Vibrant colors explode across the wall before us. This is Daniel Anguilu’s “100 Years of Solitude” mural at Northeastern University. It is more than just paint. It is a story etched onto the very fabric of this campus.
The “100 Years of Solitude” mural is a piece in Northeastern’s Public Art Initiative. The initiative brings art to the Boston campus. It transforms spaces with unique creations.
Daniel Anguilu, the Houston-based artist, originally painted this mural in 2014. The mural is located on the stairway and ramp leading to a pedestrian bridge. This bridge connects the Columbus Avenue parking garage to the main campus.
Anguilu’s style blends Mexican heritage with abstract shapes and vibrant colors. His art often features animal imagery. It can be seen on freight trains and large walls across the United States, Mexico, Peru, and Italy.
The imagery within the “100 Years of Solitude” mural includes trains and faces. Butterflies also feature as well as representations of daily life. The title pays homage to Gabriel García Márquez. Márquez was a Colombian author. He died just before Anguilu’s arrival in 2014. Anguilu was inspired by Márquez’s novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”
Anguilu returned in 2018 to expand the mural. He added new elements to it. In 2023, Anguilu returned again. This time he created a new mural in place of the original. The wall had seen wear and tear. It made sense to create a new piece.
Anguilu’s work elevates the space. It makes it more active and comfortable. It encourages you to look up from your phone. The new mural retains Anguilu’s style. This style takes inspiration from Mexican indigenous art. It also uses his roots in street art and graffiti. The color scheme of the original piece remains.
Anguilu enjoys reinventing his own work. Public art isn’t static. It can evolve with the community. The intergenerational story of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” remains central to the piece. Anguilu wants to capture the novel’s meaning more fully this time. He feels García Márquez’s work is more relevant now.
Anguilu approaches his work with intention and spontaneity. This gives his work an organic feeling. He moves around the wall until something makes sense to him. For Anguilu, it’s about making a mark that becomes a piece of art.
So, as you stand before this mural, take a moment. Think about the story it tells. Consider its vibrant colors and shapes. See how it connects to the world around you. The “100 Years of Solitude” mural isn’t just a painting. It is a living piece of art. It evolves. It inspires. It connects us to stories and to each other.