A mural is a painting on a wall, ceiling, or other large permanent surface.
Murals of sorts date to prehistoric times such as the paintings on the
Caves of Lascaux in
southern France.
There are many techniques. The most well known is probably "fresco",
which uses water soluble paints with a damp lime wash, a rapid use of the
resulting mixture over a large surface, and often in parts (but with a sense of
the whole). The colors lighten when dried.
The Mission District of San Francisco, California has numerous murals.
Murals today may be painted in a variety of ways, using oil or water
based media. The styles can vary from abstract to Trompe L'Oeil (a French term for fool or trick the eye).
The most famous mural is probably Guernica, by Pablo Picasso. Picasso's painting commemorates a small Basque village bombed by The German Luftwaffe in April 1937
during the Spanish Civil War in support of Francisco Franco's Nationalist army.
Picasso depicts a nightmarish scene of men, women, children and animals under
bombardment. Art historian Herbert Read described the work as "a cry of outrage and horror amplified by a
great genius". The second most famous mural is probably the eight-panel Water Lilies (1926), by
the Impressionist Claude Monet.
Among the world's most famous muralists are Diego Rivera, David Álfaro Siqueiros ,
José Clemente Orozco, and the Bogside Artists.
GRAFFITI
Graffiti originally was the term used for inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., found on
the walls of ancient sepulchers or ruins, as in the Catacombs, or at Pompeii. But it has evolved to include
any decorations inscribed on any surface that are considered to be vandalism or pictures or writing placed on
surfaces, usually outside walls and sidewalks, without the permission of the
owner.
The Romans carved graffiti into both their
own walls and monuments and there are also, for instance, Egyptian ones. The graffiti carved on the
walls of Pompeii were preserved by the eruption of
Vesuvius and offer us a direct insight into
street life: everyday Latin, insults, magic, love declarations, political
consigns. One example has even been found that stated "Cave Canem",
which translates as "Beware of Dog".
On the other hand, Viking graffiti can be found in Rome, and Varangians carved their runes in Hagia Sophia. Many times in history graffiti were used as form of
fight with opponents (see Orange Alternative, for example). The Irish had
their own inscriptive language called Ogham.
Frescos and murals are art forms that involve
leaving images and writing on wall surfaces. Like the ancient cave wall
paintings in France, they are not graffiti, as they are
created with the explicit permission (and usually support) of the owner of the
walls