HIST 349 - The Writing is on the Wall: Muralism in a Transnational Context

This course covers the history of humans and their fascination with painting on walls from cave painting in Europe (what is now France and Spain) 40,000 years ago. Here we try to understand why humans in this part of the world began to leave their marks on the walls of the caves they inhabited. We study their techniques and the many theories that archeologists and art historians have constructed to make sense of these paintings and the singular moment in which they were created. From there we move to the Italian Renaissance of the early 16th century. Here we study Michaelangelo’s murals on the Sistine Chapel and the role that rich patrons (especially the Catholic Church) had in creating the artist as genius. These murals (especially Michaelangelo’s) were very influential in inspiring the mural movements that will occupy most of our attention during the semester, namely the Mexican mural renaissance of the post-Revolutionary era (circa 1920-1950) and the muralistic movement associated with the Chicano civil rights movement. We will study the historical origins of these movements in the civil disruptions of their respective counties and the transnational influence that the Mexican muralists had (especially Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros) had in Southern California. We will also take field trips to see some of these murals, notably Siqueiros’ now restored mural in the Placita Olvera.

3 credits