Copley Square, complete with the historic Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library, was the temporary home of a different kind of relic Saturday and Sunday. Residents and tourists alike were not only able to enjoy the unseasonable warmth among the fountains and patches of grass in Copley, but they were also invited to help fill in a paint-by-numbers mural.
“Paint-by-Goya,” co-hosted by the Museum of Fine Arts and Santander Bank, attempted to bring the Boston community together through an 8-by-12-foot paint-by-numbers mural of Spanish romantic painter Francisco Goya’s “The Parasol,” which was propped in the middle of Copley. The mural was up from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., surrounded by paint that people used to fill in the blanks.
“We designed the mural project to draw attention to the arts and give the public the experience of viewing and painting one of Goya’s masterpieces,” said Peter Greiff, head of communications and corporate affairs at Santander Holdings USA. “This project brings the community together to create and appreciate art and is one of the many ways in which we show our commitment to Boston and New England.”
Both children and adults stopped to pick up one of the many paintbrushes supplied by MFA volunteers, choosing a color and trying to stay inside the lines.
The mural was a reconstruction created by local artist James Weinberg of Somerville. The painting depicts a young woman reclining in a park as a man holds a parasol over her head. The outlines of each figure were fitted onto the large canvas of the mural, separated into numbered sections and filled in piece-by-piece by passersby.
The mural was created in part to celebrate the Oct. 12 opening of the “Goya: Order and Disorder” exhibit at the MFA. The exhibition contains 170 of the artist’s paintings, drawings and prints from the period of the 1770s until Goya’s death in 1828.
The project carries an impressive weight and importance for Santander, a banking group that was founded in Santander, Spain, said Roman Blanco, president and CEO of Santander Bank and Santander Holdings USA. The country is also home to the original Goya masterpiece, which can be found in the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid.
“This Goya exhibition brings together two very important strands of Santander’s identity: our commitment to New England and our heritage in Spain,” he said. “We are delighted to join with the Fundación Banco Santander [Santander Bank Foundation] to sponsor the exhibition. We commend the MFA for bringing together this extensive collection of Goya’s work that is sure to inspire all who attend.”
Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund director at the MFA, said Goya’s work is still relevant today even though it was created decades ago.
“This exhibition offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enter the mind of one of the great artists of all time, whose powerful masterpieces continue to inspire us,” he said. “We’re grateful for Santander’s sponsorship of ‘Goya: Order and Disorder’ and look forward to building upon this exciting new partnership.”
The communal mural will be on display as a part of the “Goya” exhibition in the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery at the MFA until Jan. 19.
