithsyncretism.Forthis,CastillocreditshisexperiencewiththemulticulturalnatureofChicago,oneoftheworld’smostcosmopolitancities.
Tobeginwith,therewerethreemajorculturalproclamationsmadebythiswork.Itwas;anethnicstatementaboutempoweringMexicanRoots,aprotestagainsttheVietnamWar,andareflectionoftheHippieculture.ThePeace(Metafisica)muralwasanexampleoftheculturalfusionthatbroughtaboutthenewagemovementthatgaveustheAgeofAquariuswhichwasinitiatedinthe1960’sbytheHippie’sculturalrevolution.Hence,itsiconographyformsasynthesisbetweenPsychology,NewArt,NativeAmericanculture,Huicholculture,EnvironmentalInteractiveArt,AbstractArt,Science,Animism,PopCulture,Mysticism,Activism,FolkArt,Hinduism,andSymbolism,bringingthemalltogetherintoamuralthatwaspackedwithsymbols.ItalsoincorporatedtheDadaprincipleofchanceoraleatorypractices.Thusthemuralbecameamulticulturalamalgamationofdiverseideas.
Althoughmostofthesymbolsinthemuralwerespecific,theywerealsoopentointerpretation,especiallyastoanynewpossiblemeanings,otherwisenotintended;i.e.whentwoseparateimagesexistedsidebysideandtheviewerbroughtthemtogethertoformanewconceptintheirmind.
1.Aftergoingthroughvariousoptions,thisbecametheoriginaldesign.Evenso,theleftsideshapesdidnotconnectaswellasrightsidegroupandeventuallyMarioCastillomadeachangeattheend.
2.ThedesignbelowbecamethefinaldesignofthemuralwhenCastilloatthelastminutechosetoextendthethreelinearshapesonthelefttoflowintothecentralcomplexforthesakeofunity.
2.
THEMUSICCONNECTION
Duringhisdevelopingyears,MarioCastilloconsideredanarrangementofcolorsasvisualmusic.Hebelievedthatjustasamusiccomposerarrangesmusicalnotestocreateamusiccompositionsotoo,theartistcoulddothesamewithcolor.ThusCastillocametoregardcolorsasmusicalnoteswithwhichtocreateharmoniousvisualcompositionsonpaper,canvas,orwalls.
Around1967Castillowasintriguedwiththeideaofcreatingmusicfromgraphicshapes.HestartedtoresearchthisandcreatedhisearlyexperimentsattheSchooloftheArtInstituteofChicago.Theseinitialtrialsconsistedofusing16mmblackfilmleaderandscratchingouttheblackemulsiononthesidewherethenormalsoundtrackwouldbe.Todothis,heworkedwiththe“variablearea”techniqueforproducingsoundinfilms,asopposedtothevariabledensity.
ThiswastediousworksinceheusedanX-Actoknifetoremovetheblackemulsionfromtheclearacetate.Thesetiny“design”shapeshadtobesymmetricalaninastraightlinerunningparalleltotheedgeofthefilm.Needlesstosay,thiswasquiteatask,butafterachievingafewinchesofwork,Castillowouldcutthefilmleaderandmakealoopoutofit.Then,tohearthesoundbeingcreatedbyhismarkingsonthefilm,hewouldrunitthroughafilmprojectorandhearitsanalogsound.
Later,around1971,hedesignedtheCORS,CastilloOpticalReaderSynthesizer,andnowhewasabletousethewholewidthofthefilmtorunor“play”throughontheCORS.Withthishewasnotonlyabletousevariablearea,butalsovariabledensity,whichmeantthatnowcolorshadaneffectontheproductionofthesound.Hereceiveda1972AmericanFilmInstitutegranttoproducehisfirstfilm,AnimatedSoundtrack.Belowarethreetest-stripsdoneforthisexperimentalfilm.
Sincemusicandcolorarepartofthespectrumofphysicalvibrations,theyhavebeenrelatedtoeachothersincethetimebeforeAristotle.Throughtheyears,especiallyduringthe19thcentury,therehavebeenmanynewdevices,whichhavedealtwithproducingcolorfromsounds.Inhisexperiments,MarioCastilloreversedthissothathetriedtoproducesoundfromcolors.ThiswaswhatCastillowasgoingfor,buthehadtostophissearchwithonlyhavingproducedtheAFIfilm.
Toseesomeofthehistoricalmusicalinstrumentsrelatedtomusic,light,andcolorgoto:http://www.matchtoneapp.com/images/instrumentstoperformcolor.pdf
Youmayalsofindmoreinformationonthesubjectat:http://rhythmiclight.com/
ThePeacemuralwasaffectedbythisconcern,forhesawthismuralasamusicalcomposition.Anotherwayhethoughtofthismuralcompositionwasasasinglenotefluctuatingthroughpictorialspace.Inmusic,anotehaswhatiscalledanenvelopeshownasagraph(leftsidebelow).
©Bymaking-music.comCastillowantedtoconceivehisdesignasacompositioninanenvelope.3.
THEMURAL’SCOMPOSITIONASASOUNDENVELOPE(Continued)
Doingthiswouldhaveallowedhimtosuggestalargedeadbodycausedbythewar:
ButMarioCastillowantedhisdesigntobe“up-lifting”sinceitwasnotjustaboutthewarandsohechosetocreateanewreferencetothe“musicalnoteenvelope”wherethereleasepointedtowardsthefirmament.
InCastillo’smind,themuralbecametheimageofagrowingplantbecauseithadboth,therightsideandleftsideofthemuralpointingupwardwhilethecenterseemedtotake“root”intheground.Thiseffectwasafavorablethingtohavebecausenowthenegativitycontainedinsomeofthemural’ssymbolspresenteditselfinacompositionthatconveyedanover-allmessageofhope.
Atthistime,Castillowaslisteningtoclassicalmusic,especiallytoconcertosbyMozart,Vivaldi,andBeethoven.MarioCastillowantedtotreatthePeacemuralasacolor“concerto”withthreeparts.InCastillo’smind,eachpartwasamovement.Castillounderstoodtheimportanceofthenumberthreeandsoheusedthisconcepttocreateananalogytothethreemovementsinaconcerto.
