I’m very fortunate, because my town – Oakland, California – is somewhat known for the abundance and qualities of our murals.
Oakland is really an inspiration to me. It’s a city with a strong sense of solarpunk and afrofuturist culture (it’s no coincidence that it produced Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, along with the Black Panther Party itself!).
The murals definitely communicate the sensibilities you’ve described. The styles are really diverse, too. Some examples:
Downtown has a lot of classically artful ones:
There are also plenty of graffiti style ones, like this one:
Here is an underpass, capturing the vibrant feel of the city, with great use of the lighting:
This is a great example of the current style, with portraits and lots of warm colors and shapes:
And then there’s this one, which is unusual for its use of photorealism, but it’s dazzling. I initially assumed it had to have used computer control to paint or something, but nope. It was painted by hand.
These are really amazing.
I’m very fortunate, because my town – Oakland, California – is somewhat known for the abundance and qualities of our murals.
Oakland is really an inspiration to me. It’s a city with a strong sense of solarpunk and afrofuturist culture (it’s no coincidence that it produced Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, along with the Black Panther Party itself!).
The murals definitely communicate the sensibilities you’ve described. The styles are really diverse, too. Some examples:
Downtown has a lot of classically artful ones:
There are also plenty of graffiti style ones, like this one:
Here is an underpass, capturing the vibrant feel of the city, with great use of the lighting:
This is a great example of the current style, with portraits and lots of warm colors and shapes:
And then there’s this one, which is unusual for its use of photorealism, but it’s dazzling. I initially assumed it had to have used computer control to paint or something, but nope. It was painted by hand.
Sources: https://www.reddit.com/r/oakland/comments/hoozfm/my_favorite_mural_in_oakland_love_the_incredible/ https://oaklandside.org/2022/06/27/a-second-love-letter-to-oakland-mural-graces-a-wall-in-temescal/ https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934676/souls-of-mischief-mural-oakland
These are really cool! Thanks for taking me on a tour. I’m jealous of your city’s artistic streak.
Let me know if you ever come to the Bay! I’d be delighted to show you around.
Count on it!