Murals are one of the oldest art forms in human history. A team of archaeologists recently discovered a faded hand outline on a cave wall in Indonesia, dating back at least 67,800 years. Let that sink in for a moment. Quick math tells us that someone made that mural 65,774 years before Jesus Christ. Most likely, ancestors to indigenous Australians lived in a dark cave on a remote island and for expression, they used earth-based raw materials to make art on rock. Scientists believe a person placed a hand on the wall and blew a mixture of water and pigment to make the outline, reminiscent of using a pencil to sketch around a hand on paper. These early humans made art reflecting their wide-ranging emotions and perceptions of their surroundings. By doing so, they told stories and shared belief systems and cultures of their time.
Today, humans continue their use of the mural art form, as seen all over Hattiesburg. On a drive down Hardy Street downtown, across from the beautiful Hattiesburg library, a large colorful mural is painted on the back wall of a commercial building. Words written on the art quote poet Maya Angelou, “This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before.” Profound and hopeful, art encourages us to reset body, mind, and soul to the opportunities of a fresh start each full axis rotation of the Earth relative to the sun. For those counting, that is roughly over 24,000,000 days between the cave drawing and the Hattiesburg mural. Yet, during that vast expanse of time, each day presented its own unique set of human experiences.
Heading west from downtown on Hardy, a bright mural adorns the wall of the building which houses T-Bones Records & Cafe. The art proclaims our city as an American birthplace of rock and roll. While historians may argue that point, we do know that music is another ancient art form which connects us with our earliest ancestors. Chances are those persons in Indonesian caves used their voices and hands to make music in those echo chambers. As a communal ritual, the first human-made sounds have reverberated continuously through time, connecting us through one unbroken chain of inhabitants on this planet.
Drive further west down Hardy to Tabella’s restaurant, and you will see Aubrey Sparkman’s stunning mural on the adjacent building with the profile of a woman proudly looking upward with eyes closed. Van Gough’s famous words are written over the kaleidoscope of colors, “What is done in love is done well.” This universal truth expands through centuries and millennia. Surely it is love that has thus far allowed humanity to reproduce and flourish from cave dwellers to a civilized species.
Today’s murals tell our stories and may do so for tens of thousands of years. They are “stored honey of the human soul,” nourishing each successive generation. Driving downtown on West Pine Street, the entire side wall of The Porter Public House is painted with a magnificent mural titled “Hattiesburg.” The art depicts magnolias and trees as a backdrop for the local train depot which once served as the destination for post-Reconstruction settlers to our Piney Woods region. They came from all over the world with different languages and cultures. Our city history is an imperfect one, particularly stained by Jim Crow laws. Yet the “Hub City” today is a thriving, diverse community. Within the mural on West Pine, the artist painted a large arrow, which appears to be moving in the direction away from the depot and down the tracks. This art symbolizes a human journey that is not yet complete. We continue forward, appreciative of each distinct “wonderful day,” grateful for the shared music and love “done well,” and thankful for our tiny place in this world named Hattiesburg.
Clark Hicks is a civil litigation attorney and Hattiesburg resident. Write him at clark@hicksattorneys.com.