Thefirstmovementstartedwithboldcolorsandabigbang,becausethiswasthesectionthepublicsawfirstfromthestreet.Thentherewasthemiddlesection,whichwasintricateinnatureandhadaspiralingvisualmovementthatcoiledintothecentralcircle.Finallythelastmovementtaperedoffandcametotheendataspecificspotthatseemedtopointupwardstowardsthesky.Themewise,asstatedbefore,therewerethreegeneralsubjects;thetributetotheMexican&NativeAmericancultures,thevisualprotesttotheVietnamwar,andtheinfluenceoftheHippiemovementinAmerica.Sooriginallythemuralhadthreeareasor“movements”asseenbelow.
Thenwhenthedesignchangedattheend,thethreeareascametobeasshowninnextimage.Inthisfinalcomposition,eachmovementwasseparatedbyasmallquietspaceoutlinedincyan(below)showingaseriesofsomewhatparallellinesbetweenthethreesections.
4.
SOMEOFTHEOVER-ALLSHAPESHADMEANINGASWELL
Thisimagebelowistheinitialsectionofthemural(asseenfromthestreet)showingtheexplosivecolorofthe“bigbang”mentionedbefore,butalsoliterally,thegraphicofabomb’sexplosion.
THEQUETZALCOATLPRESENCE(TheFeatheredSerpent)andtheKUNDALINI
Castillo’soriginalmuralconceptwastohaveitsleftsiderepresentthefeatheredserpentbyonlyshowingtheupperpartofthehead.Thenheconnectedthe“neckpart”totherestofthemural.
InthecaseofQuetzalcoatl’shead,thePeacemuralmadeuseofpareidolia.Pareidoliaoccurswhenthemindhasthepsychologicaltendencytoseeanimagewithinagivenpattern.ItislikethedoublevisionthatisrequiredintheRorschachinkblottestsorwhenoneseesafaceonacloud.
Therepresentationofthesnake’steethisapparent,buttheteethshapedunitsonallthreelinearshapesinthecoloreddesignalsostandforthescalesofthesnake’sbody.Inaddition,sincethisisafeatheredserpent,theyalsorepresentshortfeathers.Wheneverhecould,Castilloeconomizedbyhavingashapebethreethingsasshownhere;Quetzalcoatl’steeth,snakescales,andfeathers.5.
Asmentionedbefore,inMesoamerica,QuetzalcoatlisalsoknownastheFeatheredSerpent.MarioCastilloassociatedthefeather(flying)serpenttoHinduism’sKundalini(thecoiledenergyserpent).BelowisaworkbyCastillowiththisthemedepictingacoiledserpentcomingoutoftwoQuetzalcoatlsatthebottom,thebaseofthepelvicbone,wheretheenergyserpentissupposedtoreside.Thenitisshowntravelingthroughthesevenchakras.TheKundaliniisalsorelatedtoYoga.
THENATIVEAMERICANINFLUENCE
Oneofthemaininfluencesfortheover-alldesignofthismuralwastheNorthwestCoastculturefromthestatesofWashingtonandOregon.Examplesoftheirartareshownbelow.
Imagescopyrighted©bytheirrespectivedesigners:usedhereforeducationalpurposesonly.
THEMODERNARTCONNECTION
Onpage18and19thereareothermodernartnotations:CastilloreferencesDadaandDuchamp.Nextistheeyeofthefeatheredserpentasanexplosivebigbangdepictedinacomicbookstyle.ItisalsoreminiscentofWassilyKandinsky,thefamousRussianartistwhoisconsideredtobethefatherofAbstractArt.ButmoreimportantthanallofthisisthefactthatitsymbolizestheexplosiveforceofthebombsthatwerebeingdroppedinVietnamatthattime.ThebandsofcolorsymbolizingsmokesurroundingtheexplosionaredoneinthestyleofTheFauvesor“WildBeasts”,likethe6.
paintingsofHenriMatisseorAndréDerain,twoofthebest-knownFauvistartists.ThesmallbandofcolortotheleftofthisalsodepictssmokerisingwithdustparticlesandpocketsofAgentOrange.Becauseofitsdiversifiedcontent,thiswasthe60’sfirstPublicArtMovement’sUrbanArtmural.
THEPAISLEYANDTHEYINYANG
ThepaisleyisanancientPersiandesignmadeverypopularinIndiaandeventuallytraveledtoEuropeandAmerica.Itisasymbolforfecundity,proliferation,andwealth.ItactuallyseemstobejustlikethehalvesoftheChineseYinandYangsymbol.ThisTaoistsymbolalsocalledTaijitustandsforalldualitiesinlifeandtheirmutualinterdependenceoneachother.Theyareprobablyrelated.Itwouldbemostinterestingtofindoutwhichcamefirst,butthisinformationisprobablylostinantiquity.Inthe1960’s,theBeatlesandtheHippiesresurrectedthepaisleyintothemodernworld.
Paisleydesignsonmural“FunkyPaisley”©FineDezineTheYin-YangSymbol
7.
THEPEACESYMBOLANDCENTRALSECTION
8.
THETRUNCATEDTREETRUNKSANDTHEPAREIDOLICCREATURE
Thetwodarkershapesbelow,justtotherightofthecenter,symbolizeddeforestation.Theydepicteddeadandtruncatedtreetrunks.Totheirleftisafour-leggedanimalthatrepresentstheEarth’screaturesbeinginjuredbythedestructionoftheforests.Onpage8,CastilloalsomentionstheHuicholinfluencedpareidolicallyrecognizedcreatureabovethecentralcirclewithasecondmeaning.Consequentlyitshowsacreaturelyingdownonadevastatedforestground.Bytheendofthe1950’s,thisscenariowashappeningdowninBrazil.
Brazil’snewcapitalcity,Brasiliaisoneoftheworld’sultra-moderncities.Itwasonlyeightyearsoldin1968whenitwasbuiltintherainforest.BeforeBrazil’scapitalmovedfromRiodeJaneriotoitsnewheadquartersintheAmazonjunglein1960,therewasandcontinuestobealotofdeforestation.TheAmazonjungleisconsideredthe“lungs”oftheplanetbecauseofitsenormoussize.ItsdenseandfertiletreeenvironmentislikeasupergiantoxygenfactoryfortheEarth.
