Painting the Church – Art vs Architecture

HENSE is a rising contemporary artist based in Atlanta, USA and over the years has produced some really great work including paintings, drawings, exterior murals and installations.

One of his latest pieces of work I’m sure would have caused a storm among some groups, however, for those of us who have a more open mind we can stand back and appreciate it. The private commission involved completely painting a historic Church in Ward 6, a waterfront neighbourhood of Washington DC. The mural itself as you can see from the images is very abstract.What you need to know that right across the street there is going to be a new museum and hotel so this mural will fit in perfectly with this up and coming area.

HENSE was also recently commissioned along with other artists to overhaul an ‘overlooked’ street block by The City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. It’s hoped these murals will improve the overall built environment and simultaneously solve aesthetic, economic and quality of life issues within the Atlanta community.

In Scotland and indeed across the rest of the UK we are seeing areas within our Cities and Towns sitting going to waste.  It’s not just sport that can “Inspire a Generation” but art can also and I’d love to see something like this happen over here – maybe not to architecture which is of importance either due to the architect or historic reasons but there are plenty of buildings in areas which could be used. It would indeed improve the environment within which we live. Like I said at the beginning of this post regarding HENSE’s Church mural, small groups would be opposed to it but I would imagine this is something that would be welcomed by a huge majority.

Click here to check out more of Hense’s work

Photo Credit Miguel “M.i.G” Martinez