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
Aguideforschoolteacherstouseasastimulusforcreatingartprojectsfortheirstudentswithideas
thatcanbecombinedwitheachothertocreatedifferentprojectsorvariationsonatheme.Teachers
areinvitedtocreatetheirownlessonplansbasedontheseortheirownideasderivedfromMario
Castillo’sPeacemural.
1.
DECODINGTHEPEACEMURAL(AKAMetafisica)
ItsPopular,Multicultural,andUniversalImplicationsareFinallyRevealed
GentrificationdestroyedthePeace(Metafisica)muralcreatedbyMarioCastilloin1968.Firstthey
cutadoorandwindowsthroughitswallin1988.Then,afewyearslater,theysandblastedthe
wholething.ThisactistiedtotheAmericantraitofdestroyingtheoldtomakeroomforthenew.
Withallcertainty,whennew,thismuralwasnotaboutcreatingan“artforthesakeofart”workof
artoraboutcreatinga“prettypicture”todecoratesomewall.Althoughthismuralwassomewhat
revolutionaryinsomerespects,itdefinitelywasnotaboutglorifyingtheheroesoftheMexican
RevolutionbypaintingtheirportraitsalloverthewallashundredsofMexicanmuralshaddoneso
sincethe1920’s.Instead,itssuiteofabstractedimagesformedanall-embracingtestimonialabout
thehumanconditionofthetimes.Withitssymboliccontent,thePeacemuralwasaworkthat
summarizedinonepictorialstatementtheglobalstateofaffairsattheendofthedecadeof1960’s.
Althoughthismuralwasaproductofthe“Now”,noonehadtakenthetimetoaskCastillothe
meaningbehindallthesymbols.Mostofthissymbolismwassoesotericthatitwasnevertotally
revealed,untilnow.Movingbeyondaddressingonlytheconcernsandissuesofasubculture,the
Peacemuralwasdesignedtobemoreuniversalinscope.OftheNewPublicArtmurals,thismural
presenteditselfasbeingthefirsttodealwithsyncretism.Forthis,Castillocreditshisexperience
withthemulticulturalnatureofChicago,oneoftheworld’smostcosmopolitancities.
Tobeginwith,therewerethreemajorculturalproclamationsmadebythiswork.Itwas;anethnic
statementaboutempoweringMexicanRoots,aprotestagainsttheVietnamWar,andareflectionof
theHippieculture.ThePeace(Metafisica)muralwasanexampleoftheculturalfusionthatbrought
aboutthenewagemovementthatgaveustheAgeofAquariuswhichwasinitiatedinthe1960’sby
theHippie’sculturalrevolution.Hence,itsiconographyformsasynthesisbetweenPsychology,New
Art,NativeAmericanculture,Huicholculture,EnvironmentalInteractiveArt,AbstractArt,Science,
Animism,PopCulture,Mysticism,Activism,FolkArt,Hinduism,andSymbolism,bringingthemall
togetherintoamuralthatwaspackedwithsymbols.ItalsoincorporatedtheDadaprincipleof
chanceoraleatorypractices.Thusthemuralbecameamulticulturalamalgamationofdiverseideas.
Althoughmostofthesymbolsinthemuralwerespecific,theywerealsoopentointerpretation,
especiallyastoanynewpossiblemeanings,otherwisenotintended;i.e.whentwoseparateimages
existedsidebysideandtheviewerbroughtthemtogethertoformanewconceptintheirmind.
1.Aftergoingthroughvariousoptions,thisbecametheoriginaldesign.Evenso,theleftsideshapes
didnotconnectaswellasrightsidegroupandeventuallyMarioCastillomadeachangeattheend.
2.ThedesignbelowbecamethefinaldesignofthemuralwhenCastilloatthelastminutechoseto
extendthethreelinearshapesonthelefttoflowintothecentralcomplexforthesakeofunity.
2.
THEMUSICCONNECTION
Duringhisdevelopingyears,MarioCastilloconsideredanarrangementofcolorsasvisualmusic.He
believedthatjustasamusiccomposerarrangesmusicalnotestocreateamusiccompositionsotoo,
theartistcoulddothesamewithcolor.ThusCastillocametoregardcolorsasmusicalnoteswith
whichtocreateharmoniousvisualcompositionsonpaper,canvas,orwalls.
Around1967Castillowasintriguedwiththeideaofcreatingmusicfromgraphicshapes.Hestarted
toresearchthisandcreatedhisearlyexperimentsattheSchooloftheArtInstituteofChicago.These
initialtrialsconsistedofusing16mmblackfilmleaderandscratchingouttheblackemulsiononthe
sidewherethenormalsoundtrackwouldbe.Todothis,heworkedwiththe“variablearea”
techniqueforproducingsoundinfilms,asopposedtothevariabledensity.
ThiswastediousworksinceheusedanX-Actoknifetoremovetheblackemulsionfromtheclear
acetate.Thesetiny“design”shapeshadtobesymmetricalaninastraightlinerunningparallelto
theedgeofthefilm.Needlesstosay,thiswasquiteatask,butafterachievingafewinchesofwork,
Castillowouldcutthefilmleaderandmakealoopoutofit.Then,tohearthesoundbeingcreatedby
hismarkingsonthefilm,hewouldrunitthroughafilmprojectorandhearitsanalogsound.
Later,around1971,hedesignedtheCORS,CastilloOpticalReaderSynthesizer,andnowhewasable
tousethewholewidthofthefilmtorunor“play”throughontheCORS.Withthishewasnotonly
abletousevariablearea,butalsovariabledensity,whichmeantthatnowcolorshadaneffectonthe
productionofthesound.Hereceiveda1972AmericanFilmInstitutegranttoproducehisfirstfilm,
AnimatedSoundtrack.Belowarethreetest-stripsdoneforthisexperimentalfilm.
Sincemusicandcolorarepartofthespectrumofphysicalvibrations,theyhavebeenrelatedtoeach
othersincethetimebeforeAristotle.Throughtheyears,especiallyduringthe19thcentury,there
havebeenmanynewdevices,whichhavedealtwithproducingcolorfromsounds.Inhis
experiments,MarioCastilloreversedthissothathetriedtoproducesoundfromcolors.Thiswas
whatCastillowasgoingfor,buthehadtostophissearchwithonlyhavingproducedtheAFIfilm.
Toseesomeofthehistoricalmusicalinstrumentsrelatedtomusic,light,andcolorgoto:
http://www.matchtoneapp.com/images/instrumentstoperformcolor.pdf
Youmayalsofindmoreinformationonthesubjectat:
http://rhythmiclight.com/
ThePeacemuralwasaffectedbythisconcern,forhesawthismuralasamusicalcomposition.