Ithasbeenalarmingtoothernationshoweasilywearelosingtheone-of-a-kindhabitatofoneoftheplanet’smostuniqueanddiversifiedecologicalsystems.ThefoundingofBrasiliabroughtdeforestationtounprecedentedlevelsandrightintotheconsciousnessoftheworldandsothisthemecameintothemuralastwo“dead”treetrunksymbols.However,theyalsorepresentedtheburningofthejunglesofVietnamafterbeingbombed.Thisiswhythetrunkontheleftisshapedlikeaboomerang,tosymbolizethatallofthisdestructioncausedbymankindcouldpossiblyreturntouswithnegativeconsequences.TheplayingcardsymbolsalsopointedtotheVietnamWarasbeinga“pokergame”wheretheloserpaiddearly,buttherealitywasthatbothpartiessuffered.
THEDYINGLEAF
Theshapesonthefarrightthatcongregateandpointtowardsthecirclerepresentedashatteredleaffromthetruncatedtree.Itisobviousthattherecouldhavebeenadesignofamore“realistic”leaf,butMarioCastillowantedtokeeptheover-alldesignasabstractaspossibleandattimes,justhintastotheidentityofthings.Hewantedthefeelingofaleaffeltandnotnecessarilyseen.ThisisinkeepingwiththesameeffectproducedbytheRomaniansculptor,ConstantinBrancusi’s“BirdinSpace”sculpture.Brancusi’ssculptureisaconceptualsuggestionthatyouhavetofeelinordertoseeit,asisCastillo’sleaf.Thisconceptofessentialabstractionisalsoappliedtothefeatherserpent’sheadmentionedearlier.Thephenomenonofpareidoliaisalsousedhere.Theviewerisbeingaskedtoseesomethingthatisnotthere,butisonlysuggestedinasubliminalway.Themuralmakesuseofthisdoublevisionthroughout.9.
Thisleafwasmeanttosymbolizethatthelifeofthetreehadbeenrippedfromitsterrainbyman-madedisasters.AsculptureofBrancusi’s“BirdinSpace”isshownafterthelastleafimagebelow.
THEDYINGCUTFRUITANDTHELIFELESSSUNAnothersymbolofthisisthehalfellipticalshape(A)in-betweenthetwoupperbranchesofthetruncatedtree.Thissignifiesacutfruitshowingthatthetreewillnolongerbearfruitafteritshabitathasbeendestroyed.Liketheleaf,thedyingfruitpointstothedangersofdeforestation.
A.B.C.D.
THETRUNCATEDSUNANDITSECLIPSEBYTHEEARTH
Thecentralcircle’soutermostringrepresentsthesun,whiletheinnercirclewiththepeacesymbolrepresentstheEarth(orMoonforeclipse).Normallythegraphiciconofthesunshowsitsemanatingraysendinginpoints(B).Thisshowsahealthylight,thereforeahealthySun.Butiftheraysareinreverse(C),pointingtowardsthecirclewiththeirtipscutoff,thisdoesnotlooknormalanditlosesitsidentityandmaybestartstolooklikeaflower.Theideahereisthattheraysofthesunstarttolooktruncatedandthisisinkeepingwiththetrimmednatureofthedeadtreetrunks.Thatiswhythelegs’negativespacesoftheHuicholcreatureontopofgraycircle(D)alsodoubledascut-offsunrays.AlsothisimagehastheEarth/Mooneclipsingthesunandthiswasanothersignthatthesun’slightwasbeingcut-off.Becauseofthewaranddeforestation,essentially,theEarthwasgoingthroughsome“gloomy”times.
10.
THEHUICHOLARTINFLUENCE
TheHuicholculture(alsoknownastheWixáritari)isfromcentralMexicoandisoneofthefewpeopleswhowereneverconqueredbytheSpaniardsbecausetheyliveinmountainousterrain.Whentheyperformreligiousrituals,theyingestadesertplantthatcreatesinthemastateofalteredrealityandthisinducesthemtoseeeverythingaroundtheminterconnectedwithflowingenergyinbrightcolors.Throughtheseritualstheyconnectwithnatureanditsspiritssincetheybelievethatallmatterhasspirits.Theirartworkrepresentsthesehighstatesofawarenessandsuggestsanotherworldofelectrifyingcolor.Theyalsocreatesculptures,whichtheycoverwithbrightlycoloredshakirabeads.MostoftheiryarnpaintingsdealwithAnimism.
Thisisanapproximationtothetruecolorofthemuralwhenitwaspainted.
ThePeacemuralwasinfluencedbytheHuichol’suseofcolor.Thecoloroftheimagebelowhasbeenintensifiedtosimulatehowitwasintendedtoappear.Backinthe1960’stherewerenoexteriorpaintsinsuperbrightcolors.TheHuicholesusealotofgradationsofvividcolorsthatgivetheirartamagicallook.Thiswasthesaturatedlookthatthismuralwasattemptingtoachieve.
HUICHOLGOD’SEYES
Inthe1960’stheHuicholGod’sEyeswereverypopular.Theyaremadeoutofcolorfulyarnwrappedaroundsticks.Now,childrenmaketheseatschoolusingvarioustypesofwoodensticks.
LosOjosdeDios(God’sEyes)havealsobeendesignedtolooklikeEasternMandalasusedformeditation.Themulti-coloredlinesdefiningtheeye’sdiamondarealsopresentinthemural.(Copyrightsofthesesixphotosabove&below,belongtotheirrespectivephotographers)11.
HUICHOLYARNPAINTINGS
Thesepaintingsmakeuseofveryintricatedesignsandarealsodonewithintensecolors.AllofHuicholartdepictsdailylife,religion,andmythologyandtendstocreateafieldthatappearstobetotallypopulatedbyfiguresandsymbols.Itseemstolackany“breathing”space.Thisiscalled“HorrorVacui”,aLatintermwhichmeansbeingafraidofemptyspaces.Castillomakesuseofthisconceptinsidetheshapeswhileatthesametimecreatingcontrastwiththeyellownegativespace.
