Bookish Mural

This article from the New York Times book section discusses a mural commissioned by New York University that depicts writers' work spaces and their book collections. The paintings that comprise the mural by artist Elena Climent represent "six authors who spent some, if not all, of their careers in New York": Washington Irving, Edith Wharton, Zora Neale Hurston, Frank O'Hara, Jane Jacobs, and Pedro Pietri. Each panel is part scene from the author's work or life, part work space with touches relevant to the author's life, and part bookshelves depicting the author's personal library.

Four of the paintings, along with comments by Climent, can be seen in the slide show here:A Mural of Writers at Home With Their Books. I love them all, although I'm not familiar with Jane Jacobs or Pedro Pietri's work. I just wish the pictures were larger and all six paintings were shown.

I'd love to see these in person. I also liked Climent's observation that "writers don't get photographed writing. It's not like painters in their studios." I wonder if it's accurate to say that writers write more about writing than artists write about their own work? That seems like a logical assumption since painting and photography are both visual mediums, while writing obviously isn't. Nevertheless, I think a photography book that depicts writers while they're working would be quite interesting.