Philadelphia has a shitload of murals, the people living here know that perfectly well. It's got a ton of inspirational ones with Paul Robeson, thriving communities, green gardens... And it also has some [or at least one] artsy morbid mural.
I spotted the mural above around 2nd & Race Sts a couple weekends ago and forgot to post it until now. It's in a parking lot on the side of a N-S street, I'm pretty sure it was 2nd St. You can't see the whole thing as you walk southbound. You initially see the stem of the roses, then the leaves, then the whole blooming rose. Then your eye is drawn further inward, deeper into the parking lot as you walk further south. You see the head of a black swan with a fiery red beak and matching eyes. You follow the gracefully curving neck to... a black-blooded stump. The black continues into the next frame where a lone white, dripping skull of what looks like a large non-domestic cat gazing to the east into the final surreal frame.
I was quite happy to find this mural as it presents a nice change of pace from the more realist murals around town. While a girl's arms sprouting into a leafy tree isn't exacty "real" a bodiless swan head and cat skull are a bit further along the way of nuttiness that I like.
The murals make the city I think. Some of my faves are the ones by Broad & Lombard, the 2 "season" ones on bambridge and the other "season" one (I think) on Pine.
Posted by: Ellen | April 26, 2006 at 07:28 AM
That's the Fringe Festival mural by Tom Judd.
Posted by: steve | April 26, 2006 at 12:10 PM
actually, i think it's closer to arch, or even that little street that runs along side of christ church. is that possible?
Posted by: addie | April 26, 2006 at 12:54 PM
Yes, I am down with that Tom Judd mural!
Posted by: | April 26, 2006 at 01:57 PM
Funny... Our mural arts records say that it's at 52 N. 2nd St.... but that doesn't make sense. Thanks for getting that error to my attention. I'll get on it.
Posted by: steve | April 26, 2006 at 02:36 PM
52 N. 2nd St would put it right where Addie suggests it. And after looking at a GMap of the area around Christ's Church, it looks like the south wall of the parking lot right north of the church is where it is.
Posted by: albert | April 26, 2006 at 02:50 PM