Anotherwayhethoughtofthismuralcompositionwasasasinglenotefluctuatingthroughpictorial
space.Inmusic,anotehaswhatiscalledanenvelopeshownasagraph(leftsidebelow).
©Bymaking-music.comCastillowantedtoconceivehisdesignasacompositioninanenvelope.
3.
THEMURAL’SCOMPOSITIONASASOUNDENVELOPE(Continued)
Doingthiswouldhaveallowedhimtosuggestalargedeadbodycausedbythewar:
ButMarioCastillowantedhisdesigntobe“up-lifting”sinceitwasnotjustaboutthewarandsohe
chosetocreateanewreferencetothe“musicalnoteenvelope”wherethereleasepointedtowards
thefirmament.
InCastillo’smind,themuralbecametheimageofagrowingplantbecauseithadboth,therightside
andleftsideofthemuralpointingupwardwhilethecenterseemedtotake“root”intheground.
Thiseffectwasafavorablethingtohavebecausenowthenegativitycontainedinsomeofthe
mural’ssymbolspresenteditselfinacompositionthatconveyedanover-allmessageofhope.
Atthistime,Castillowaslisteningtoclassicalmusic,especiallytoconcertosbyMozart,Vivaldi,and
Beethoven.MarioCastillowantedtotreatthePeacemuralasacolor“concerto”withthreeparts.In
Castillo’smind,eachpartwasamovement.Castillounderstoodtheimportanceofthenumberthree
andsoheusedthisconcepttocreateananalogytothethreemovementsinaconcerto.
Thefirstmovementstartedwithboldcolorsandabigbang,becausethiswasthesectionthepublic
sawfirstfromthestreet.Thentherewasthemiddlesection,whichwasintricateinnatureandhada
spiralingvisualmovementthatcoiledintothecentralcircle.Finallythelastmovementtaperedoff
andcametotheendataspecificspotthatseemedtopointupwardstowardsthesky.Themewise,
asstatedbefore,therewerethreegeneralsubjects;thetributetotheMexican&NativeAmerican
cultures,thevisualprotesttotheVietnamwar,andtheinfluenceoftheHippiemovementin
America.Sooriginallythemuralhadthreeareasor“movements”asseenbelow.
Thenwhenthedesignchangedattheend,thethreeareascametobeasshowninnextimage.Inthis
finalcomposition,eachmovementwasseparatedbyasmallquietspaceoutlinedincyan(below)
showingaseriesofsomewhatparallellinesbetweenthethreesections.
4.
SOMEOFTHEOVER-ALLSHAPESHADMEANINGASWELL
Thisimagebelowistheinitialsectionofthemural(asseenfromthestreet)showingtheexplosive
colorofthe“bigbang”mentionedbefore,butalsoliterally,thegraphicofabomb’sexplosion.
THEQUETZALCOATLPRESENCE(TheFeatheredSerpent)andtheKUNDALINI
Castillo’soriginalmuralconceptwastohaveitsleftsiderepresentthefeatheredserpentbyonly
showingtheupperpartofthehead.Thenheconnectedthe“neckpart”totherestofthemural.
InthecaseofQuetzalcoatl’shead,thePeacemuralmadeuseofpareidolia.Pareidoliaoccurswhen
themindhasthepsychologicaltendencytoseeanimagewithinagivenpattern.Itislikethedouble
visionthatisrequiredintheRorschachinkblottestsorwhenoneseesafaceonacloud.
Therepresentationofthesnake’steethisapparent,buttheteethshapedunitsonallthreelinear
shapesinthecoloreddesignalsostandforthescalesofthesnake’sbody.Inaddition,sincethisisa
featheredserpent,theyalsorepresentshortfeathers.Wheneverhecould,Castilloeconomizedby
havingashapebethreethingsasshownhere;Quetzalcoatl’steeth,snakescales,andfeathers.
5.
Asmentionedbefore,inMesoamerica,QuetzalcoatlisalsoknownastheFeatheredSerpent.Mario
Castilloassociatedthefeather(flying)serpenttoHinduism’sKundalini(thecoiledenergyserpent).
BelowisaworkbyCastillowiththisthemedepictingacoiledserpentcomingoutoftwo
Quetzalcoatlsatthebottom,thebaseofthepelvicbone,wheretheenergyserpentissupposedto
reside.Thenitisshowntravelingthroughthesevenchakras.TheKundaliniisalsorelatedtoYoga.
THENATIVEAMERICANINFLUENCE
Oneofthemaininfluencesfortheover-alldesignofthismuralwastheNorthwestCoastculture
fromthestatesofWashingtonandOregon.Examplesoftheirartareshownbelow.
Imagescopyrighted©bytheirrespectivedesigners:usedhereforeducationalpurposesonly.
THEMODERNARTCONNECTION
Onpage18and19thereareothermodernartnotations:CastilloreferencesDadaandDuchamp.
Nextistheeyeofthefeatheredserpentasanexplosivebigbangdepictedinacomicbookstyle.Itis
alsoreminiscentofWassilyKandinsky,thefamousRussianartistwhoisconsideredtobethefather
ofAbstractArt.Butmoreimportantthanallofthisisthefactthatitsymbolizestheexplosiveforce
ofthebombsthatwerebeingdroppedinVietnamatthattime.Thebandsofcolorsymbolizing
smokesurroundingtheexplosionaredoneinthestyleofTheFauvesor“WildBeasts”,likethe
6.
paintingsofHenriMatisseorAndréDerain,twoofthebest-knownFauvistartists.Thesmallbandof
colortotheleftofthisalsodepictssmokerisingwithdustparticlesandpocketsofAgentOrange.
Becauseofitsdiversifiedcontent,thiswasthe60’sfirstPublicArtMovement’sUrbanArtmural.
THEPAISLEYANDTHEYINYANG
ThepaisleyisanancientPersiandesignmadeverypopularinIndiaandeventuallytraveledto
EuropeandAmerica.Itisasymbolforfecundity,proliferation,andwealth.Itactuallyseemstobe
justlikethehalvesoftheChineseYinandYangsymbol.ThisTaoistsymbolalsocalledTaijitustands
foralldualitiesinlifeandtheirmutualinterdependenceoneachother.Theyareprobablyrelated.It
wouldbemostinterestingtofindoutwhichcamefirst,butthisinformationisprobablylostin
antiquity.Inthe1960’s,theBeatlesandtheHippiesresurrectedthepaisleyintothemodernworld.
Paisleydesignsonmural“FunkyPaisley”©FineDezineTheYin-YangSymbol
7.
THEPEACESYMBOLANDCENTRALSECTION
8.
