The graffiti photographed depicts the silhouettes of a child and adult holding hands, as they walk beside a series of black buildings. These buildings are misshapen, crooked, and tightly packed together. In addition, the bottom windows of these various buildings have a red hue to them. This is why I feel the message the artist was trying to send is of a parent attempting their best to guide their child through life within a troubled environment. I am left with this impression from several details, but especially thanks to that red tint which is the only time a color is utilized and is symbolic of blood. I also believe the buildings' odd shape represents poor conditions. Paired with the pale gray horizon, and bleak palette a tone of sorrow and gloom is further conveyed. Interestingly, I believe this graffiti was part of a larger mural, as the line of buildings gets randomly cut off by a sterile blue wall. This does not appear to be natural, as on the other side there is similar graffiti, including the words: “A Bronx Tale - The Saddest Thing In Life Is Wasted Talent”, and an anthropomorphic green bell pepper. Both are in close proximity and on the same wall, yet do not seem connected. Perhaps the statement is a message to locals to stay away from making the same, wrong choices that seemingly plague all cities: like drugs, alcohol, gangs, and crime.
The canvas is a long, abandoned building in Bronx’s Little Italy, at the end of Hughes Avenue before intersecting with Fordham Road. There are no signs indicating commercial or residential use including a lack of any windows, signage, or doors. The building’s sole purpose appears to be as a canvas for this mural. Despite the bustle of Fordham Road, the remainder of the street appears residential, with multi-story apartments lining both sides of the entire street. The area seems to be comfortable and tranquil when compared to other parts of “The City That Never Sleeps”. The narrowness of the road also makes the neighborhood feel very intimate, despite intersecting with the highly traversed Fordham Road. The scenery itself is extremely pleasing to the eyes, with the presence of numerous trees and charming brownstone exteriors. What adds to the scenery is a noticeable lack of any waste on the well-maintained street. The street is so appealing, that it made me feel like I stumbled onto the set of Sesame Street. The clean walkways, and classic New York City architecture of the sleepy neighborhood brought me back to when I watched Elmo and Cookie Monster on television.
I later came across a newsletter from the Belmont Business Improvement District (BID) from the spring of 2017 that discusses the exact mural (Belmont). Provided were photos of the mural in its original state, when the trees growing beside it seem freshly planted (Belmont, 1). I also saw how drastically the mural evolved over 7 years; especially that the lifeless blue wall was once part of the mural (Belmont, 1). The misshapen buildings and a red toned skyline had continued halfway through the now blue wall, and a smiling bunch of cartoonish tomatoes were present (Belmont, 1). These tomatoes were created in the same style that random bell pepper was. Beside the buildings was a streetlamp with an Arthur Avenue street sign, and a broken-up sentence that reads “Next left – One of the Greatest Streets in America – Voted in 2016” (Belmont, 1). This is when I finally realized the mural was ultimately created to celebrate the culture of the area rather than be a commentary on its reputation (Belmont, 1). This was further realized after reading the blog post of Jonas Henningsson (Henningsson). Jonas interviewed the vegetable loving artist, Mike A. who grew up in the Bronx (Henningsson, 45). In his mural, Mike A. referenced the movie and Broadway show “A Bronx Tale” about a young Italian boy raised in the Bronx and influenced by crime committing and law-abiding father figures (Henningsson, 45). This further information finally allowed me to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and see the mural in the way Mike intended it to be (Henningsson, 45) (Belmont, 1). I now understood the connections between the pieces despite not being native to the city (Henningsson, 45) (Belmont, 1). Mike’s message of celebrating Little Italy’s culture was finally realized (Henningsson, 45) (Belmont, 1).
Prior to my research, I left with an overwhelmingly positive impression of the neighborhood, despite the Bronx’s negative reputation (Henningsson, 45) (Belmont, 1). Even with the deceivingly bleak palette, I felt the mural’s seemingly dire message was not directed towards the neighborhood, but instead, a commentary on the Bronx (Belmont, 1). The deterioration and darkness of the buildings from the mural did not reflect the allure of this charming area, which is why I was relieved once I discovered the newsletter and blog post (Henningsson, 45) (Belmont, 1). I now feel the bleak palette, symbolism of the parent guiding their child, and the reddish undertones symbolize the story of A Bronx Tale (Henningsson, 45) (Belmont, 1). Yet, my perspective seems so comedic now that personified tomatoes were once present a foot away from where I was analyzing the graffiti (Belmont, 1). This misinterpretation shows how simple it is to misjudge something from an initial impression. After all it is just as easy to label an area dangerous as it is to be fooled into believing a place is ideal. This is why the blue wall now hinders the mural, as it loses much of its original character, messaging, and cohesiveness and can be easily misinterpreted like I did (Belmont, 1). I also know that most will not go through the trouble of finding the information on the mural (Henningsson, 45) (Belmont, 1). This is unfortunate, as most will never experience and appreciate the original artwork (Belmont, 1). This is why I am unable to understand why a coat of lifeless blue paint would be painted on the wall to begin with (Belmont, 1).
I assume there is a significant reason for the coat of paint, as this mural brings so much life into the area (Belmont, 1). The most likely answer being it was defaced due to the building being abandoned. After all, by the time I visited many graffiti artists had marked their presence with their signatures. I also must imagine how devastated Mike must feel (Henningsson, 45). Especially after watching the visceral reactions of graffiti artists having their art tainted in the documentary Style Wars (Style Wars). Since Mike was requested to do the mural in an area so significant to both his childhood and culture it must have been so meaningful and sentimental (Henningsson, 45) (Belmont, 2). Regardless of what the true cause may be, I can say for certain that despite its drastic changes the mural still brings value and life to the area, and Mike should take pride in that (Belmont, 1).
Work Cited
“Belmont Business Improvement District Spring 2017 Newsletter.” Bronxlittleitaly.Com, Belmont Business Improvement District, spring 2017, www.bronxlittleitaly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Spring-2017.pdf.
Henningsson, Jonas. “A Bronx Tale - US Travel Association.” Ustravel.Org, U.S. Travel Association, winter 2017, www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/media_root/document/A_Bronx_Tale.pdf.
“Style Wars - Legendary Graffiti Documentary (1983) DVD RIP.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 Feb. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DXD1HBaLX0.
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