THEMURAL’SFAR-RIGHTSIDE;ITSSYMBOLSANDTHEIRMEANING
Theright“branch”ofthetruncatedtreecontainsascorpionwithinacircle.ItisasymbolforoneofMexico’smostpicturesquestates,Durango.ManyAmericanWesternmovieswerefilmedwithintheabsolutelybeautiful“western”scenesfoundinthisnorthernstate.FurthermorethesymbolrepresentstheScorpiusconstellation.Inthisway,theastrologicalsignofScorpiobringsinanelementofmysticismintothemural.MarioCastillodoesnotrecalliftheyoungartistwhopaintedthiswasbornundertheastrologicalsignofScorpioorifhesimplywasborninDurango,orboth.Nonetheless,thescorpionhasapopcultureconnection,foritisalsoaniconfoundinthe#40cardofoneofthemostwellknownMexicangames,LaLoteria,Mexico’sequivalenttotheBingo.Butthisimageisintriguingbecauseitisknownthatroostersandhenseatscorpionsandthislooksliketheheadofachickenwithapinkbeakthathashereyeonhernextmeal.12.
THESCORPION(seetextonpreviouspage)LoteriaCard#40
THEMETAFISICASHAPE
Inthissomewhatofaquadrilateralrectangle,acontinuouswhitelinebeginstoformasadoodle,andsoonafteritmanifestsitselfintothewordMetafisica(metaphysics).Asthewhitelinerevealsitselfasaword,itseemstoask,“Whatisthetruthaboutwhatmatterstothemind,theheart,andourbeingasweexperienceourphysicalandnon-physicalworld?”---ThenthewhitelinebecomesadoodleagainthattransformsitselfintoanabstractformofthemapofMexico.ThisseemstoimplythatMexicoisa“magical”place.Inactuality,Mexicohasaprogramthatassignstownsa“PuebloMagico”statusifthetownfeelsmagicaltovisitors.Manybeautifultownsaredesignated“Magical”.
ThewordMetafisicahastworowsofeyesonthetopandonthebottom.Theseeyescommunicateanintelligentpresencethatisobservingthepassageoftimeandallthingswithinit.Sinceancienttimes,theyrepresentafocusedvisionthatperceivesallmovementswithkeenawareness.Besidesbeingsymbolsofvisionarysighttowardstheoutsideworld,theyalsostandasrepresentationsoftheinnerworldofthespirit.Thatiswhytheyarecalled“windowstothesoul”.Theyremindusofthe“all-seeing”eyeontopofthepyramidinthedollarbill.13.
THEMETAFISICASHAPEandTHEALL-SEEINGEYES
Theeyesaremajorpartsofoursensorysystem,sincetheyplayanimportantroleinhelpingusknowmoreaboutourselves,ouridentity,andourenvironment.Throughthemweseethecauseandeffectofalleventsaroundus.Theyhelpusbewhoweareandgivemeaningtoourexistence.
Combinedwith“metaphysics”,theeyesguideusinunderstandingtheessenceofthefundamentalprinciplesofourreality.Theyarethemajorreasonastowhyourrealitybecomesrealtous.Butthen,weallcometounderstandthatoureyescanfooluslikewhenweseeamirageorsomekindof“magical”illusion.Thatiswhywehavetolookbeyondthesurfaceandalsounderstandthetruthunderneaththesuperficialworld.BesidesthemysticalallusionsexpressedintheeyesoftheMetafisicacartouche,theyalsorefertoadarkhigh-techworldcreatedinthefuturisticnovel,“1984”.Firstpublishedin1949,thebook“1984”writtenbytheBritishauthorGeorgeOrwell,hasremainedpopulareversince.ColumbiaPicturesreleasedafilmversionofthisscience-fictionnovelin1956andinthe1960’stheideaofanoppressiveworlddominatedbytheinescapablecontrolofan“InnerParty”wasapopularthemeinAmerica,especiallyafterAmericantroopslandedinVietnamin1965.Bynow,muchoftheterminologyusedbyOrwellinhisnovel,hasbecomepartofouruniversalconsciousness.Attheendofthe20thcentury,Orwell’simplicationsofanever–presentsurveillanceinafuturedystopiansocietyhadstartedtoclaimitsterritoryinourcontemporaryurbanlandscape.SincetheDigitalRevolutionusheredintheInformationAge,weactuallyhavestartedtoliveunderthefish-eyelensofBigBrother’scameras.THEAMOEBA/SUPERNOVA
Theiconographyofthisshapeisprettysignificantsinceitcontainsasymbolicimagethatembodiesthewholeuniversebecauseitrepresentsthemacro(anexplodingsupernova)andthemicro(anamoeba).SincethismuralisbasedonNativeAmericanaestheticprinciples,itmakesaconnectiontothephilosophyoflifeoftheancientAmericans;thatnatureandtheuniverseareinterconnected.Therefore,itispropertohaveasymbolthatrepresentalllifeinthecosmossoastomakeusawareofeverythingaroundus.Inthisway,we,asapeople,canstarttofigureouthowwefitinintotheharmonyofnature.14.
THESLENDERSHAPEWITHLETTERS“FLOATINGINAIR”Thisslendercartoucheisencryptedwithfivecharactersblowinginthewind.ItmakesreferencetoBobDylan’sprotestanthem“Blowin’intheWind”:“Theanswermyfriend,isblowin’inthewind,theanswerisblowin’inthewind”.
Fromlefttorightitcontainstheletter“C”,followedby“π”thesymbolforPi,thenletters“V,Y,andS”.Itislikeanacronym,andinactuality,itisinitialisminSpanish.The“C”standsfor“Cielo”(Sky),thesymbol“π”isjustitself“Pi”(Pi),theflying“V”is“Viento”(Wind),theflyingsideways“Y”istheSpanishword“y”(And),andthe“S”is“Sol”(Sun).SoinEnglishthisisreadsas“Sky,pi,wind,andsun”,whichisamadeupphrasejustforthismuralthatreflectstheHippie’s“philosophyoflife”thatiswellencodedintheBeatles’song,“LucyintheSkywithDiamonds”.Thissonghadjustbeenreleasedin1967anditbecameanotheranthemfortheHippie’sculturalrevolution.“Pie”,thepastry,inSpanishislikea“tarta”or“pastel”,butmanypeoplecallit“paei”,thephoneticsoundinSpanishoftheEnglishword“pie”.SothesymbolofPialsoreferstothepiesintheBeatles’song,LucyintheSkywithDiamonds,“Whererockinghorsepeopleeatmarshmallowpies”.Themathematicalconcept,Pi,ofcoursereferstothecircle,becauseofitsreferencetothediameterofacircleanditscircumference.Thiscombinedwiththecoloryellowofthebackgroundrefertotheancientgodofthesky,thesun.Thethreeshapesappeartobe“blowinginthewind”andfloattowardstheconcentriccirclesonthefarright.Thiscircleisahopefulsymbolofpeace,security,andprotection.Blue,the“peacefulcolorofthesky”,encirclestheinnercirclesandtriestocalmdownthe“bloodshedcolorsoftheVietnamwar”withinit.