THETRUNCATEDTREETRUNKSANDTHEPAREIDOLICCREATURE
Thetwodarkershapesbelow,justtotherightofthecenter,symbolizeddeforestation.They
depicteddeadandtruncatedtreetrunks.Totheirleftisafour-leggedanimalthatrepresentsthe
Earth’screaturesbeinginjuredbythedestructionoftheforests.Onpage8,Castilloalsomentions
theHuicholinfluencedpareidolicallyrecognizedcreatureabovethecentralcirclewithasecond
meaning.Consequentlyitshowsacreaturelyingdownonadevastatedforestground.Bytheendof
the1950’s,thisscenariowashappeningdowninBrazil.
Brazil’snewcapitalcity,Brasiliaisoneoftheworld’sultra-moderncities.Itwasonlyeightyearsold
in1968whenitwasbuiltintherainforest.BeforeBrazil’scapitalmovedfromRiodeJaneriotoits
newheadquartersintheAmazonjunglein1960,therewasandcontinuestobealotof
deforestation.TheAmazonjungleisconsideredthe“lungs”oftheplanetbecauseofitsenormous
size.ItsdenseandfertiletreeenvironmentislikeasupergiantoxygenfactoryfortheEarth.
Ithasbeenalarmingtoothernationshoweasilywearelosingtheone-of-a-kindhabitatofoneofthe
planet’smostuniqueanddiversifiedecologicalsystems.ThefoundingofBrasiliabrought
deforestationtounprecedentedlevelsandrightintotheconsciousnessoftheworldandsothis
themecameintothemuralastwo“dead”treetrunksymbols.However,theyalsorepresentedthe
burningofthejunglesofVietnamafterbeingbombed.Thisiswhythetrunkontheleftisshapedlike
aboomerang,tosymbolizethatallofthisdestructioncausedbymankindcouldpossiblyreturntous
withnegativeconsequences.TheplayingcardsymbolsalsopointedtotheVietnamWarasbeinga
“pokergame”wheretheloserpaiddearly,buttherealitywasthatbothpartiessuffered.
THEDYINGLEAF
Theshapesonthefarrightthatcongregateandpointtowardsthecirclerepresentedashatteredleaf
fromthetruncatedtree.Itisobviousthattherecouldhavebeenadesignofamore“realistic”leaf,
butMarioCastillowantedtokeeptheover-alldesignasabstractaspossibleandattimes,justhint
astotheidentityofthings.Hewantedthefeelingofaleaffeltandnotnecessarilyseen.Thisisin
keepingwiththesameeffectproducedbytheRomaniansculptor,ConstantinBrancusi’s“Birdin
Space”sculpture.Brancusi’ssculptureisaconceptualsuggestionthatyouhavetofeelinorderto
seeit,asisCastillo’sleaf.Thisconceptofessentialabstractionisalsoappliedtothefeatherserpent’s
headmentionedearlier.Thephenomenonofpareidoliaisalsousedhere.Theviewerisbeingasked
toseesomethingthatisnotthere,butisonlysuggestedinasubliminalway.Themuralmakesuseof
thisdoublevisionthroughout.
9.
Thisleafwasmeanttosymbolizethatthelifeofthetreehadbeenrippedfromitsterrainbymanmadedisasters.AsculptureofBrancusi’s“BirdinSpace”isshownafterthelastleafimagebelow.
THEDYINGCUTFRUITANDTHELIFELESSSUN
Anothersymbolofthisisthehalfellipticalshape(A)in-betweenthetwoupperbranchesofthe
truncatedtree.Thissignifiesacutfruitshowingthatthetreewillnolongerbearfruitafterits
habitathasbeendestroyed.Liketheleaf,thedyingfruitpointstothedangersofdeforestation.
A.B.C.D.
THETRUNCATEDSUNANDITSECLIPSEBYTHEEARTH
Thecentralcircle’soutermostringrepresentsthesun,whiletheinnercirclewiththepeacesymbol
representstheEarth(orMoonforeclipse).Normallythegraphiciconofthesunshowsits
emanatingraysendinginpoints(B).Thisshowsahealthylight,thereforeahealthySun.Butifthe
raysareinreverse(C),pointingtowardsthecirclewiththeirtipscutoff,thisdoesnotlooknormal
anditlosesitsidentityandmaybestartstolooklikeaflower.Theideahereisthattheraysofthe
sunstarttolooktruncatedandthisisinkeepingwiththetrimmednatureofthedeadtreetrunks.
Thatiswhythelegs’negativespacesoftheHuicholcreatureontopofgraycircle(D)alsodoubledas
cut-offsunrays.AlsothisimagehastheEarth/Mooneclipsingthesunandthiswasanothersignthat
thesun’slightwasbeingcut-off.Becauseofthewaranddeforestation,essentially,theEarthwas
goingthroughsome“gloomy”times.
10.
THEHUICHOLARTINFLUENCE
TheHuicholculture(alsoknownastheWixáritari)isfromcentralMexicoandisoneofthefew
peopleswhowereneverconqueredbytheSpaniardsbecausetheyliveinmountainousterrain.
Whentheyperformreligiousrituals,theyingestadesertplantthatcreatesinthemastateofaltered
realityandthisinducesthemtoseeeverythingaroundtheminterconnectedwithflowingenergyin
brightcolors.Throughtheseritualstheyconnectwithnatureanditsspiritssincetheybelievethat
allmatterhasspirits.Theirartworkrepresentsthesehighstatesofawarenessandsuggestsanother
worldofelectrifyingcolor.Theyalsocreatesculptures,whichtheycoverwithbrightlycolored
shakirabeads.MostoftheiryarnpaintingsdealwithAnimism.
Thisisanapproximationtothetruecolorofthemuralwhenitwaspainted.
ThePeacemuralwasinfluencedbytheHuichol’suseofcolor.Thecoloroftheimagebelowhasbeen
intensifiedtosimulatehowitwasintendedtoappear.Backinthe1960’stherewerenoexterior
paintsinsuperbrightcolors.TheHuicholesusealotofgradationsofvividcolorsthatgivetheirarta
magicallook.Thiswasthesaturatedlookthatthismuralwasattemptingtoachieve.
HUICHOLGOD’SEYES
Inthe1960’stheHuicholGod’sEyeswereverypopular.Theyaremadeoutofcolorfulyarn
wrappedaroundsticks.Now,childrenmaketheseatschoolusingvarioustypesofwoodensticks.
LosOjosdeDios(God’sEyes)havealsobeendesignedtolooklikeEasternMandalasusedfor
meditation.Themulti-coloredlinesdefiningtheeye’sdiamondarealsopresentinthemural.
