Beautiful Chaos

 

I love art……in all its facets.  I love the expressionism, the realism, the abstract and modern. And nothing is more beautiful than to see a great piece of artwork gracing side of the building in the city.  It’s something so ironic to have a piece of art painted on the side of the building where people live. It puts the piece on a grander scale and gives life to the building.  But one thing I have noticed in my life…….more times than not if you are in a neighborhood that has a bunch of murals, then chances are you are in a particularly less than desired area of the city. 

Straight up….stay with me on this one!! If you see a mural with MLK, Malcolm X & Harriet Tubman somewhere on a wall in a neighborhood, more than likely it’s probably a crime infested area.  More than four murals in a six block radius and you’re in the hot zone!! 

Of course I have no proof or numbers to back this up, but I bet you a pack of Newport’s, that if you pull the homicide/shooting numbers in a specific neighborhood, it will correlate perfectly with the number of murals in the area.  I think I may try to get some funding to test my theory. Granted I understand the point of the murals, to try to represent something to the people of the area and beautify the properties, but let’s be real, I’ve never seen a mural of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt & Woody Allen in the more affluent areas. 

It really just hit me the other day while I was riding thru DC, and I was just captivated by the artistry, style and diversity of the murals that I saw. 

But then I began to just look at the areas they were in and the juxtaposition. I started visualizing all the murals in my home city of Baltimore and just where one could find these amazing pieces of work. Think about it, New York, Baltimore, D.C., Chicago, and L.A.  Some of these pieces are art gallery worthy! This is work that if it was found 1000s years from now, they would remark on the skill. It’s like a magician at work as he tries to distract you…..here, watch this art!! Pay no attention to the masked figures with the pistol robbing the Quickie Mart! I suppose the pastels & vibrant colors somehow balances out the crack vials & trash in the street.  

Yeah, I know you probably never really gave it any thought before, and I definitely don’t want to take away from the appreciation of the work.  I’m just saying,….enjoy the art but watch your azz!