Mural to Brighten Art Building

The art building at San Diego State University is about to get a lot more colorful.

Professor Mario Torero and his students painted a mural titled “Eyes of Picasso” on the exterior of the building. Torero originally painted the mural in Downtown San Diego in 1978 and believes the mural will bring important cultural and artistic values to SDSU.

Inspiration

This fall, Torero began teaching an artivism class at SDSU and realized there was a lack of art on the campus walls. So he talked to his students about creating a plan to brighten up campus.

“The walls of the art building have always been white and in my observation, that does not create an inviting or pleasant atmosphere,” he said. “I thought the walls need some reflections from the students.”

Those reflections began when Torero and his students created a mural near an elevator in the art building. It was a small step, but one that inspired his students.

“Just to create art and put it in the public, it empowered the students,” Torero said.

Soon, Torero and his students’ vision for “Eyes of Picasso” was approved. Wasting no time, they have already begun work on the mural in the fall semester, and completed it in early December.

Art education

Torero is using this opportunity not only to beautify the campus, but also to introduce his students to a newer art form — aerosol art.

On Dec. 2, Torero hosted a mural painting party in which San Diego’s top graffiti artist, CROLL, gave a demonstration for the students.

Creating this mural with his students is very important to Torero, who hopes this is only the first step to a more artistic and colorful campus.

“This is not just about painting the walls, it is about creating an artistic environment and making SDSU more creative and exciting with art,” Torero said. “That is something you do not see now but in the future it looks fantastic; it looks bright.”