(Copyrightsofthesesixphotosabove&below,belongtotheirrespectivephotographers)
11.
HUICHOLYARNPAINTINGS
Thesepaintingsmakeuseofveryintricatedesignsandarealsodonewithintensecolors.Allof
Huicholartdepictsdailylife,religion,andmythologyandtendstocreateafieldthatappearstobe
totallypopulatedbyfiguresandsymbols.Itseemstolackany“breathing”space.Thisiscalled
“HorrorVacui”,aLatintermwhichmeansbeingafraidofemptyspaces.Castillomakesuseofthis
conceptinsidetheshapeswhileatthesametimecreatingcontrastwiththeyellownegativespace.
THEMURAL’SFAR-RIGHTSIDE;ITSSYMBOLSANDTHEIRMEANING
Theright“branch”ofthetruncatedtreecontainsascorpionwithinacircle.Itisasymbolforoneof
Mexico’smostpicturesquestates,Durango.ManyAmericanWesternmovieswerefilmedwithinthe
absolutelybeautiful“western”scenesfoundinthisnorthernstate.Furthermorethesymbol
representstheScorpiusconstellation.Inthisway,theastrologicalsignofScorpiobringsinan
elementofmysticismintothemural.MarioCastillodoesnotrecalliftheyoungartistwhopainted
thiswasbornundertheastrologicalsignofScorpioorifhesimplywasborninDurango,orboth.
Nonetheless,thescorpionhasapopcultureconnection,foritisalsoaniconfoundinthe#40cardof
oneofthemostwellknownMexicangames,LaLoteria,Mexico’sequivalenttotheBingo.Butthis
imageisintriguingbecauseitisknownthatroostersandhenseatscorpionsandthislookslikethe
headofachickenwithapinkbeakthathashereyeonhernextmeal.
12.
THESCORPION(seetextonpreviouspage)LoteriaCard#40
THEMETAFISICASHAPE
Inthissomewhatofaquadrilateralrectangle,acontinuouswhitelinebeginstoformasadoodle,
andsoonafteritmanifestsitselfintothewordMetafisica(metaphysics).Asthewhitelinereveals
itselfasaword,itseemstoask,“Whatisthetruthaboutwhatmatterstothemind,theheart,and
ourbeingasweexperienceourphysicalandnon-physicalworld?”---Thenthewhitelinebecomesa
doodleagainthattransformsitselfintoanabstractformofthemapofMexico.Thisseemstoimply
thatMexicoisa“magical”place.Inactuality,Mexicohasaprogramthatassignstownsa“Pueblo
Magico”statusifthetownfeelsmagicaltovisitors.Manybeautifultownsaredesignated“Magical”.
ThewordMetafisicahastworowsofeyesonthetopandonthebottom.Theseeyescommunicate
anintelligentpresencethatisobservingthepassageoftimeandallthingswithinit.Sinceancient
times,theyrepresentafocusedvisionthatperceivesallmovementswithkeenawareness.
Besidesbeingsymbolsofvisionarysighttowardstheoutsideworld,theyalsostandas
representationsoftheinnerworldofthespirit.Thatiswhytheyarecalled“windowstothesoul”.
Theyremindusofthe“all-seeing”eyeontopofthepyramidinthedollarbill.
13.
THEMETAFISICASHAPEandTHEALL-SEEINGEYES
Theeyesaremajorpartsofoursensorysystem,sincetheyplayanimportantroleinhelpingus
knowmoreaboutourselves,ouridentity,andourenvironment.Throughthemweseethecauseand
effectofalleventsaroundus.Theyhelpusbewhoweareandgivemeaningtoourexistence.
Combinedwith“metaphysics”,theeyesguideusinunderstandingtheessenceofthefundamental
principlesofourreality.Theyarethemajorreasonastowhyourrealitybecomesrealtous.But
then,weallcometounderstandthatoureyescanfooluslikewhenweseeamirageorsomekindof
“magical”illusion.Thatiswhywehavetolookbeyondthesurfaceandalsounderstandthetruth
underneaththesuperficialworld.
BesidesthemysticalallusionsexpressedintheeyesoftheMetafisicacartouche,theyalsorefertoa
darkhigh-techworldcreatedinthefuturisticnovel,“1984”.Firstpublishedin1949,thebook
“1984”writtenbytheBritishauthorGeorgeOrwell,hasremainedpopulareversince.Columbia
Picturesreleasedafilmversionofthisscience-fictionnovelin1956andinthe1960’stheideaofan
oppressiveworlddominatedbytheinescapablecontrolofan“InnerParty”wasapopularthemein
America,especiallyafterAmericantroopslandedinVietnamin1965.Bynow,muchofthe
terminologyusedbyOrwellinhisnovel,hasbecomepartofouruniversalconsciousness.
Attheendofthe20thcentury,Orwell’simplicationsofanever–presentsurveillanceinafuture
dystopiansocietyhadstartedtoclaimitsterritoryinourcontemporaryurbanlandscape.Sincethe
DigitalRevolutionusheredintheInformationAge,weactuallyhavestartedtoliveunderthefisheyelensofBigBrother’scameras.
THEAMOEBA/SUPERNOVA
Theiconographyofthisshapeisprettysignificantsinceitcontainsasymbolicimagethatembodies
thewholeuniversebecauseitrepresentsthemacro(anexplodingsupernova)andthemicro(an
amoeba).SincethismuralisbasedonNativeAmericanaestheticprinciples,itmakesaconnectionto
thephilosophyoflifeoftheancientAmericans;thatnatureandtheuniverseareinterconnected.
Therefore,itispropertohaveasymbolthatrepresentalllifeinthecosmossoastomakeusaware
ofeverythingaroundus.Inthisway,we,asapeople,canstarttofigureouthowwefitinintothe
harmonyofnature.
14.
THESLENDERSHAPEWITHLETTERS“FLOATINGINAIR”
Thisslendercartoucheisencryptedwithfivecharactersblowinginthewind.Itmakesreferenceto
BobDylan’sprotestanthem“Blowin’intheWind”:“Theanswermyfriend,isblowin’inthewind,the
answerisblowin’inthewind”.
Fromlefttorightitcontainstheletter“C”,followedby“π”thesymbolforPi,thenletters“V,Y,and
S”.Itislikeanacronym,andinactuality,itisinitialisminSpanish.The“C”standsfor“Cielo”(Sky),
thesymbol“π”isjustitself“Pi”(Pi),theflying“V”is“Viento”(Wind),theflyingsideways“Y”isthe
Spanishword“y”(And),andthe“S”is“Sol”(Sun).SoinEnglishthisisreadsas“Sky,pi,wind,and
sun”,whichisamadeupphrasejustforthismuralthatreflectstheHippie’s“philosophyoflife”that
iswellencodedintheBeatles’song,“LucyintheSkywithDiamonds”.Thissonghadjustbeen
releasedin1967anditbecameanotheranthemfortheHippie’sculturalrevolution.
