: History of the Mural 
History of the Mural
La Cancion de la Unidad/Song of Unity, the mural of La Peña, is one of the first acrylic, ceramic and paper mache collective murals in the Bay Area. It was painted in 1978 by O'Brien Thiele, Osha Neuman, Ray Patlan and Anna DeLeon, and then re-stored in 1986. The mural depicts the peoples of the Americas coming together in song and in struggle. North America is symbolized by an eagle, South America by a condor, and the centerpiece is a green Quetzal, the bird of Central America.
The main figure, done in relief, is Chilean folk singer Victor Jara, who best embodies La Peña’s tradition of cultural workers involved in struggle for peace and justice. Jara was executed by the military junta during the coup d’etat in Chile in September, 1973. His detached hand is shown still strumming a guitar, a symbol of his resistance to the military. Other figures on the left side of the mural, representing Central and South America, include Chilean Nobel Prize-wining poet Pablo Neruda, Nicaraguan rebel leader Augusto Sandino, Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, and Gabriela Mistral of Chile. On the right side, representing North America, are actor Paul Robeson, folk singer Woody Guthrie, Native American activist Bill Wahpepah, and folk singer Malvina Reynolds. To learn more about the history behind the mural and for color pictures of it please visit O'Brien great web site at: http://www.obrienthiele.com
Watch a short video of the mural with a narration in Spanish HERE
...La Peña ...History of the Mural
No comments:
Post a Comment