Nora Patrich, Muralist: Murals are usually painted on walls, or attached to a wall. When you think of making a mural, you take a whole bunch of things in consideration. For instance, where it's going to be, the building, what kind of building it is, what kind of activity goes on in the building. A mural usually tells a story.
TITLE: Nora Patrich - MuralistTITLE: Murals
Voiceover: The art of muralism has existed for hundreds of years. In MesoAmerica, writing was reserved for the elite. Murals were used as a way to educate the masses. For instance, it is believed that the murals found at the site of Cacaxtla Mexico, were created for those who were outside the small privileged circle of the elite. Murals were intended for the public to see because they were so easy to understand.
Nora Patrich: Usually murals are there to empower people, so the other thing about muralism is that it's supposed to help people or stimulate people into thinking, into analysing, into knowing or wanting to know why.
Voiceover: Today, muralism is still an important form of communication. Murals are found in schools, such as Simon Fraser University, and public buildings. Murals are also found in the streets of popular neighbourhoods. People use murals as instruments to communicate an idea, a struggle or the history of their community to a greater audience.
Nora Patrich: Muralism has always been a part of the culture. In Latin America, especially in Mexico, during the Mexican revolution, because the government understood the importance of supporting muralism, there was a big big development.
Voiceover: The use of bright colours in murals has been common in Mexico for hundreds of years. Bright colours were meant to illustrate the power, energy and animation the mural was trying to convey. The colours in the murals at Cacaxtla are believed to have been used to attract and capture the viewer's eye and allow the information to flow from the artist to the intended audience. The Cacaxtla artists who painted the murals used white, black, red and blue to colour their images.
Nora Patrich: The interesting thing about murals is that once that they're painted and they're paid for, then they're there for the people to enjoy, so it's the most? it's the way of art, that has more contact with the community, with the people.
Voiceover: Murals are full of historical, political and social content that are meant to communicate the struggle of various peoples throughout the centuries.
Nora Patrich: My concept of art is that, the way I paint, at least, and it's important more so in a mural, is that if you can say something, let's say, let's take it to writing, if you can say something with twenty words, it's good, but if you can say the same thing, with ten words, instead of using twenty, you're going to gain strength, and you're going to reach people much easier. So with murals it's the same thing, you know, I take all the adornments and little things that are not essential out, and when people see it, they just have to, PLUM! See it! And they get it! They don't, you know, it's because sometimes like I was saying before, it's just you're passing by, you see it, and you take the image with you.