“Pie”,thepastry,inSpanishislikea“tarta”or“pastel”,butmanypeoplecallit“paei”,thephonetic
soundinSpanishoftheEnglishword“pie”.SothesymbolofPialsoreferstothepiesintheBeatles’
song,LucyintheSkywithDiamonds,“Whererockinghorsepeopleeatmarshmallowpies”.
Themathematicalconcept,Pi,ofcoursereferstothecircle,becauseofitsreferencetothediameter
ofacircleanditscircumference.Thiscombinedwiththecoloryellowofthebackgroundrefertothe
ancientgodofthesky,thesun.Thethreeshapesappeartobe“blowinginthewind”andfloat
towardstheconcentriccirclesonthefarright.Thiscircleisahopefulsymbolofpeace,security,and
protection.Blue,the“peacefulcolorofthesky”,encirclestheinnercirclesandtriestocalmdown
the“bloodshedcolorsoftheVietnamwar”withinit.
ENVIRONMENTALINTERACTIVEART:TheShadowFoundationinthePeaceMural
Inessence,allmuralsaresite-specificbecausetheyarepaintedonaparticularwallthatexists
withinacertainarchitecturalenvironment.Evenso,manymuralistsdonottakeadvantageofthe
factthattheycouldinteracttheirworktoagreaterlevelwiththeirenvironmentandinsomeform,
includetheviewersasparticipantsoractuallyhavetheenvironmentinteractwiththework.This
sectionshowsthemotivationalbasisbehindthereasoningformakinganaturalshadowbecomea
partofthemural.MarioCastillowantedtomakethisbeanenvironmentalinteractiveworkthat
dealtwithanimisticbeliefsofhowourancestorssawtheorganizationofthephysicaluniverse.
Since1967,MarioCastillowasinterestedinsite-specificartandenvironmentalart.Theproperties
forthisart-makingprocedurebecameofpreferenceinsomeofhisMinimalArtsculptures,which
clearlydemonstratedthisinclination.TheearlyenvironmentalartworksthatCastillocreatedback
thenneverhadadequatephotographicdocumentationandsomeofhisdrawingproposalswere
givenaway.Atthattime,hewasalsoinvolvedwithanotheraspectofPost-StudioArtorNewArt.
15.
THENEWELEMENT,THESHADOWPIECES,ANDONE-MINUTESCULPTURES
Thisnewelementwasinregardstothedurationoftheexistenceofthepiece.Sometimesthedesign
processthatcreatedtheworkcouldtakeoverahundredyearsandinitself,theprocessbecamean
ever-changingartpiece.Othersweremadetolastforthelifeofanewbuildingunderconstruction
ortheinfinitelifeofanactuallandscapeintheSonorandesert.Thenotherpieceswouldtakeless
thanaminutetocreate.Thesemomentarypiecesweredoneinthelate60’sandearly70’sand
involvedvariousmedia.Thisshort-livedInstantArtpiece(belowleft)isdealingwiththeephemeral
subjectofactualshadows.Itlastedforaboutoneminute,whilethephotowastaken.MarioCastillo
heldthethreewooddowelsupagainstthewallwhileHaroldAllentookthephoto.Theactualpiece
wasneverviewedbyanyone,exceptthephotographerandtheartistforitwasdisassembled
immediatelyaftercreation.
This,inessence,wasaone-minutesculpturedoneabout18yearsbeforeErwinWurmstartedtodo
hisone-minutepieces.Yes,itwouldhavebeenmorelikeWurm’sworkifCastillohadbeenshown
holdingthedowels.Butobviously,CastillowasdoinginstantephemeralMinimalArtsculpture
underthedictumof“lessismore”,sohavingsomeoneinthephotowouldhavebeentoomuch.
Thepaintingofglassesisoneofseveralpaintingswithanemphasisonshadowsdonearound196667.ItshowsCastillo’sconcernforusingthemasasubjectmatter. TheLinearShadowspieceabove
waspublishedaspartofSoniaSheridan’sSchooloftheArtInstituteofChicago’sproject,the
PortablePostcardExhibitin1969. Youmayseethisat:
https://www.facebook.com/Generative-Systems-Workshop-and-Archive-184066178298089/
Under:PortablePostcardExhibit–1969_March12,2011_Clickon“+30”imageandsearchforMarioCastillo’sOR
https://www.facebook.com/184066178298089/photos/a.187064061331634.38953.1840661782
98089/187064167998290/?type=3&theater(Thislastonetakesyoudirectlythere)
HerearethreeCastillosite-specificshadowpieces.Theconceptforthefirstoneisfrom1969,andthis10’highorange
pieceisarecreationofthisideadonein2004.Thelastonewasdonein1970.
16.
THESURREALSHADOWPIECE
MarioCastillo’s2004site-specificinstallationbelowdemonstrateshisconcernforshadows.Herehe
isdrawingextranon-existentshadowsonthewalltopointto“extra”invisiblelightsources.
Thiscornerpiecemixestheactualshadowswiththegraphiconesandturnsitintoaveryelusive
surrealisticwork.Itpromptsthequestionsof“Whicharemorereal,theephemeralshadowsorthe
onesdrawnonthewall?Arebothpartofthesameillusion?17.
ANIMISM,DADA,andSHADOWS(astheyrelatetothePeaceMural)
WhathasbeenstatedaboutshadowsinCastillo’sworkdisplayshisdeepinterestinthisintriguingsubject,
whichbecameanelementhiswork.AllofthisinformationaboutMarioCastillo’sshadowpiecesservesas
groundworkforthewaythePeacemuralwasinvolvedwithAnimism,anotherNativeAmericaninfluence.
ManyancientculturesbelievedinAnimismasawayoflife,especiallytheindigenouspeoplesoftheAmericas.
Forthem,allofnaturewasinterconnected.Tothem,allmatterintheuniversewasdependentoneachother
andanimatedbysomespiritualforce.MarioCastillo’smural“TheAncientMemoriesofMayahuel’sPeople
StillBreathe”attheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtinChicago,IL,isaworkthatdealswiththesamebelief
whereeverythinginnaturehasitsownAnimaorspirit.CastillowasawareofthisNativeAmericanprinciple
wellbeforethePeacemuralwaspainted.