ENVIRONMENTALINTERACTIVEART:TheShadowFoundationinthePeaceMural
Inessence,allmuralsaresite-specificbecausetheyarepaintedonaparticularwallthatexistswithinacertainarchitecturalenvironment.Evenso,manymuralistsdonottakeadvantageofthefactthattheycouldinteracttheirworktoagreaterlevelwiththeirenvironmentandinsomeform,includetheviewersasparticipantsoractuallyhavetheenvironmentinteractwiththework.Thissectionshowsthemotivationalbasisbehindthereasoningformakinganaturalshadowbecomeapartofthemural.MarioCastillowantedtomakethisbeanenvironmentalinteractiveworkthatdealtwithanimisticbeliefsofhowourancestorssawtheorganizationofthephysicaluniverse.
Since1967,MarioCastillowasinterestedinsite-specificartandenvironmentalart.Thepropertiesforthisart-makingprocedurebecameofpreferenceinsomeofhisMinimalArtsculptures,whichclearlydemonstratedthisinclination.TheearlyenvironmentalartworksthatCastillocreatedbackthenneverhadadequatephotographicdocumentationandsomeofhisdrawingproposalsweregivenaway.Atthattime,hewasalsoinvolvedwithanotheraspectofPost-StudioArtorNewArt.15.
THENEWELEMENT,THESHADOWPIECES,ANDONE-MINUTESCULPTURES
Thisnewelementwasinregardstothedurationoftheexistenceofthepiece.Sometimesthedesignprocessthatcreatedtheworkcouldtakeoverahundredyearsandinitself,theprocessbecameanever-changingartpiece.OthersweremadetolastforthelifeofanewbuildingunderconstructionortheinfinitelifeofanactuallandscapeintheSonorandesert.Thenotherpieceswouldtakelessthanaminutetocreate.Thesemomentarypiecesweredoneinthelate60’sandearly70’sandinvolvedvariousmedia.Thisshort-livedInstantArtpiece(belowleft)isdealingwiththeephemeralsubjectofactualshadows.Itlastedforaboutoneminute,whilethephotowastaken.MarioCastilloheldthethreewooddowelsupagainstthewallwhileHaroldAllentookthephoto.Theactualpiecewasneverviewedbyanyone,exceptthephotographerandtheartistforitwasdisassembledimmediatelyaftercreation.
This,inessence,wasaone-minutesculpturedoneabout18yearsbeforeErwinWurmstartedtodohisone-minutepieces.Yes,itwouldhavebeenmorelikeWurm’sworkifCastillohadbeenshownholdingthedowels.Butobviously,CastillowasdoinginstantephemeralMinimalArtsculptureunderthedictumof“lessismore”,sohavingsomeoneinthephotowouldhavebeentoomuch.
Thepaintingofglassesisoneofseveralpaintingswithanemphasisonshadowsdonearound1966-67.ItshowsCastillo’sconcernforusingthemasasubjectmatter. TheLinearShadowspieceabovewaspublishedaspartofSoniaSheridan’sSchooloftheArtInstituteofChicago’sproject,thePortablePostcardExhibitin1969. Youmayseethisat:
https://www.facebook.com/Generative-Systems-Workshop-and-Archive-184066178298089/Under:PortablePostcardExhibit–1969_March12,2011_Clickon“+30”imageandsearchforMarioCastillo’sORhttps://www.facebook.com/184066178298089/photos/a.187064061331634.38953.184066178298089/187064167998290/?type=3&theater(Thislastonetakesyoudirectlythere)
HerearethreeCastillosite-specificshadowpieces.Theconceptforthefirstoneisfrom1969,andthis10’highorangepieceisarecreationofthisideadonein2004.Thelastonewasdonein1970.16.
THESURREALSHADOWPIECE
MarioCastillo’s2004site-specificinstallationbelowdemonstrateshisconcernforshadows.Hereheisdrawingextranon-existentshadowsonthewalltopointto“extra”invisiblelightsources.
Thiscornerpiecemixestheactualshadowswiththegraphiconesandturnsitintoaveryelusivesurrealisticwork.Itpromptsthequestionsof“Whicharemorereal,theephemeralshadowsortheonesdrawnonthewall?Arebothpartofthesameillusion?17.
ANIMISM,DADA,andSHADOWS(astheyrelatetothePeaceMural)
WhathasbeenstatedaboutshadowsinCastillo’sworkdisplayshisdeepinterestinthisintriguingsubject,whichbecameanelementhiswork.AllofthisinformationaboutMarioCastillo’sshadowpiecesservesasgroundworkforthewaythePeacemuralwasinvolvedwithAnimism,anotherNativeAmericaninfluence.
ManyancientculturesbelievedinAnimismasawayoflife,especiallytheindigenouspeoplesoftheAmericas.Forthem,allofnaturewasinterconnected.Tothem,allmatterintheuniversewasdependentoneachotherandanimatedbysomespiritualforce.MarioCastillo’smural“TheAncientMemoriesofMayahuel’sPeopleStillBreathe”attheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtinChicago,IL,isaworkthatdealswiththesamebeliefwhereeverythinginnaturehasitsownAnimaorspirit.CastillowasawareofthisNativeAmericanprinciplewellbeforethePeacemuralwaspainted.
“TheAncientMemoriesofMayahuel’sPeopleStillBreathe”
THEDADAPRINCIPLEOFCHANCEORALEATORYPRACTICES&FLUXUSNON-PERFORMANCE
WhenpaintingPeace,MarioCastilloobservedhowatreethatwasnexttothemuralcastitsshadowonit.Henoticedthetree’sshadowmovingacrossthemuralasthedaypassed.Itseemedtocaressit.Thetwo-dimensionaltreeshadowblurredthelinebetweenthe2Dpictorialrealityofthemuralandthephysicalrealityofthetreeanditsbranches,thuscreatingmomentsofengagementwherethetwooverlappedandappearedtocreateathirdrealitycausedbythesuperimpositionofthedarkshadowoverthemural’scolor.
