Spirit of Creativity

Spirit of Creativity by artist Paul Santoleri was located in Queen Village neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The mural features nine colorful forms floating, looping, and swirling above a fantastical version of Philadelphia. The spirits look at the world upside-down, reflecting the connection between creativity and looking at the world in a non-pragmatic way. Artist Paul Santoleri was initially inspired by a trip to see Cirque Du Soleil 6 months earlier. He thought he would incorporate his series of upside-down cities that he was working on at the time, which reflects a kind of acrobatics. Each figure represents a different form of creative energy. The artist borrowed from some of the energy that creates life on our planet, such as fire, air, and water.

The purple figure is Dionysus, the Roman God who breathes life into our lungs. The yellow figure has an idea sprouting from the palms of his hands to show the creativity of work and the white figure dipping his hand into the windows is curiosity. Below and above you see the buildings from the area dabbled with symbols of music and rhythm.

Members of the cast of Cirque du Soleil helped paint the mural in conjunction with the Mural Art’s Program’s partnership with the internationally renowned circus. MAP was the beneficiary of a special performance of the circus with proceeds going to the program.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (displaced by new construction ca. 2006).