Pope Francis Mural in Midtown - Jack Brennan

        Although he isn’t there anymore this is what remains of a 180-foot mural of Pope Francis. I had seen the mural in mid-town in October after the Pope had already visited the United States and didn't think anything of it. I never thought to take a picture until I was given this assignment. I went back under the impression that he would still be standing there, smiling and waving at every passerby within a ten block radius. Unfortunately, all that is left is a blank canvas. Its ironic that I would take a picture now of a blank canvas and two men painting over a giant picture of the pope, instead of an amazing mural that I somehow didn’t think anything of in the first place. I remember looking up and seeing the Pope’s face, with www.Popeinusa.com underneath and thinking nothing except that his eyes seemed to be following me. Then I immediately looked back down at the Instagram photos on the two inch by five inch screen in my hand. Now that it is gone though, I regret not taking in the full beauty of the mural. It was a 180 foot painting on the side of an entire building, which must have taken weeks to finish. i probably didn’t even look at it more than five seconds.

Two men painted this beautiful mural in unison. They worked as a team, one mind, and discussed what colors were needed in what areas and what needed more shading. They knew exactly how it looked on paper but somehow were able to see the big picture, while they just painted one brick at a time. It is an amazing work of art that most New Yorkers including myself walked past without a second thought or a moment to reflect on the magnitude of this project just to welcome one man.

Although the mural is a religious symbol, the blank canvas is what inadvertently made me reflect on what I believe to be important in my life. I, for some reason, find that looking at pictures of other peoples faces, food, and pets are all much more important than admiring a beautiful piece of art that can be seen for blocks. The worst part is that I have looked at my phone and all those photos on Instagram at least five times since I have started this blog. I have considered deleting all my social media apps a lot lately. I only wonder if it will help me look around and notice the world a little bit more, or will I just replace it with some other mind-numbing waste of time like Candy Crush. It is weird that it look the lack of a painting of a religious symbol for me to reflect on my own life in a meaningful way.