Hethoughtthatduringthewintertimethebarebrancheswouldcreatesomehighlyinterestingshadowlinesthatwouldinteractwiththemuralandbecomeapartofit.KnowingthathewasnotgoingtobeinChicagothatwinter,heaskedhisstepfather,HaroldAllentophotographthebranches’shadowsoverthemuralthatwinter.Castillowantedtohavearecordofthispassageoftimeandinteractionwiththeenvironment.Theresultingphotoisbelowontherightside:
Itwasbypureserendipitythatthisinteractionofnatureandartcameabout.Thetree’sshadow,especiallyduringthewinter,madethemuralbeaninter-activepiecewithnatureandastrongersite-specificwork.InCastillo’smind,thebarebrancheswereaperfectreflectionforthetruncatedtreeinthemuralfortheyseemedtoembracethefactthatthemuraladdresseddeforestation.ThisaspectofthemuralinsomeformwasaFluxusperformanceorbetteryeta“non-performance”becausenoaudiencewasrequiredsincenatureperformeditsactregardlessofone.Thetree’sshadowturnedthemuralintoLivingArt.18.
ThiswasnotthefirsttimethatMarioCastilloincorporatedaleatoricelementsintohiswork.Theindeterminatenatureofamethodologyofchancehadbeenpresentinhisworkpreviously.Castilloenjoyedexperimentationandthatiswhyhereliedinusingaspontaneous,liberating,andattimesautomaticapproachinthemakingofsomeofhisartworks.
MARCELDUCHAMP’SREADYMADESBasically,thistypeofregardforusingnewanti-artideassuchasthe“brushingofatree’sshadow”overapaintedmuralandcallingitartwasreflectiveoftheDadaArtMovement.TheDadaistsintroducedproceduresthatwere“out-of-the-box”,rebelliousinnature,andhighlyexperimental.AtthistimeMarioCastillowasintoinvestigationalarttryingoutallkindsofthings.ThetreesortofbecameaDuchampianreadymadeor“foundobject”thatturnedouttobeintegratedintothemuraltogivemeaningandlifetoitandpushthemural’sexistencebeyondthewallintotherealworld.Inthemid60’s,CastillohadstartedtogetinvolvedwithBodyArtandInstallations.Helikedtheideaofgoingintoanexhibitingspaceandcreatinglargeinstantartpieceswithinashortperiodoftime.Insome,heusedbrightribbons.
HUICHOLCOLORSTRIATIONS
SopriortohispaintingthePeacemural,Castillowasmakinguseofstriatedsaturatedcoloredlinestocreateinstallationsonwalls,betweenceilingsandfloors,andwalltowall.ThesewereinspiredbyHuicholart.Theyusedyarnfortheirartandtokeepmaterialssimilar,Castillousedribbonsofvariouswidths.HealsotaughtataSenior’sCenterwhereheintroducedHuicholarttothem.
MarioCastillo’s“RibbonInstallations”dealingwithvibrantHuicholstriatedcolorfrom1967-68
HuicholinfluencedstriationsofcoloraroundPeacemuralshapes
THEREALITYOFFLATHARD-EDGECOLORINHUICHOLARTThetwo-dimensionalflatnessfoundinsomeHuicholpaintingsissomethingthatMarioCastillowasattractedtobecauseofitspuritytoformanditsaffirmationofitsownreality.Whatdoesdidmean?Well,ifanartistisworkingonaflatplane,suchasawall,andtheypaintsomethingshowinga3-Dform,suchasasphere,thentheyarenotbeingtruetothesurfacetheyareworkingon.Thismeansthatthereisadisregardforthedimensionalrealityofthewall’ssurface.Thisgetsintocreatingtheillusionofsomethingthatwarpstherealityofthewall.Howeveriftheartworkisdonewithflathardedgecolors,theartistisbeingtruetothemediuminallrespects.Thereisnodenyingthatthewall’ssurfaceisflatandthattheartworkrecognizesthisanditexistsalsoinaparallel2Dworld.Asamatteroffact,Hard-EdgepaintingasanartmovementwasprevalentatthetimebutCastillo’sstimuluscamefromHuicholartandancientMesoamericancodices.19.
ThistypeofHard-EdgeflatcolorwasutilizedtoproducemostPre-Hispanicart,fromcodicestoceramicandtextiledesign.ItispreciselythisqualityofMesoamericanarttowhichCastillopaystributeinbothmurals:thePeace-Metafisicamural(1968)andtheWallofBrotherhood(1969).
HuicholUseofFlatHard-EdgeColor(copyright©bytheirrespectivephotographers;usedhereforeducation)
ThePeaceMural’sUseofFlatHard-EdgeShapesFollowingHuicholPrinciples
ALIBERATINGAESTHETIC
Tosummarizethishistoricalmuralistorecognizethatthiswasaworkofartthatreactedtothelivingmomentofthe“Now”.Thisabstractedchronicleofthetimesreflectedthe1960’stowardstheendofthedecade.Artthatresultsasaneffectofcurrentstimulifromagiventimeline,inwhichitiscreated,carriesthetrademarkofthatperiod.MarioCastillodidnotwanttostampthewallwithhistoricalfiguresfromhisMexicanheritage.Instead,hewantedthemural’simagetobehistoricinitselfwhilestillshowcasinghisMexicancultureinanewform.Evenhismethodology(usingyouthasapaintingteam)forcreatingthePeacemuralmadehistory.
CastillodesignedthismuralwhilehewasastudentattheSchooloftheArtInstituteofChicago.Inthosedays,studentsinAmericanartschoolswerenotallowedtoworkwiththeirethnicity.Thatwasastandardtabooandacomplete“no-no”.WiththePeace(Metafisica)mural,Castillofeltliberatedfromacademicconstraintstodowhateverhesodesired.Buthealsodidnotwanttofallinlineanddoanotherofthesomany“traditional”muralsthathadbeenpaintedinthepast.Hepurposelychosenottodoany“Renaissance”realismthatwouldpaytributetoEuropeanart.MarioCastillowasadamantaboutthisandinsteadwantedtohonortheoriginalAmericanpeoples.
