Daily post &Illustration 12 Dec 2006 07:24 am
Street Art
– 18 months ago, an artist had set himself up in front of Our Lady of Pompeii church, about a block away from my studio. He painted a rosetta image of Madonna and Child using some kind of chalks, I wondered how long the image would stay. Three days, maybe five?
When it didn’t fade away quickly, I assumed it must have been done with oil pastels. I still don’t really know but am curious. The church, at Bleecker and 6th Ave in Greenwich Villiage, is a landmark in the city, and a lot of people walk by and around it.
Now it’s a year and a half later, and the Madonna is fading slowly despite hundreds of people walking over it.
The aging actually seems to have improved it; I’m impressed with its endurance.
I also wondered who the artist was. He obviously copied what looked to me like a Caravaggio. It took him about three days of work to complete. Though I walked past him several times (the church is on the way to the subway from my studio) I never stopped to ask who he was.
This past week, for the first time, I noticed another street painting by the same man at 8th Street in Greenwich Village.
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(Click any image to enlarge.)
1. This is a more ambitious painting, and includes quite a bit of detail. There’s Mary and Child, two angels and two saints.
2. I had difficulty photographing it; I tried early morning – when crowds would be fewer – but had an overbearing sun blocking out Mary’s face. It seemed to glow. Hence, I had to go in for this close-up of Mary and Child.
With this picture, the artist left his name and phone number. I found his site on the internet. Hani Shihada takes pride in what he does, and he should. He also decorates stores, restaurants et. al.
I’m just happy with the way he’s decorated my City.
Additional Note:
The NYTimes, today, has an article on Nickelodeon and it’s money machine – cartoons.
