Francis V. O'Connor

CONTENTS:

O'Connor's Blog:
Go To: Blog
Brief Commentaries on Art, Literature and Ideas
Index to O'Connor's Page: 1998 to 2007
O'Connor's Page Index
Index to Reviews and Commentaries first published on O'Connnor's Page
Career / Bibliography
Go To:
Narrative of career and a bibliography of significant works
Art History
The Mural in America: Wall Painting in the United States from Prehistory to the Present
The first comprehensive survey of murals created in the continental United States from Native American times to ca. 2000.
Charles Seliger: Redefining Abstract Expressionism
The first book devoted to Charles Seliger and his paintings.
Poetry
Sonnet Forms
This is a draft for a brochure about how to write a sonnet.

The Mural in America: Wall Painting in the United States from Prehistory to the Present

http/​/​www.muralinamerica.com
SEE BLOG AT 9


by Francis V. O'Connor

A SHORT, ILLUSTRATED OUTLINE OF THE BOOK'S PARTS AND CHAPTERS

Part 1
THE NATURE, NEGLECT, AND ENVIRONMENTAL AESTHETICS OF MURALS
Introduction
Chapter 1 -- The Nature and Neglect of the Mural
Chapter 2 -- The Environmental Aesthetics of Murals

Part 2
NATIVE AMERICAN MURALS
Introduction
Chapter 3 -- Murals of the Southwest Peoples
Chapter 4 -- The Plains & Northwest Peoples

Reconstruction of Black Elk’s Tipi (Diagram: The Author)

Part 3
COLONIAL AND EARLY AMERICAN MURALS
Introduction
Chapter 5 -- Colonial Murals
Chapter 6 -- Early Domestic Murals

Part 4
MURALS OF THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL: 1817-1880
Introduction
Chapter 7 -- Early Murals from 1817 to 1855
Chapter 8 -- Brumidi & his Atelier: 1855 to 1880

The author standing beneath Constantino Brumidi’s Hermes, in the dome of the United States Capitol during its restoration ca. 1987 (Photo: Dr. Barbara A. Wolanin)

Part 5
BEAUX ARTS MURALS: 1870-1920
Introduction
Chapter 9 -- Academic Culture and Classical Ideals
Chapter 10 -- Early Murals: l870 to 1895
Chapter 11 -- Late Academic Murals: 1895 to 1920

Part 6
MODERNIST RE-DIRECTIONS: 1900 to 1935
Introduction
Chapter 12 -- Transitional, Proto-Social Realist, & Art Nouveau Murals: 1900 to 1935
Chapter 13 -- Art Deco Murals: 1920 to 1935
Chapter 14 -- Mexican Muralists in the U.S.: 1930 to 1935

Part 7
MURALS OF THE 1930s
Introduction
Chapter 15 -- The Usable Past: Regionalist, Historical, & Social Realist Murals
Chapter 16 -- The Usable Future: Abstract & Surrealist Murals

Plan of the WPA Federal Art Project murals by Edward Laning in the Lobby of the Main Reading Room, the New York Public Library, ca. 1939-42. (Diagram: The Author)

Part 8
THE MURAL AS PRIVATE ACT & PUBLIC ART: 1940 to 1980
Introduction
Chapter 17 -- Abstract Expressionist Murals & The Big Picture: 1940 to 1960
Chapter 18 -- Government-Sponsored Murals: 1965 ff.

Part 9
COMMUNITY AND POSTMODERNIST MURALS: 1965 to 1990
Introduction
Chapter 19 -- The Community Mural Movement & the Resurgence of Public Art:1965ff.
Chapter 20 -- The Postmodernist Mural: 1970 ff.

View of the installation of Sol LeWitt’s murals in the Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, 1993. (Diagram: The Author)