So,indesigningthePeacemural,MarioCastillowasconsciouslyawarethattheselandshadbelongedtotheNativeAmericansandhadnosecondthoughtsabouttheaestheticfoundationhewoulduseasastructureforplacingtheabstractsymbolismofthemural;thishadtooriginatefromNativeAmericanart.Essentially,thiswastheconceptualspringboardheusedtodepartfromtheprevailingacademicartstandardsofthattime.Inaddition,heusedthemuralasaplatformforaddressingidentity.MarioCastillowantedtoembedanessenceofMexicanesswithinthemuralwhileatthesametimeusingthisframeworkforinclusionsofmulticulturalmanifestations.
THE1960’sCULTURALREVOLUTION
Sortoflikepuzzlepiecescreatinganimage,thecollectiveprismaticgeometryofthemuralwassuchthatitcreatedamultifacetedunifiedwhole.Thiswasapictorialnarrativethatcameaboutwithintheculturalcontextofthe1960’s.ItwasinkeepingwiththegreatculturalchangeAmericawasgoingthroughfor“thetimesweredrasticallychanging”orso,theprophetofthatgeneration,BobDylan,warnedtheworldinhissong,TheTimesTheyAreA-Changin'-releasedin1964. 20.
Thedecadeofthe60’swasatimeimmersedinaculturalrevolutionunlikenoother,thistransformationwaslinkedtothemusicyoungpeoplewerecreatingandlisteningto.SomeofthismusichadastrongsocialpurposeandmotivatedAmericanyouthtocontemplatetheirexistenceandgavethemapurposeinlifeandareasonforbeing.Allofthisbecamepartofthebasethatlaunched(togetherwithotherfields)theneweraofglobalizationinthe1970’s.
THECULTURALMEDIUMINTHEATMOSPHERE&AMURALFORTHEGLOBALVILLAGETheBeatles’travelstoIndiabroughtusinconnectionwithRaviShankar,India’ssitarvirtuoso.ActuallyGeorgeHarrisontookclassesfromhimandintroducedtheinstrumentinthe1965RubberSoulalbum’ssong"NorwegianWood(ThisBirdHasFlown)".Afterthisrelease,Castillo,aswellasthousandsofothermusiclovers,startedtocollect,Shankar’salbums.MarioCastillowouldactuallycrosspathswithRaviShankarwhenhebecameaprofessorintheEthnographicMusicDepartmentatCalArtswhileCastillowasdoinghisgraduatestudythere.ShankarwouldofferfreeconcertsduringthelunchhourintheMainGallerywhileeveryoneenjoyedhismesmerizingmusic.Sointhemid-60’s,thesemusicalforeigninfluenceswereintroducedintotheBeatles’music.Itwasthispopularculturefilteredthroughtheirnewsoundthatbegantocreateawarenessforotherformsofworldmusic.TheBeatles’incorporationintotheirsongsofothermusicaltendenciesaffectedpeople’stoleranceandappreciationforothercultures,thuscreatingapathtowardsaformofglobalculturalintegration.OthergroupsweredoingthesamethingbutthisBritishbandwasthemostinfluentialinplantingtheseedforcross-culturalizationthatbegantoflourishastheirinfluencespreadbeyondmusicintothediversifiedspectrumofhumanexperience.Imaginethis:Itiscurioustonotethattheoccurrenceofthisnewphenomenaseemedtobesandwichedin-betweenthelayersoftheEarth’satmosphere.Whilethese“goodvibrations”ofsoundwavelengthswereactivatingthebottomlayersoftheatmosphere,theupperlayersweredominatedbysatellitessendingtheirelectromagneticwavetransmissionstoEarth.Soundfrequencies,throughtheirvibratorynature,tendtoinfluencematterandalteritsbehavior.Indeed,itisscientificallyproventhatsoundhasaneffectonphysicalmaterialsandlivingorganisms.Peoplecreatesoundwavesandinturnsoundwavesinfluencepeople.Letusassumewhatthisimplies;perhapstheCulturalRevolutionwasaresultofourbeingimmersedinanoceanofwavelengths,whichsurroundedtheplanetasasecondtypeofatmospheremade-upofaudiblefrequencies.Letusspeculatethatallofthesediversifiedwaveformssandwichedwithinouratmosphereproducedapropermediuminwhichthenewglobalizedculturecouldgrow.MarioCastilloconsidersthatthispropositioncouldbeapossibilitysincesoundfrequenciesdohaveaninfluenceonmatter.Soitisinterestingtocontemplatethehypothesisthatpeoplecreatedasynergisticexchangeofenergywherethenewmusiccombinedwiththesatellitetransmissionsandradiowavesthatmankindcreatedsucceededinengulfingandchangingpeople’slives.Thisproceededtoevolvethemediuminwhichthemessagewasbeinggerminatedtoonceagainhaveaneffecton“massaging”thehumansensorium.Lastly,considerthis;asaresultofwhatwashappeningintheairspace,sandwichedwithinouratmosphere,theEarthstartedtobecomeamulti-nationalpueblo(insoundwavesfirst;yes,firsttherewasthesound)thathadnootheralternativebuttoproducetheriseofMarshallMcLuhan’s“globalvillage”.WecouldsaythatMarioCastillo’sPeace(Metafisica)muralwasthefirstmuralfortheageofthe“globalvillage”whichMcLuhan’sbook“UnderstandingMedia”(1964)popularizedinthatdecade.Eventhoughthemuralusedinfluencesfrompastcultures,itresultedinafinalcreationthatwasadesignforthecontemporaneoustimeforitrenewedandbroughttogethermodernandpastideasintothepresentmoment.Itsmessagewasaboutthepast,present,andfuture,fusedalltogetherintotheNow.Thecolorfulvisualodeofidiomsembodiedonthewallsangtopassersbytheirencodedmessagesuntilthemuralfadedintothepagesofhistory. 21.
