Julie Mehretu is an American contemporary visual artist who creates large-scale murals using both drawing and painting. She was born in Ethiopia in 1970 before moving to Michigan at 7 years old due to the political violence present at the time. After moving to the US and attending school here, she studied at RISD where she developed her visual language. Through her use of lines and symbols, she began exploring the dynamic between her work and its resemblance to landscapes. In her work she often uses abstract marks in combination with soft and delicate architectural drawings. She discusses how her work to her, also represents the speed of modern life.

Teacher: How does scale used effect the meaning of Mehretu’s work? What if it was 12 inches long instead of 20 feet tall?

  1. I think the scale does a great job of conveying the overwhelming feeling that comes along with modern life.
  2. If her work would have been made small, it wouldn’t have such a strong, overwhelming feeling or effect on the viewer.
  3. The use of scale creates a unique understanding and perspective for audiences. If the scale were different, if would completely change the viewer’s interpretation or meaning of the work.

Teacher: What do you see?

  1. I see various different colors like orange, blue, yellow, and pink. I also see the use of geometry in a lot of her work.
  2. I see many different shapes – simpler ones like squares, triangles, and rhombuses, and other more complex ones that are more abstract and aren’t really identifiable.
  3. She uses a combination of colorful shapes with more gestural marks that are mostly black and grey. I also see some drawings that look digital underneath/in the background of the painting. They kind of look like architectural drawings.

Teacher: What do you think is one positive attribute of abstract art?

  1. I like how abstract art kind of leaves everything up to interpretation. Everyone can see different things in the same work of art.
  2. People can create many different meanings from looking at the same thing when it comes to abstract art. Its less of a fact based thing, and more subjective in that way.
  3. By looking at an abstract piece, people can’t necessarily tell what the work is about right away. This could either be viewed as a positive or a negative. I think that the freedom that abstract art offers is really unique in that way, and leaves a lot more room for the viewer to create their own perspective

Teacher: Do you think this is an accurate representation of modern society?

  1. I think most of us can relate to the speed of modern life, and I think that the lines used in her pieces in combination with the scale she chooses really does reflect this aspect of our society.
  2. I don’t think it really represents anything. To me, it’s just a bunch of lines and shapes I don’t see how that can be a representation of our lives.
  3. I can see what she means by the chaos in some parts of it, along with the sparse lines in other parts that resemble more of a calmness. On the other hand though, I can understand why some people may look at this and completely disagree with her point because it isn’t super clear. But at the end of the day, that is what abstract art is.

Teacher: What do you think the lines and shapes individually represent?

  1. To me, the lines represent the motions of everyday life. Especially the parts that are super chaotic, seem like the speed of our lives or the speed at which we move.
  2. The colorful shapes to me remind me of us. As individuals, we all are very different, come in different shapes and sizes, and we look different. In the same way the shapes are colorful and vibrant, we are also super bright and unique as individuals.
  3. I think the subtle architectural drawings in the background might represent what it actually is – the physicality of our lives. But on the other hand, because it is so subtle and almost goes unnoticed, it could be that the artist is intending for us to understand it in this way. Maybe the physicality of our lives isn’t the most important thing, and maybe its more about energy – and the transfer or movement of it.