Comparing and Evaluating Two S.F. Murals
People throughout time have always expressed their struggles through art. I’ve lived in San Francisco’s Mission district for most of my life and have always been fascinated with the murals in Balmy alley. “Victorion; Protector of the Mission” by Sirron Norris and “Naya Bihana
(New Dawn)” by Martin Traverns both have political messages, but the messages are expressed in 2 different art forms. Although “Victorion” conveys a positive message and a really amazing cartoon style, I favor the social realistic mural “Naya Bihana” because of the clear meaning expressed with the piece. It shows oppressed woman fighting for independence, whereas
“Victorion” is just too cartoony to take seriously.
“Victorion; Protector of the Mission” was done by Sirron Norris in 2001. The mural is located in Balmy alley in San Francisco. The mural depicts a fantasy version of San Francisco, with a giant robot made of Victorian houses protecting small business owners from big dot com companies from taking over the neighborhood. Allison Sprague describes the robot as crushing the “hipsters,” cafés, and other businesses raising the cost of living in the Mission. There are many colorful, cartoon-like animals and people spread out throughout the city. Some of the figures are recognizable, which would really catch a child’s interest.
“Naya Bihana (New Dawn) is a social realistic mural created by Martin Traverns. It is also located in Balmy alley with a bigger canvas than “Victorion.” The mural setting is in Nepal with the Himalayan snow-covered mountains in the background. The art is has more realistic features with woman and children standing together protesting in a village in the center of the mural, an elderly woman holding her hand in a symbolic position, and women working in a field.
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There also is a woman holding a chain while another woman appears to be crying in the bottom right corner.
The visual styles of both murals are