The Murals of Coit Tower

Since there were only a handful of people at Coit Tower when we arrived it gave me an opportunity to look around inside. It was wonderful because usually when you get there a line of people waiting to take the elevator to the top of the tower wraps around so you can't see the artwork on the walls. This time I got to study the beautiful murals that depict life in California in the 1930s.

Steelworker by Clifford Wright

Railroad and Shipping by William Hesthal

The murals were commissioned by the Public Works of Art Project by the U.S. Government. Twenty-five Bay Area artists and assistants were selected to complete the project. 

Library by Bernard Zakheim

The artists were heavily influenced by social realism and the work of Mexican artist Diego Rivera. Due to controversy over the social criticism present in the artwork the opening of the tower was delayed until 1934.

California by Maxine Albro

Another California scene by Maxine Albo

by Maxine Albo

All the murals are frescoes. Fresco is an ancient technique of wall painting that was revived during the Renaissance and then abandoned in the 1600s. This was a technique that Diego Rivera used and again shows his influence on the muralists. 

Meat Industry by Ray Bertrand

In fresco, a master plaster applies a thin coating of fresh plaster (it is fresco in Italian) to the wall, but only as much as the artist can paint in one day which was about two feet. The artist then paints with a wet brush dabbed in dry pigments. The lime in the plaster binds the paint to the wall. It is a slow process and each stroke of the brush is final. Colors cannot be blended as with oils.

Department Store (left) by Frede Vidar; Banking and the Law by George Harris

City Life by Victor Arnautoff

Newsgathering by Suzanne Scheuer

These photos are only a few of the murals from inside the tower. They are truly awe inspiring and it is amazing how much detail the artists achieved using the fresco technique.