These two murals are from Somerville and Gloucester. Do you get the feeling that the towns themselves have different personalities? One seems to record the history of the city in a formalized way. The other is more about people’s lives today.
If you know more about the genesis of these murals, I’d love to hear it. In both cases, the murals seem to have been created with permission. I wonder if you think that permission subverts the subversiveness of street art?
Makes me think of the kids in eighth grade who were asked to create nice Halloween paintings on shop windows so the windows wouldn’t get soaped as a Halloween prank.
The goody-two-shoes kids painted windows with pumpkins and witches. The rough kids still soaped windows.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
That’s a good question about whether permission subverts subversiveness, and it really gets to the why of the art. I don’t think a subversive statement has to be forbidden to be subversive, but I suppose risk taken does increase the stakes? And therefore, one assumes, the importance to the artist? If I leave poetry on telephone poles, that’s somewhat subversive, maybe, and not forbidden. But it’s not particularly risky. But if it’s political poetry? In a country that forbids political dissent? Whole other story.
A good answer. And if you have a general permission to do certain work but you go under the radar to expand it into areas the permission giver wouldn’t have liked if asked, then it is subversive until the permission giver decides that it’s OK after all.
There’s an interesting Tumblr blog I follow that you might like–it’s graffiti art mainly in Melbourne: http://snappingthewalls.tumblr.com
Some is beautiful, some is thought provoking, some is just trashy and depressing. (He does post other things besides graffiti; I’m noticing that the top few posts **aren’t** graffiti right now, but if you scroll back….)
Thanks for the lead. Will check it out, Asakiyume.
I love the Somerville mural. Where is it located! i would love to see it in person!
I see it when I walk the bike path from the Alewife to the Davis T station. It’s just off the path near Mass. Ave. It may actually be Cambridge there. If you can’t find it, let me know, and I will find a better address.