Faces from the walls and sidewalks of Italy, Mexico and my home city of Vancouver. Spray paintings, stencils and murals…all a modern 2D equivalent of the 3D Faces shown in previous posts.
Some may be perceived as graffiti, some as street art and some as verging on fine art, but all are expressions of the artist’s fascination with the Face.
The face is ubiquitous in our urban environment, whether it be the living faces of people we brush against every moment as we move through our day or the static faces of the art of the street.
When we tentatively look into the face of the creased and mumbling old man on the bus, the beautiful young woman on the Sky Train or the spray painted features on the alley wall, we are entering an ancient ritual of human recognition of each other.
We silently ask, “Who are you my friend, behind the mask you wear?” And we ask, if only subconsciously, “What do the faces on this wall say about me and us and about the existential predicament we all find ourselves in?”
all photos by clinock
Sincere thanks and credit to all the unknown artists represented here.
Good art, personally I would like it better in a gallery. Such a pity to have this exposed to all sorts of weather!
We have become accustomed to ‘real art’ being forever, but since the advent of Conceptual Art we have come to accept that art, especially street art, can be as transitory as life itself. Much of street art vanishes with weather, time, erasure by the powers that be and demolition…it is here today and tomorrow it is gone – kind of like this blogging thing we do. Always wonderful to hear from you Ina…
Interesting choice of face art with words to ponder… John, you make me think.
Characters – faces – expressions… so intriguing how we see them and even more so, how we draw them.
Thank you Nancy…hope that’s a good thing 😉 !!!
Yes, absolutely true Marina……. and also I was just looking at all the faces of my blogging community in their gallery, over there —-> and thinking how strange it is to know everyone from their words and art but not from their living faces…simply from one static photograph…bloggles the mind it does!
As a wise man once said…….complex questions require simple answers………a face is a mask to conceal the real self…….even from the self 🙂
Oh John must add………….maybe he was totally wrong!
Just musing about the very same thing myself Robert…see my next post…(great minds think alike?) 😉
When a ‘wise man’ is wrong…that’s scary…
Funny, I was thinking just that as I was looking at the photo gallery too!!! Great minds huh?! 😉
Great minds indeed Marina and lovely minds too, grateful for them we should be…and no surprise you see with so much clarity as your name is Sea…
🙂 [and that’s where my mind is too. Hopefully one day we”l be able to live by it!]
I really enjoy your connections…one of my favourite bloggers, obviously!
Wow……just had a peek at your next post and I guess that wise man ……was wiser than I thought. Another great post John
As you are one of mine Kathleen, although I think I will never catch up…thank you my friend…