Wall to Wall: Mural Art Around the World

Gr 4 Up–What do the Sistine Chapel, Queen Nefertari’s tomb, a drainage canal in Los Angeles, the Mogao Grottoes of China, and the stairwell of the National Palace in Mexico City have in common? They are all featured in this enthusiastic, detailed, and visually stunning social history of mural art from ancient times to the modern age. Rather than compiling a drily comprehensive or rigidly chronological historical treatise on the art form, Fraser provides gorgeously illustrated mini-biographies of each piece, the artists behind them, and the civilizations that embraced, rejected, rediscovered, and restored them. They are stories of human creativity and ingenuity, oppression and expression, nostalgia and hopefulness. Sidebars provide more information about the artistic techniques, the historical milieux, and the personalities that made every mural what it is. An afterword lets readers know what is being done to preserve these important artworks for the future. Suggestions for further reading, a glossary, and index are included.