I took a brief walk through the tenderloin the other day on my way to the bus stop. Along the way I caught a glimpse of some artwork worth mentioning. The first artwork I came across barely caught my eye to begin with. It is located on a small street right off of Market Street, which I almost walked by. It is actually two separate pieces of art located on the same wall, so I thought I would document them together. What I noticed right away is the color contrast of both pieces compared to the black background. That really allows the painting to pop out at you. Also the colors are very sharp, and bright. What I got from these paintings is a message of hope. In a district of San Francisco that is so impoverished and disregarded, these pieces of art are a ray of hope. The color is shining through the monotonous black background and really brighten that entire city block.
The next piece I came across is actually on Market Street in between 7th and 8th. It is located on a construction scaffolding and will probably be removed at some point in the near future, so it was nice to capture it while it still exists. I really like this piece because the different elements of the mural are acting together to form one big painting. Though there are many different shapes and color schemes, they all work together well. These different shapes form a few giant eyes. I like to think that these eyes are symbolic of someone or something watching over the tenderloin, since the local government has obviously stopped doing so.
very abstract, mod, it's good
ReplyDeleteNice!!
ReplyDeleteGreat job...thanks for sharing this beautiful work. A lot of it I have not seen as I have not lived in the Bay Area my whole life, but learning about the beautiful area now. I love the intensity of the second work.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an amazing piece of art and I think everyone should be aware of it. The first time I noticed it, I was in awe. I walked slowly past the expansive mural and paid close attention to the details. The eyes are so vibrant and impossible to look away from. I really like your musing that the artist chose to paint eyes in order to look over the Tenderloin. I never really thought about why they chose to paint eyes, but this makes so much sense. I wonder if anyone doing illegal activity in front of those eyes has ever had the same thought...
ReplyDeleteIt is so funny the different views people have about graffiti, some (most) people see it as destroying property, and others see it as beautiful. Depending on the artwork they are leaving, I almost always see it as beautiful. On my trip to Europe years ago, I got so caught up in taking pictures of amazing graffiti, I missed taking pictures of some of the really historical statues and such I should have been paying attention too. These people are very talented artists, but get a bad reputation because they aren't painting on small canvases. I know there is a big difference between straight graffiti and murals, but there is definitely beauty in both. I haven't really ventured to the TL that much, but this is some amazing graffiti! Great post!
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