Who says there are no more cool murals? You just gotta know where to look!
It wasn't easy to spot from street level, but once I caught a glimpse of it, I had to find a better vantage point. Finally, as I climbed up to the pedestrian overpass above Ave. Jalisco right around where it meets Calle Parque Lira, in the general chaos known as Tacubaya, I could finally get a shot of it.
The rest was homework: cropping out the detail and enlarging it sufficiently so I could finally take a good look at the image, which was nearly impossible from the street. Staring at the screen for a while, I'm still not sure about what I'm looking at, really. Though I can't take my eyes off this intriguing wall painting.
It is the face of a pretty young woman with a look of surprise and wonder. Her neck is adorned with a broad, shiny band of gold, with a pendant hanging on it. The color of it, as well as her matching earrings, suggests that it may be jade, a gemstone that has been popular since pre-hispanic times.
The reason for her amazed look may be what she's holding in her hand: a giant beetle. The critter is spreading its wings, trying to fly away, while probably making loud buzzing sounds, but our lady is keeping a firm hold on it. Interestingly, there is another beetle, of more reasonable proportions, climbing on her forearm. Most interestingly, there are a pair of green light-beams emitting from the bug in her hand. Their color is almost the same as her jewelry.
What does it all mean?
Could there be a connection between the insect and the jade? If so, what is this lady's purpose with the beetle? And why did the artist paint this two-story-tall mural in this hidden location? Why did I walk past it so many times without even noticing it?
So many questions! Instead of an answer, we are given a second mural to ponder, right next to it. This one I find less impressive: some dark and violent issues.
In this painting two characters are engaged in a battle of life and death. The only bright objects are the two blades they are using against each other. The rest of the painting is lots of force and flexed muscles, painted in an unrealistically exaggerated way.
Coming back to the former image, I can't help but be reminded of the latter one. Could it be that the lady and the beetle could become entangled in a similar life and death struggle? If so, is she in fact aware of that? And should that actually happen, who would come out as survivor?
If you liked this, check out my developing series on Mexican murals:
- A Journey Through Rock and Roll
- Elite Warriors in the Parque México
- Laboratory Work on the Cocoa
- High Above the City
- Feminist Mural on a Blue-Collar Business
- Not Much New in Almost a Year
- Commercial Murals for Small Businesses
- A Mural for a Movie
- Get to Know Your Local Cacti
- New Images Covering Old Ones
- A Warrior Princess in Mazunte
- A Cartoon with a Public Health Message
- Murals Under Periferico
- Murals of the Barrio in Aguascalientes
- Respected and Less Respected Paintings
- Under Metro Line 4
- ChaliaKiller's – Murals, Chilaquiles, and Lots More
- A Familiar Face
- Political Expression: the Painting is on the Wall
- Different Types of Wall Paintings
- The Beauty of Death and the Struggle of Life
- Winston Churchill and the Bike Movement
Please check out these great communities I'm contributing to:
#ecotrain | What is EcoTrain | Discord Community
#cyclefeed | Introducing CycleFeed | Discord Community
Introducing SteemitDreamit | Discord Community