“TheAncientMemoriesofMayahuel’sPeopleStillBreathe”
THEDADAPRINCIPLEOFCHANCEORALEATORYPRACTICES&FLUXUSNON-PERFORMANCE
WhenpaintingPeace,MarioCastilloobservedhowatreethatwasnexttothemuralcastitsshadowonit.He
noticedthetree’sshadowmovingacrossthemuralasthedaypassed.Itseemedtocaressit.Thetwodimensionaltreeshadowblurredthelinebetweenthe2Dpictorialrealityofthemuralandthephysical
realityofthetreeanditsbranches,thuscreatingmomentsofengagementwherethetwooverlappedand
appearedtocreateathirdrealitycausedbythesuperimpositionofthedarkshadowoverthemural’scolor.
Hethoughtthatduringthewintertimethebarebrancheswouldcreatesomehighlyinterestingshadowlines
thatwouldinteractwiththemuralandbecomeapartofit.KnowingthathewasnotgoingtobeinChicago
thatwinter,heaskedhisstepfather,HaroldAllentophotographthebranches’shadowsoverthemuralthat
winter.Castillowantedtohavearecordofthispassageoftimeandinteractionwiththeenvironment.The
resultingphotoisbelowontherightside:
Itwasbypureserendipitythatthisinteractionofnatureandartcameabout.Thetree’sshadow,especially
duringthewinter,madethemuralbeaninter-activepiecewithnatureandastrongersite-specificwork.In
Castillo’smind,thebarebrancheswereaperfectreflectionforthetruncatedtreeinthemuralforthey
seemedtoembracethefactthatthemuraladdresseddeforestation.Thisaspectofthemuralinsomeform
wasaFluxusperformanceorbetteryeta“non-performance”becausenoaudiencewasrequiredsincenature
performeditsactregardlessofone.Thetree’sshadowturnedthemuralintoLivingArt.
18.
ThiswasnotthefirsttimethatMarioCastilloincorporatedaleatoricelementsintohiswork.The
indeterminatenatureofamethodologyofchancehadbeenpresentinhisworkpreviously.Castillo
enjoyedexperimentationandthatiswhyhereliedinusingaspontaneous,liberating,andattimes
automaticapproachinthemakingofsomeofhisartworks.
MARCELDUCHAMP’SREADYMADES
Basically,thistypeofregardforusingnewanti-artideassuchasthe“brushingofatree’sshadow”
overapaintedmuralandcallingitartwasreflectiveoftheDadaArtMovement.TheDadaists
introducedproceduresthatwere“out-of-the-box”,rebelliousinnature,andhighlyexperimental.At
thistimeMarioCastillowasintoinvestigationalarttryingoutallkindsofthings.Thetreesortof
becameaDuchampianreadymadeor“foundobject”thatturnedouttobeintegratedintothemural
togivemeaningandlifetoitandpushthemural’sexistencebeyondthewallintotherealworld.In
themid60’s,CastillohadstartedtogetinvolvedwithBodyArtandInstallations.Helikedtheideaof
goingintoanexhibitingspaceandcreatinglargeinstantartpieceswithinashortperiodoftime.In
some,heusedbrightribbons.
HUICHOLCOLORSTRIATIONS
SopriortohispaintingthePeacemural,Castillowasmakinguseofstriatedsaturatedcoloredlines
tocreateinstallationsonwalls,betweenceilingsandfloors,andwalltowall.Thesewereinspiredby
Huicholart.Theyusedyarnfortheirartandtokeepmaterialssimilar,Castillousedribbonsof
variouswidths.HealsotaughtataSenior’sCenterwhereheintroducedHuicholarttothem.
MarioCastillo’s“RibbonInstallations”dealingwithvibrantHuicholstriatedcolorfrom1967-68
HuicholinfluencedstriationsofcoloraroundPeacemuralshapes
THEREALITYOFFLATHARD-EDGECOLORINHUICHOLART
Thetwo-dimensionalflatnessfoundinsomeHuicholpaintingsissomethingthatMarioCastillowas
attractedtobecauseofitspuritytoformanditsaffirmationofitsownreality.Whatdoesdidmean?
Well,ifanartistisworkingonaflatplane,suchasawall,andtheypaintsomethingshowinga3-D
form,suchasasphere,thentheyarenotbeingtruetothesurfacetheyareworkingon.Thismeans
thatthereisadisregardforthedimensionalrealityofthewall’ssurface.Thisgetsintocreatingthe
illusionofsomethingthatwarpstherealityofthewall.Howeveriftheartworkisdonewithflathard
edgecolors,theartistisbeingtruetothemediuminallrespects.Thereisnodenyingthatthewall’s
surfaceisflatandthattheartworkrecognizesthisanditexistsalsoinaparallel2Dworld.Asa
matteroffact,Hard-EdgepaintingasanartmovementwasprevalentatthetimebutCastillo’s
stimuluscamefromHuicholartandancientMesoamericancodices.19.
ThistypeofHard-EdgeflatcolorwasutilizedtoproducemostPre-Hispanicart,fromcodices
toceramicandtextiledesign.ItispreciselythisqualityofMesoamericanarttowhichCastillopays
tributeinbothmurals:thePeace-Metafisicamural(1968)andtheWallofBrotherhood(1969).
HuicholUseofFlatHard-EdgeColor(copyright©bytheirrespectivephotographers;usedhereforeducation)
ThePeaceMural’sUseofFlatHard-EdgeShapesFollowingHuicholPrinciples
ALIBERATINGAESTHETIC
Tosummarizethishistoricalmuralistorecognizethatthiswasaworkofartthatreactedtothe
livingmomentofthe“Now”.Thisabstractedchronicleofthetimesreflectedthe1960’stowardsthe
endofthedecade.Artthatresultsasaneffectofcurrentstimulifromagiventimeline,inwhichitis
created,carriesthetrademarkofthatperiod.MarioCastillodidnotwanttostampthewallwith
historicalfiguresfromhisMexicanheritage.Instead,hewantedthemural’simagetobehistoricin
itselfwhilestillshowcasinghisMexicancultureinanewform.Evenhismethodology(usingyouth
asapaintingteam)forcreatingthePeacemuralmadehistory.
CastillodesignedthismuralwhilehewasastudentattheSchooloftheArtInstituteofChicago.In
thosedays,studentsinAmericanartschoolswerenotallowedtoworkwiththeirethnicity.That
wasastandardtabooandacomplete“no-no”.WiththePeace(Metafisica)mural,Castillofelt
liberatedfromacademicconstraintstodowhateverhesodesired.Buthealsodidnotwanttofallin
lineanddoanotherofthesomany“traditional”muralsthathadbeenpaintedinthepast.He
purposelychosenottodoany“Renaissance”realismthatwouldpaytributetoEuropeanart.Mario
CastillowasadamantaboutthisandinsteadwantedtohonortheoriginalAmericanpeoples.
