This is simply one of my favorite street art wall murals in Los Angeles. Done by MarkA27
The face of César Chávez has gotten some ugly tags all over it. But I love the way the painted plants flow right into the real ones growing against the wall. And the pickers are working right in the thick of them.
Marka27 sent me a note explaining some of his thoughts behind the mural:
The mural is about progress and the power that we graffiti artist have in the streets. We can make a difference in communities by the message we choose to paint. Pancho Villa in the center has spray paint cans on his vest and the people farming are planting spraypaint. This is symbolic to me meaning that I hope other graffiti writers choose to use there skills to uplift and educate by planting seeds through graffiti for the urban youth. After all graffiti murals are the museums of the streets.
The mural is located on the 100 N. block of Glendale Blvd. and Colton in the area between Echo Park and downtown L.A.
Hey - it's Leon Trotsky! (thanks to Jonathan Gold for the I.D.). Trotsky spent the last couple years of his life in Mexico and was assassinated there by Ramón Mercader, who drove an icepick into his skull.
Many thanks to Kelly Trull who corrected me on the identity. This is José Clemente Orozco, a contemporary of Kahlo and Diego Rivera who was also a part of the "Mexican Mural Renaissance."
Frida Kahlo needs no introduction.
All photos by Mark Mauer. Some detail shots after the jump.
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There are 2 comments posted for this article.
thats not Trotsky, it's Orozco, a Mexican muralist and contemporary of Rivera and Kahlo.
Posted on February 15, 2008 1:56 PM by Kelly Trull
You are absolutely right! Thank you. I'll make that change.
Posted on February 15, 2008 1:58 PM by MARK MAUER