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Queen City Mural

Introduction

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Matt Hooker and Matt Moore are two of the artists that helped to start the mural renaissance in Charlotte. This mural at 105 E. 5th Street from 2015 was one of the first murals uptown and remains a favorite. With its Charlotte iconography included through the mural, it’s like a scavenger hunt for all things Charlotte.

Images

Building, Azure, Window, Graffiti

Backstory and Context

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Matt Hooker and Matt Moore are self-taught artists who largely deserve a lot of credit for starting the current mural explosion in Charlotte. Hooker and Moore, or the Matts, as they are known, have work all over the city with a style that is always changing and always engaging. Each project of theirs will seem a little different as they strive for innovation with each new commission.

Key Formal Elements:

  • Focal point on the far right with a bright yellow explosion
  • Asymmetrical balance

Make the Connection: This mural explodes with pictorial imagery related to the city of Charlotte. For example, the crown surrounding the bright yellow explosion represents the city of Charlotte’s namesake Queen Charlotte. Can you find one symbol from Charlotte’s past and one from Charlotte’s present? Notice the gold miner swinging a pick ax as a representation of Charlotte’s gold rush during the 1790s. Above that, the kayaker is a reference to the new Whitewater Center. There are connections to other local attractions as well the city’s sports teams.  

Sources

Accessed March 23rd 2021. https://www.charlotteobserver.com/article167115232.html.

Accessed March 23rd 2021. https://www.charlottemagazine.com/hooker-moore-the-matts-behind-the-murals/.

Accessed March 23rd 2021. https://www.charlotteiscreative.com/wet-paint-meet-matt-moore-the-wolf-g-o-a-t/.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

www.artwalksclt.com

Additional Information