So,indesigningthePeacemural,MarioCastillowasconsciouslyawarethattheselandshad
belongedtotheNativeAmericansandhadnosecondthoughtsabouttheaestheticfoundationhe
woulduseasastructureforplacingtheabstractsymbolismofthemural;thishadtooriginatefrom
NativeAmericanart.Essentially,thiswastheconceptualspringboardheusedtodepartfromthe
prevailingacademicartstandardsofthattime.Inaddition,heusedthemuralasaplatformfor
addressingidentity.MarioCastillowantedtoembedanessenceofMexicanesswithinthemural
whileatthesametimeusingthisframeworkforinclusionsofmulticulturalmanifestations.
THE1960’sCULTURALREVOLUTION
Sortoflikepuzzlepiecescreatinganimage,thecollectiveprismaticgeometryofthemuralwassuch
thatitcreatedamultifacetedunifiedwhole.Thiswasapictorialnarrativethatcameaboutwithin
theculturalcontextofthe1960’s.ItwasinkeepingwiththegreatculturalchangeAmericawas
goingthroughfor“thetimesweredrasticallychanging”orso,theprophetofthatgeneration,Bob
Dylan,warnedtheworldinhissong,TheTimesTheyAreA-Changin'-releasedin1964.
20.
Thedecadeofthe60’swasatimeimmersedinaculturalrevolutionunlikenoother,this
transformationwaslinkedtothemusicyoungpeoplewerecreatingandlisteningto.Someofthis
musichadastrongsocialpurposeandmotivatedAmericanyouthtocontemplatetheirexistence
andgavethemapurposeinlifeandareasonforbeing.Allofthisbecamepartofthebasethat
launched(togetherwithotherfields)theneweraofglobalizationinthe1970’s.
THECULTURALMEDIUMINTHEATMOSPHERE&AMURALFORTHEGLOBALVILLAGE
TheBeatles’travelstoIndiabroughtusinconnectionwithRaviShankar,India’ssitarvirtuoso.Actually
GeorgeHarrisontookclassesfromhimandintroducedtheinstrumentinthe1965RubberSoulalbum’ssong
"NorwegianWood(ThisBirdHasFlown)".Afterthisrelease,Castillo,aswellasthousandsofothermusic
lovers,startedtocollect,Shankar’salbums.MarioCastillowouldactuallycrosspathswithRaviShankarwhen
hebecameaprofessorintheEthnographicMusicDepartmentatCalArtswhileCastillowasdoinghis
graduatestudythere.ShankarwouldofferfreeconcertsduringthelunchhourintheMainGallerywhile
everyoneenjoyedhismesmerizingmusic.
Sointhemid-60’s,thesemusicalforeigninfluenceswereintroducedintotheBeatles’music.Itwasthis
popularculturefilteredthroughtheirnewsoundthatbegantocreateawarenessforotherformsofworld
music.TheBeatles’incorporationintotheirsongsofothermusicaltendenciesaffectedpeople’stoleranceand
appreciationforothercultures,thuscreatingapathtowardsaformofglobalculturalintegration.Other
groupsweredoingthesamethingbutthisBritishbandwasthemostinfluentialinplantingtheseedfor
cross-culturalizationthatbegantoflourishastheirinfluencespreadbeyondmusicintothediversified
spectrumofhumanexperience.
Imaginethis:ItiscurioustonotethattheoccurrenceofthisnewphenomenaseemedtobesandwichedinbetweenthelayersoftheEarth’satmosphere.Whilethese“goodvibrations”ofsoundwavelengthswere
activatingthebottomlayersoftheatmosphere,theupperlayersweredominatedbysatellitessendingtheir
electromagneticwavetransmissionstoEarth.Soundfrequencies,throughtheirvibratorynature,tendto
influencematterandalteritsbehavior.Indeed,itisscientificallyproventhatsoundhasaneffectonphysical
materialsandlivingorganisms.
Peoplecreatesoundwavesandinturnsoundwavesinfluencepeople.Letusassumewhatthisimplies;
perhapstheCulturalRevolutionwasaresultofourbeingimmersedinanoceanofwavelengths,which
surroundedtheplanetasasecondtypeofatmospheremade-upofaudiblefrequencies.Letusspeculatethat
allofthesediversifiedwaveformssandwichedwithinouratmosphereproducedapropermediuminwhich
thenewglobalizedculturecouldgrow.MarioCastilloconsidersthatthispropositioncouldbeapossibility
sincesoundfrequenciesdohaveaninfluenceonmatter.
Soitisinterestingtocontemplatethehypothesisthatpeoplecreatedasynergisticexchangeofenergywhere
thenewmusiccombinedwiththesatellitetransmissionsandradiowavesthatmankindcreatedsucceededin
engulfingandchangingpeople’slives.Thisproceededtoevolvethemediuminwhichthemessagewasbeing
germinatedtoonceagainhaveaneffecton“massaging”thehumansensorium.Lastly,considerthis;asa
resultofwhatwashappeningintheairspace,sandwichedwithinouratmosphere,theEarthstartedto
becomeamulti-nationalpueblo(insoundwavesfirst;yes,firsttherewasthesound)thathadnoother
alternativebuttoproducetheriseofMarshallMcLuhan’s“globalvillage”.
WecouldsaythatMarioCastillo’sPeace(Metafisica)muralwasthefirstmuralfortheageofthe“global
village”whichMcLuhan’sbook“UnderstandingMedia”(1964)popularizedinthatdecade.Eventhoughthe
muralusedinfluencesfrompastcultures,itresultedinafinalcreationthatwasadesignforthe
contemporaneoustimeforitrenewedandbroughttogethermodernandpastideasintothepresentmoment.
Itsmessagewasaboutthepast,present,andfuture,fusedalltogetherintotheNow.Thecolorfulvisualodeof
idiomsembodiedonthewallsangtopassersbytheirencodedmessagesuntilthemuralfadedintothepages
ofhistory.
21.
