“Stayed by what was, and pulled by what would be”: The Belfast Murals: Their Approach to Iconography and their Ever-changing Role in Today’s Society

Tara Masterson
Trinity College Dublin
Department of History of Art and Architecture
2008
BA

Subject: Painting
Country: Ireland and Northern Ireland
Period: 20th Century

10,000 words

The use of public art in Norther Ireland leads to the creation of cultural landscapes that while deeply embedded in symbolism and tradition, maintain social divisions and provoke conflict. As the Belfast murals are intended to be political statements of position and conviction, and therefore of opposition, one would expect that ther would be considerable differences between Nationalist and Loyalist murals. The purpose of this dissertation is therefore to explore the aspects of divergence and convergence in the content and methods of expression seen in these murals. The opening opening chapter takes a brief look at the history leading to ‘The Troubles’ of Northern Ireland. By studying the environment and political climate of the time, the first chapter discusses the events that invoked the painting of the first Belfast murals.

Irish Georgian Society

Education Theses Register

“Stayed by what was, and pulled by what would be”: The Belfast Murals: Their Approach to Iconography and their Ever-changing Role in Today’s Society