No where in possibly the world do murals make more of a statement than the Berlin wall. One side of the Berlin Wall is an almost mile long row of 106 murals painted by 118 artists back in 1990. The images were created to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall, and many images are relevant to that event and The Wall’s impact in Europe for decades prior.

These murals were decayed with many are barely recognizable.

This week artists started repainting the decaying faded Berlin Wall murals and apparently they’re almost finished. The support of the German government is to be commended, having spent over EU3M to fund the renovation. Having considered demolition, the German government recognized the legacy of not only the Wall, but of the famous murals and their place in art and culture. Throughout history, murals have symbolized and at times caused political unrest, both pre-conflict and to celebrate conflict resolution between fighting cultures. The Berlin Wall murals now restored carries on this tradition.

Having a mural is really like living with a mural — you don’t ‘hang’ a mural as you do a painting or a poster — a wall mural is a living thing that takes over its immediate environment making surrounding objects fade into the visual background. It warms the room, removing your mind and your subconscious into the image, transporting you to another place.  Mural size is all important — can you imagine the lack of effect a muralist would have if their creations were the size of average paintings? Large images send stronger, louder messages than images the size of photos, posters or paintings.

Increasingly technology is enhancing what can be done with digital photos. Wallpaper and various other home decorating stores are growing their product lines of mural-type wallpapers, or photo mural products. Photo murals were rare just a few short years ago but are increasing in popularity and affordability. High tech mural products create amazing interiors that bring the outdoors inside or magnify images for intense artistic effect. Adding size to images goes beyond changing the ambience of a room; large images alter the mood of occupants entirely.

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