THEPEACEMURALWASFIRSTINSEVERALWAYS
Priortothis,everyoneseemedsufficientlyhappytoknowjustthebasicinformation.Inactualitythis
muralwashistoricalinseveralways:
ForthenewPublicArtMovementofthe1960’s,thePeacemuralwasthefirstinthefollowing:
1stLatinomural
1sttoestablishaprototypeforusingstudentstopaintamural
1stanti-VietnamWarmural
1sttopayhomagetoNativeAmericancultures
1stAbstractArtmuralor1stGeometricalMural(assomecriticshavecalledit)
1stSymbolistmural
1stSyncretismmural
1sttodealwith“FlowerPower”andtheHippiemovement
1sttopaytributetoHuicholandMesoamericanart
1stMetaphysicalmural
1stUrbanArtMural
1sttoblendHighArtwithpeople’sart
1sttomakeuseofDadaandFluxusPrinciples
1sttorejectRenaissanceperspectiveandWesternArt’sacademicwaysofmodelingrealisticforms
1sttouse2DDesignasanover-allunifiertobringthewholemuraltogetherintoonecomposition
AfterthePeace(Metafisica)muralwasfinished,Castillowasaskedonceinawhilefortherightsto
printthemural’sphoto,butneverwasheaskedaboutthemeaningofthemural.Hefeltobligatedto
tellitsstorywhenarthistorian,Dr.OlgaU.Herrera,askedhimforitsuseinalessonplanforhigh
schoolstudents.Dr.HerreraisdirectoroftheWashingtonOfficeoftheInter-UniversityProgramfor
LatinoResearch(IUPLR,Washington,D.C.office)andtogetherwithMelissaA.Carrillo,Directorof
NewMediaandTechnologyattheSmithsonianLatinoCentertheyareworkingonaprojectof
historicalproportionstobringthehistoryofLatinoArtintotheclassroomthroughanonline
immersiveeducationinitiative,theSmithsonianLatinoVirtualMuseum’sChicagoArtNowGallery.
WhenDr.HerreraaskedfortherightstousethePeacemural,MarioCastillorepliedfavorably,but
hethoughtthatifalessonplanwasgoingtobedonefromit,thatthepersondoingsoshouldhave
accesstothesignificanceofthemural’ssymbology.Sothispromptedtheneedtohaveadocument
explaininghowideascameaboutforcreatingthePeacemuralandthemeaningbehindits
iconography.Withthisinmind,MarioCastillowouldliketothankDr.Herreraforcreatingthe
demandforthestorybehindthemuraltofinallybetold,amanuscriptthatcouldhaveeasilybeen
lostforever.
22.
FiftyIdeasforPossibleArtProjectstobedonebyStudentsBasedonPeace(Metafisica)Mural:
1. AleatoricArt:Fromascribbleorrandommarkingscreateanartpiece
2. PareidoliaArt:Createasubliminalfaceorfigureoveraphotofromnatureoryourartwork
3. PaisleyArt:DesignyourownPaisleysandcreateapatternoranartpiecewiththem
4. God’sEyes:UsebrightcoloryarntomakeanOjodeDios
5. CreateaDesigner’sacronymoraninitialismwithanywordsornamesyouchoose
6. Doaselfiedoingaone-minute(orless)sculpture(becareful,donotdoanythingdangerous)
7. Illustratesomethingmetaphysical
8. CreateaPopArtcollagethatreflectsthe“NowMoment”
9. Createasurrealphotomontage
10. Createashapethatistheabstractedessenceofsomething
11. Doanartpieceondeforestation(youmayincludetextinit)
12. Designaposteronahistoricalwaranduseboldandcontrastingcolors
13. DoaworkthatisinfluencedbyaNativeAmericanculture
14. DoaphotomontagewithHippieFashionsorcreatearealorsimulatedtie-dyepattern
15. Doanartpiecethatresultsfromlisteningtoamusicalpiecewhileyoudraw/paintsimultaneously
16. DoaRorschachinkblotworkandthenenhanceitbeyonditsoriginalstate
17. CreateatotallyAbstractArtpiece(non-objective)andcreateamoodwiththecolorsused
18. DoaworkthatresultsfromthestudyofanyFolkArt
19. ReporttotheclassonthebenefitsofYogaordoartrelatedtoit
20. Doagraphicartpiececombiningatleastthreesymbols
21. DoadrawingthatshowstheessenceoftheNativeAmericans’Animismbeliefs
22. DoacollageonanimportantPopSongthatreflectsthetimewhenitwascomposed
23. Doapieceonanynewastronomicaldiscovery;themacroworld(usingacoolcolorscheme)
24. DoapieceontheMicroworld;micro-organisms(usingawarmcolorscheme)
25. Doapiecewhereshadowsarethemainsubject
26. Designasite-specificworkofart
27. Createashortvisualfilmforacertainarrangementofmusicalnotes
28. Doagridcollagewithacertainthemewithatleastninefish-eyelensimages
29. Designyournamewithimagesorsymbolsarounditwithaselectedcolorscheme
30. DoacontemporarysceneandcoloritasaHuicholpaintingusingstriatedbrightcolors
31. Doa“HorrorVacui”denselypopulatedworkusingearthtones:usebrighthuestohighlight
32. Studythemeaningofcolorsanddoasymbolicpieceinwhichthecolorstellthestory
33. Doanartpiecereflectingtheethnic/culturalheritageofoneofyourancestors
34. Researchsymbolsfromyourancestry,abstractthemintoadesignandusehardedgeflatcolor
35. CreateasurpriseDadapiecewithinaboxthatopensandcloses
36. Byyourselforwithagroupofotherstudents,designamuralforyourschool
37. DesignaNorthwestCoastTotemPolewithtoday’simages
38. Doapieceonthecyclicnatureoflifeintheforest/jungleandshowhowspeciesareinterconnected
39. CreateaposteronastudyofaGeorgiaO’Keeffeflowerandrelateitto“FlowerPower”
40. Doanartpiecethatismulticulturalandshowsdiversity
41. CreateaYinYangdesign;depicttwooppositesinsideeachhalf.YinisnegativeandYangispositive
42. Createamandalawithgeometricandorganicpropertiesusingcomplementarycolors
43. Meditation:Doashortcontemplationexerciseonafavoritesubjectanddrawtheresultsfromit
44. ResearchMarcelDuchamp’sreadymades:Findanobjectandturnitintoanartpiece
45. Doanartpiecethatcombinesagrowing/sproutingplantcombinedwithmusicalsymbols
46. Designatriptych(3areas)piecethatmakesuseofananalogytoaconcertowiththreemovements
47. Doadiptych(twopanels)usingthephilosophicalnatureofoppositesintheYinYang
48. CreateanartworkbasedononecardfromtheMexicanLoteriagame
49. Usingtheiconographyfromplayingcards,doaPopArtpiecewiththem
50. TheLadybughasaspecialmeaning.Findaculturalmeaningforaninsect(Ants,Beetles,Bees,
Butterflies,Crickets,Dragonflies,Grasshoppers...etc.)anddoanartworkwiththat.
Theseideascanbecombined.Youcandothreeinone:i.e.microandmacroinsidetheYinYang.
23.