Lens-Artists Challenge #170 – Street Art

The Birds, The Birds

“Street art is nothing else but urban poetry that catches someone’s eye.”

Christian Guemy

This week Patti invites us to share images of street art which appears more and more often in the most unlikely of places. I’ve seen it in multiple countries and on a myriad of platforms – railroad cars, bridges, building walls, playgrounds, you name it. It ranges from scrawled messages all the way up to the most elaborate of commissioned work. The artists have come into their own such that they no longer have to hide their identities, in fact they’ve become rather iconic as leaders of a new and exciting genre.

Strength and Beauty

“I use art to express myself and to escape from work. It is sacred.”

Guido Van Halten

I was in California when I came upon my opening image, and in the heart of NYC for the second. The first was in a quiet outskirt on the wall of a store, the second was beside the famous Calatrava Oculus. Both seemed perfectly positioned in areas that could not have been more different. I was drawn to both for the amazing use of color to draw the eye and to express emotion.

Little Green Men

“Don’t have much to say that wouldn’t look better on a wall.”

BiP

Because I’ve focused on the most colorful of examples, my selection this week offers quite a range of locations, themes and approaches. The image above, taken in Hudson New York, was on a wall outside of a Mexican restaurant. I thought it was great fun with its green street musicians.

The Eyes Have It

“Few people go to art expeditions. The power of Street Art is that it goes to people’s daily life to be seen.”

iNO

One of my favorite street art encounters was in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires. Seen above we actually saw the piece as it was being created by a very focused painter. Obviously street art is a global phenomenon although I suppose there are places where it would not be allowed, or where it would be more controlled.

Market Day, Tel Aviv

“Street art …is so democratic. Art by anyone for anyone.”

Mydogsighs

The image above was one piece of a large street art painting in Tel Aviv, Israel. I loved the colors and what I saw as portrayal of a happy, fun day at an open-air market.

Carried Away

“If our creativities are guided by public policies, we are not gonna be able to paint anything at all”

INTI

I’ve chosen a personal favorite as my closing image. Th gigantic vulture was an amazing example of street art just outside of Charleston SC. It was made even more special by the performance of a street artist, the young man shown “falling” in front of the art. There are a dozen terrific paintings in the area and he performed for our photography club one afternoon much to our delight. I combined the vulture images into a tryptic to create a feeling of his having been dropped by the bird.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my selection this week. I apologize that I’ve not included the names of the painters, unfortunately I don’t have them. But each of my quotes this week is from a well-known street artist which I hope makes up for that in some small way.

Many thanks to I.J. for leading us last week with his Ordinary challenge. It was great to see how each of you was able to turn everyday objects and places into something magical. We hope you’ll join us this week to celebrate the street artists and their craft. Remember to link your response to Patti’s original here, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Next week Ann-Christine will lead our challenge so be sure to stop by her blog next Saturday. Until then, as always please stay safe and be kind.

Tags: colorful, LENS-ARTISTS, street art

• October 16, 2021
• Photography
• 103 Comments