Wall Art

Windsor, Ontario

I am fascinated by wall art on buildings! It goes beyond just societal approved forms as I have to admit to being fascinated by wall art done by street artists aka graffiti. One form of wall art that I am very interested in are old ads painted on historical buildings. So I take pictures every time I can. I have a nice collection of images with dates, locations and other interesting information such as building. People have such an inherent desire to share and express themselves in whatever form they can. Wall art fills that need while expressing individuality.

I thought this wall art on an apartment building in Windsor, Ontario was impressive. The art is complicated in that it shows four pictorial views in post card format from historical views, something I truly appreciate. The artist takes advantage of subject, depth and movement in a very effective way. The attention to detail is beautiful as are the colours. Kudos to the artist for creating such a wonderful piece of wall art!

From a historical perspective, wall art has been used for many reasons. In my genealogy research much of the wall art was used as an inexpensive way of advertising. Some of the old wall art was amazingly detailed in design. My communities have recognized these special paintings on buildings and have untaken restoring them. Sadly some do not appreciate the beauty of the art or the painstaking time it takes to restore them not to mention the cost. Recently in a nearby community one such restored painting on a historical building was vandalized. What a horrible shame and act of cowardice!

The next time you see wall art whether societal approved or graffiti, take a few minutes to marvel at the uniqueness and ponder what it is the artist was trying to convey. Marvel at those old ads painted on buildings. These are part of our past, a bit of a legacy left to us from those who went before us!