THEPEACEMURALWASFIRSTINSEVERALWAYSPriortothis,everyoneseemedsufficientlyhappytoknowjustthebasicinformation.Inactualitythismuralwashistoricalinseveralways:
ForthenewPublicArtMovementofthe1960’s,thePeacemuralwasthefirstinthefollowing:
1stLatinomural1sttoestablishaprototypeforusingstudentstopaintamural1stanti-VietnamWarmural1sttopayhomagetoNativeAmericancultures1stAbstractArtmuralor1stGeometricalMural(assomecriticshavecalledit)1stSymbolistmural1stSyncretismmural1sttodealwith“FlowerPower”andtheHippiemovement1sttopaytributetoHuicholandMesoamericanart1stMetaphysicalmural1stUrbanArtMural1sttoblendHighArtwithpeople’sart1sttomakeuseofDadaandFluxusPrinciples1sttorejectRenaissanceperspectiveandWesternArt’sacademicwaysofmodelingrealisticforms1sttouse2DDesignasanover-allunifiertobringthewholemuraltogetherintoonecomposition
AfterthePeace(Metafisica)muralwasfinished,Castillowasaskedonceinawhilefortherightstoprintthemural’sphoto,butneverwasheaskedaboutthemeaningofthemural.Hefeltobligatedtotellitsstorywhenarthistorian,Dr.OlgaU.Herrera,askedhimforitsuseinalessonplanforhighschoolstudents.Dr.HerreraisdirectoroftheWashingtonOfficeoftheInter-UniversityProgramforLatinoResearch(IUPLR,Washington,D.C.office)andtogetherwithMelissaA.Carrillo,DirectorofNewMediaandTechnologyattheSmithsonianLatinoCentertheyareworkingonaprojectofhistoricalproportionstobringthehistoryofLatinoArtintotheclassroomthroughanonlineimmersiveeducationinitiative,theSmithsonianLatinoVirtualMuseum’sChicagoArtNowGallery.WhenDr.HerreraaskedfortherightstousethePeacemural,MarioCastillorepliedfavorably,buthethoughtthatifalessonplanwasgoingtobedonefromit,thatthepersondoingsoshouldhaveaccesstothesignificanceofthemural’ssymbology.SothispromptedtheneedtohaveadocumentexplaininghowideascameaboutforcreatingthePeacemuralandthemeaningbehinditsiconography.Withthisinmind,MarioCastillowouldliketothankDr.Herreraforcreatingthedemandforthestorybehindthemuraltofinallybetold,amanuscriptthatcouldhaveeasilybeenlostforever.22.
FiftyIdeasforPossibleArtProjectstobedonebyStudentsBasedonPeace(Metafisica)Mural:
1. AleatoricArt:Fromascribbleorrandommarkingscreateanartpiece2. PareidoliaArt:Createasubliminalfaceorfigureoveraphotofromnatureoryourartwork3. PaisleyArt:DesignyourownPaisleysandcreateapatternoranartpiecewiththem4. God’sEyes:UsebrightcoloryarntomakeanOjodeDios5. CreateaDesigner’sacronymoraninitialismwithanywordsornamesyouchoose6. Doaselfiedoingaone-minute(orless)sculpture(becareful,donotdoanythingdangerous)7. Illustratesomethingmetaphysical8. CreateaPopArtcollagethatreflectsthe“NowMoment”9. Createasurrealphotomontage10. Createashapethatistheabstractedessenceofsomething11. Doanartpieceondeforestation(youmayincludetextinit)12. Designaposteronahistoricalwaranduseboldandcontrastingcolors13. DoaworkthatisinfluencedbyaNativeAmericanculture14. DoaphotomontagewithHippieFashionsorcreatearealorsimulatedtie-dyepattern15. Doanartpiecethatresultsfromlisteningtoamusicalpiecewhileyoudraw/paintsimultaneously16. DoaRorschachinkblotworkandthenenhanceitbeyonditsoriginalstate17. CreateatotallyAbstractArtpiece(non-objective)andcreateamoodwiththecolorsused18. DoaworkthatresultsfromthestudyofanyFolkArt19. ReporttotheclassonthebenefitsofYogaordoartrelatedtoit20. Doagraphicartpiececombiningatleastthreesymbols21. DoadrawingthatshowstheessenceoftheNativeAmericans’Animismbeliefs22. DoacollageonanimportantPopSongthatreflectsthetimewhenitwascomposed23. Doapieceonanynewastronomicaldiscovery;themacroworld(usingacoolcolorscheme)24. DoapieceontheMicroworld;micro-organisms(usingawarmcolorscheme)25. Doapiecewhereshadowsarethemainsubject26. Designasite-specificworkofart27. Createashortvisualfilmforacertainarrangementofmusicalnotes28. Doagridcollagewithacertainthemewithatleastninefish-eyelensimages29. Designyournamewithimagesorsymbolsarounditwithaselectedcolorscheme30. DoacontemporarysceneandcoloritasaHuicholpaintingusingstriatedbrightcolors31. Doa“HorrorVacui”denselypopulatedworkusingearthtones:usebrighthuestohighlight32. Studythemeaningofcolorsanddoasymbolicpieceinwhichthecolorstellthestory33. Doanartpiecereflectingtheethnic/culturalheritageofoneofyourancestors34. Researchsymbolsfromyourancestry,abstractthemintoadesignandusehardedgeflatcolor35. CreateasurpriseDadapiecewithinaboxthatopensandcloses36. Byyourselforwithagroupofotherstudents,designamuralforyourschool37. DesignaNorthwestCoastTotemPolewithtoday’simages38. Doapieceonthecyclicnatureoflifeintheforest/jungleandshowhowspeciesareinterconnected39. CreateaposteronastudyofaGeorgiaO’Keeffeflowerandrelateitto“FlowerPower”40. Doanartpiecethatismulticulturalandshowsdiversity41. CreateaYinYangdesign;depicttwooppositesinsideeachhalf.YinisnegativeandYangispositive42. Createamandalawithgeometricandorganicpropertiesusingcomplementarycolors43. Meditation:Doashortcontemplationexerciseonafavoritesubjectanddrawtheresultsfromit44. ResearchMarcelDuchamp’sreadymades:Findanobjectandturnitintoanartpiece45. Doanartpiecethatcombinesagrowing/sproutingplantcombinedwithmusicalsymbols46. Designatriptych(3areas)piecethatmakesuseofananalogytoaconcertowiththreemovements47. Doadiptych(twopanels)usingthephilosophicalnatureofoppositesintheYinYang48. CreateanartworkbasedononecardfromtheMexicanLoteriagame49. Usingtheiconographyfromplayingcards,doaPopArtpiecewiththem50. TheLadybughasaspecialmeaning.Findaculturalmeaningforaninsect(Ants,Beetles,Bees,
Butterflies,Crickets,Dragonflies,Grasshoppers...etc.)anddoanartworkwiththat.
Theseideascanbecombined.Youcandothreeinone:i.e.microandmacroinsidetheYinYang.
23.
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