
Street
painting has been recorded throughout Europe since the 16th century
and is considered an important expression of popular art. A crowd
would gather whenever an itinerant artist used his chalks to turn
the ordinary pavement into a fine work of art. In Italy, street
painters are called "madonnari" after their historical
practice of creating chalk paintings of the Madonna. This 400 year
old tradition has seen a revival in the past twenty years with the
birth of street painting festivals throughout Europe and the United
States.
The
work shown here are all collaborative efforts with other artists.
The images were created using a standard box of pastels on pavement
and range in size from 6'X6' to 12'x18'. Most took two days to complete
and are usually washed off the street the following day. |