Greenwich Village Mural by Julia Day

Greenwich Village is an exciting area of New York City, full of enticing restaurants, charming coffee shops, charismatic individuals, and last but not least, captivating street art. Whether it’s graffiti on an otherwise blank alley wall, or enthusiastic pop up bands playing on street corners, there is a ton of artwork to be textually analyzed throughout Greenwich.

This particular mural exists peacefully on a side street of the bustling area. The Keith Haring styled painting includes the earth from a distance, as if looking from space. A small, but radiant red heart is painted at the center, surrounded by a larger heart in a darker shade of ocean-blue. Around the earth is a ring of lions painted in red, trailing behind each other facing clockwise. Finally, surrounding the lions is a black background with several people, symbols, and designs painted in white, fitting together like puzzle pieces.

Using the textual analysis skills I have acquired from American Religious Texts this semester, I found this piece particularly moving and immensely inspirational on an entirely new level. At first glance, the eye is immediately drawn to the color red in the mural, whether it’s the lions surrounding the earth or the heart at the center. Due to their hue and eye-catching capabilities, I could only assume they were of great importance when analyzing this work of art. From a broad religious perspective, I imagined the small red heart as a symbol of the unity and harmony of all people no matter their religion, race, or sexual affiliation, as well as a symbol of love for all people by a higher power. I also imagined the larger blue heart as the ripple effect of the tiny red heart in the center, representing the powerful, positive affect unity, harmony, and love all have on the different individuals of the world. Next, lions usually appear in works of art to signify strength. In this mural, I imagined that the lions each represent different significant strengths people contribute to the greater good of the world. A good example of a strength we discussed in class this semester is selflessness. Dorothy Day contributed this particular strength, as her saint-like generosity encouraged others to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give shelter to the homeless. It was individuals like her that were admired for her strength. Lastly, the people, symbols, and designs painted in the outskirts of the mural represent people of varying religions, races, and sexual affiliations that make up our population on earth. They may act differently, they may practice religion differently, and they may live differently; but they exist in harmony and are loved, no matter their differences. Not featured in the photo was a collection of litter, such as newspapers, cigarette butts, and coffee cups, scattered on the ground below the mural. I thought this accurately symbolized the obstacles we have overcome in bettering our society, whether it is the abolition of slavery or acceptance of same sex marriage.

In total, a picture can quite literally be worth a thousand words (or a minimum of 500 in this case), and deeper meanings, whether they be religiously affiliated or not, are all around us.