Pope Francis as super-sized popular idol.

With a striking mural of Pope Francis, Martín Ron completes his trilogy of popular idols

It measures 50 meters high and is located in the city of La Plata. The Argentine muralist's work thus culminates the saga that also includes Diego Armando Maradona and Lionel Messi

After painting large-scale portraits of soccer legends Diego Armando Maradona and Lionel Messi, Argentine urban artist Martín Ron completes his trilogy of the country's popular idols with a 50-meter-high mural dedicated to Pope Francis in the city of La Plata.

A white dove flaps its wings. Below, Pope Francis looks at it with a smile and extends his arm, as if inviting it to take flight. The scene is real and occurred in 2013, shortly after Jorge Bergoglio was elected pontiff. Those who witnessed it say that some pilgrims gave the dove to Francis, but the bird refused to leave his hand.

Now the scene comes to life again, 50 meters above the ground, on a dividing wall near the imposing cathedral in the Argentine city of La Plata, reproduced in giant format using the hyperrealistic technique of muralist Martín Ron.

"We wanted it to be a posthumous tribute, with a connection to heaven. That's why we chose a well-known image, in which Francis appears smiling, raising his arm, accompanied by a dove, a symbol of peace and spirituality," Ron explains in an interview with EFE.

The work is located in the historic heart of the capital of the province of Buenos Aires and will be officially inaugurated on July 26. According to local authorities, it is the largest mural in the world dedicated to the first Argentine pontiff.

The image was selected after several months of creative work and responds to the technical challenges of the mural, which had to be adapted to an unusual format: 50 meters high by just five meters wide.

"It was a very difficult wall due to its verticality. The chosen image resolves everything: it has a long ribbon, a cross, an arm that emerges from the plane and connects with the sky," explains the 44-year-old artist, who leads a team of five people.

The mural was sponsored by the municipality of La Plata and the local archbishopric, who invited Ron for his career and international exposure. The artist had previously carried out interventions in that city, although on a much smaller scale. "People were waiting for a work of mine," the artist noted.

Ron is Argentina's most renowned muralist, with large-scale works in various countries and making the depiction of popular idols a hallmark of his work.

In 2022, he unveiled the world's largest mural of Maradona, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Constitución. In 2024, after the Argentine national team's World Cup triumph in Qatar, he painted a 35-meter-high Messi on 9 de Julio Avenue in Buenos Aires. Both appear with their arms raised, in a gesture of triumph. "These figures generate a strong sense of gratitude in people because they feel close to them, as part of their identity," says Ron.

In his latest work, Francis also raises his arm, although with another meaning: an invitation to encounter, a gesture of peace. Thus, the muralist completes a trilogy of Argentine popular idols with global reach.

Regarding his technique, he explains that it's hyperrealism or gigantography. "We want the image to have the impact of a giant photograph. To achieve this, you need highly professional equipment and precision work, even in difficult weather conditions and with a slight fear of heights," he tells EFE.

Ron has created murals in cities such as London, Tallinn (Estonia), Penang (Malaysia), Bristol (UK), Miami (USA), Tenerife (Spain), Bremen and Glauchau (both in Germany). In Argentina, in addition to his works in Buenos Aires and La Plata, he also did a monumental portrait of the creator of the national flag, Manuel Belgrano, in the city of Rosario.

The work of Belgrano, considered one of the fathers of the Argentinean fatherland, was painted on a wall in front of the Monumento a la Bandera and became one of the few representations of the hero outside school textbooks or museums. "I wanted to bring him back to the neighbourhood, to bring him back to the place as a neighbour", explains the artist.

The creation of the mural of Francisco, his latest work, took 20 days of uninterrupted work. "It is a mural of massive projection because of the place, because of the figure, because of what it represents. For me, it's another milestone," he said. So far there has been no contact with the Vatican, although Ron does not lose hope: "The mural can function as a sign. Hopefully I'll have the chance to paint in Rome", he reveals at the end of the interview.

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