Murals

Many Hispanic shops and restaurants are gaily decorated inside and out with large, colorful murals. This art form is distinctly Mexican and was brought to international notice by the famous social realist muralists Diego Rivera (1886-1957), Jose Clemente Orozco (1883-1949) and David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974). In more recent years mural painting has become an urban art form in American cities with large Hispanic populations. There are murals on walls, fences, tunnels—any place that can be brightened by an artist’s colors.

Murals sometimes depict political viewpoints or historical scenes. Often they are simple, straightforward views of people and places in everyday scenes. Always they are bold and colorful.

Good examples of muralists’ art in Portland are at N.E. 20th Ave. and Alberta St., where attractive paintings grace the interior and exterior of the grocery store and the two taquerias. The Diego Rivera-inspired mural of a reclining woman in La Bonita Taqueria is especially beautiful. (See North and Northeast Portland in the Self-Guided Tour.)