urban artwork

[Roger]

some of the artwork lining the walls of an apartment complex I've been visiting lately.
1

2

3

4

 

[Battou]

It's a shame, few people really look at the artistic quality of paint work like that. Be it planed graffiti murals like this looks like or street punk tagging so many people see it and dismiss it as meaningless graffiti, and they fail to see some of the artistic capability of graffiti artists. Shots two and three really demonstrate just some of artistic talent and ability used during the creation process (with the exception of the little doodle there :sad anim: )

In the first one I feel the window takes the eye from the paint work, You can't see the intricacies involved. Number four would demonstrate the artists skills with perspectives but there is an issue with obstruction with the stair case there.

 

[LaFoto]

I do recognise the artistic quality of paintwork of this kind, though punk tagging does not really get my attention. That is mere scribbling to me, little art in that.

But in these murals here, yes. For sure.
My immediate thought about the first was: how could the outside (the view through the window) be so well exposed AND the wall paintings still be seen? They are dark, all right, but ... I am still wondering. It was sooooo bright outside, I would THINK you'd either get the view right and the walls all black, or the walls right and the window frightfully overexposed (something close to this shows in the last photo, where the window is really bright, and the walls are ok). That surprises me.

Or did you create an HDR out of the first?

Well, in a way and despite my fascination with the correct exposure on the outside view, the view as such does distract from the murals, so I agree with Battou over this.

I like the fact that there is a person in the last, and yes, the 3-D quality of these murals shows best here. Just bring your sledgehammer next time you go there and get rid of that concrete staircase first, eh?

 

[Roger]

Battou yes i couldn't do much with that bit of wall in the way and in 1 the window was burned in deliberately to make it appear part of the wall, but obviously different. I agree this level of artwork goes largely unappreciated, I love graff of all kinds. Corrina glad you like them and as I explained above, the window was burned in pretty heavily to achieve an effect which though successful appears disliked lol. Also I wanted to show the context of where the artwork was, part of a living building.

 

[Battou]

I do recognise the artistic quality of paintwork of this kind, though punk tagging does not really get my attention. That is mere scribbling to me, little art in that.

...

In some of the larger American cities (I would imagine larger cities around the world but...) one can periodically see street born graffiti in it's truest form with intricate locally unique fonts and complex imagery, sadly police involvement had deteriorated the street born graffiti into the street punk tagging we call it to day. Graffiti (unless otherwise arranged) is by all means vandalism, street kids want to vandalize something, they break it or paint it. As the police make more effort to eliminate it and penalize people doing it, the ones doing the paint rush so as not to get caught. This causes the meaningless scribbles you see. It's these meaningless scribbles that the majority of people immediately associate with graffiti some times resulting with completely ignoring graffiti work all together, and that is kind of sad.

When I looked at these I looked first at the art itself, because it's my nature, I look at artwork and drawings all the time, It's nice to see something like this.

Battou yes i couldn't do much with that bit of wall in the way and in 1 the window was burned in deliberately to make it appear part of the wall, but obviously different. I agree this level of artwork goes largely unappreciated, I love graff of all kinds. Corrina glad you like them and as I explained above, the window was burned in pretty heavily to achieve an effect which though successful appears disliked lol. Also I wanted to show the context of where the artwork was, part of a living building.

I understand why, graff work of this caliber is most commonly found in abandoned and/or condemned buildings where the painters can remain hidden for long periods of time along with fewer worries about rivals and/or community leaders covering it over. I would have to say, Though It seems not totally approved of, the window did serve it's purpose. It along with the person LaFoto noted and the web address at both ends are what led me to believe it a planed mural, and as common sense would put it, communities don't go to websites and hire a painter to paint the walls of an abandoned building

 

[FSquares]

these photos are awesome.. and the grafiti are incredible.. especially that blue part in the last pic.. yeah, i agree that the stair should be sledgehammered for a complete photo. lol