My soup - posts tagged 'Graffiti'

Paris, the city of Love

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:00:05 GMT

Sweet graffito today... I found it at rue Monge and thought it was cute. They I thought of the common saying "Paris, ville de l'amour" (Paris, the city of love) and I started wondering why? I even searched on the web! And did not find anything relevant really. Why on earth would Paris be anymore the city of love than any of these cities?! I wonder...

Street sign thief!

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:06:28 GMT

Yes it's a one way street sign. Yes it's pretty dirty. But look more closely... Something should put a smile on your face, like it did on mine... Yes, the little guy that looks like he's stealing the white rectangle inside this street sign! I have no idea who did this, but apparently there as several ones in Paris and I find it quite amusing. that's all for today ;-)

Look!

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:00:01 GMT

My scooter broke down a few days ago and I had to take it to a garage... Last evening I went there to pick it up and on the way, I came across this stunning painted wall at rue Oberkampf. It was made by Mosko Associés, a group of street artists that actually started in the Moskowa area (hence their name), an old Paris quarter that has been renovated and completed in 2004. Check their website.

Encore!

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:09:24 GMT

Sometimes I really wonder who is behind a graffiti? I found this one in Le Marais - I don't remember well exactly - and I simply liked the graphical design. Encore in French means "again" (but we don't "encore" artists on stage like you do in English, we "bis" them!); Anyway I will probably never find out what this mysterious sign is all about. Sorry for the lack of inspiration, but I'm super busy at the moment... (Not to forget that I still have my Christmas shopping in my to do list!)

Booooh!

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:00:03 GMT

I don't think I ever showed you one of those and though you can find many in Paris. They are made by a street artist called Giaco, who's art is precisely to use street furniture and equipment to turn them into artistic objects of scenes. In the present case he used one of the many grids that allow the sewers to receive light as a thoracic cavity for this skeleton. I love it! Anyway, nothing to do with what is going to keep me busy for the next 3 days: Le Web, a big Internet conference that takes place every year in Paris and that I have never missed since the very first one (it was called Les Blogs at that time)!

Mélodie & Nicolas!

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 23:02:00 GMT

I took this photo in front of La Comédie Française, a theater which facade they are currently redoing. On this facade someone wrote Mélodie & Nicolas (probably the names of two lovers who wanted claim their love to the world ;-)), but hen I took the photo, I caught these two kids on the my "film". It's very unlikely that they are called Mélodie & Nicolas, but I think it makes a real cool photo.

The Mask!

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:02:00 GMT

Another discovery of one of these embedded masks that you can find everywhere in Paris. Let me remind you that they are made by Gregos, an street artist who started posting white/blank faces about 3 years ago. He started introducing color at the beginning of 2009. I love them. I photographed this one at rue de Picardie in the 3rd arrondissement.

Peace!

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 20:22:57 GMT

Here is a "graffito" I found near Republique, and I thought it was most appropriate for today. Have a peaceful Sunday everyone, we all deserve it. Update. Have a look at one of the Tributes the French made today at Trocadero.

Chuuuttt!

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 22:03:00 GMT

Sorry the "stunning views of Paris" series has to stop ;-) I have to go back to another Paris classic: Jeff Aerosol, one of the most famous street artists in Paris. So famous, that the 4th arrondissement city hall asked him to paint this huge fresco on a wall located at Place Stravinsky (where the famous Niki de Saint Phalle fountain - the one you see in the foreground - is located). I love it. More on the dedicated website, on Jeff Aerosol website and in this little video (where you can see the progress of the painting).

Very elaborated graffito

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:02:13 GMT

I found this "graffito" - I don't really know what to call it - in Montmartre and I'm still amazed by its quality, for it's actually made of little square tiles, which probably took a lot of time putting together. Louise Michel is a famous historical figure in France; she was born in 1830 and played an important role during the Paris "Commune" in 1871. It was not so usual for a woman to take part in the political life at that time. I guess the one who made this piece of art is one of her admirers...

Jerry Bin Laden

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 22:01:00 GMT

Not much to say about his graffito (which is more of a printed painting really). I saw it near the Beaubourg Center and could not help but laughing when I saw it. I have no idea who made that, but I think it’s pretty creative and funny. Jerry (and Tom) are very popular in France for we had them on television (and we probably still do). Bin Laden is a little less popular, but he was a lot on French television too ;-)

Painted Window

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 22:07:00 GMT

Look at the cute window I found in Le Marais! It's located just above the Brasserie La Perle, at 78, rue Vieille du Temple and it probably belongs to it (in fact, it's pretty common that the apartment just above a café or a restaurant be attached to it. Have a nice week everyone, ours will start with a super hot day - I'm talking really hot (+13° C compared the normal average)!

Er...

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 22:05:00 GMT

Weird and enigmatic graffiti I found at rue Léon Frot. It says "Waiting for the accident"... What accident? A place one, a nuclear one, a new economic crisis? I really would like to know what the "artist" had in mind when posting this... Anyway I thought it was funny, in a provocative way. Have a nice - accident free - Saturday ;-)

Playing Shi Fu Mi

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 22:03:00 GMT

I found another of these intriguing slogans that they post on sidewalks regularly. This one said "Do you want to play Shi Fu Mi?" -which apparently means "Stone paper cloth". Turns out it's a French clothing brand, for women. Anyway, I waited for people to pass by on it and took this photo that I kinda like a lot without knowing exactly why! Probably because it reminds me a bit of the Beatles Abbey Road album...

The colo(u)r of love...

Wed, 11 May 2011 22:08:00 GMT

I debated a long time whether I should keep the trash can in the picture or not and then I decided to keep it because I think it gives an interesting perspective to the scene (don't ask me why!). Talking about love, I'm in DC today and I'm going to try and see "the lovely couple" that many of you remember, I'm sure... I'll keep you posted ;-)

Face the music

Wed, 04 May 2011 22:06:00 GMT

Here is a cute graffito that I photographed on one of the boxes of "a bouquiniste" (booksellers of used books installed along large parts of the embankment of the Seine). This little symphony may only have 2 notes so far, but who knows, one day, it may end up like this! That's all folks, just the results of my today's meandering ;-)

Playing music on the sidewalk

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:21:00 GMT

I know you're going to say this past week has mostly been about cars and graffiti! Well, yes... So ?! LOL Look at these two ones that I found in the 5th (I don't remember the street name). Cool aren't they ? Two old fashion turntables with a cool shadow effect (I had to kneel a little to keep the effect). I did not find who the artist was (it says Vanuf Vanof, somewhere, but I did not find much about him/her). Anyway, have a nice Friday, I'm really glad the week is almost over...

Another great graffito

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 20:06:03 GMT

I did not see any name anywhere near this graffito, but I knew right away who made it: drew this: Jeff Aerosol. In fact, among the many graffiti artists that we have in Paris, Jeff Aerosol is probably the most famous one. I found this cute little scene at the entrance of in La rue du chat qui pêche, the smallest street in Paris, I already talked about here in 2008. update. MY MISTAKE : this piece of art does not belong to Jeff Aerosol but to Nemo of Belleville (who does not seem to have a web site...)

Walking up...

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:08:31 GMT

There is definitely something wrong with Blogger today, I'm really sorry for those of you who have been waiting for their daily fix of Paris (for those of you who are reading this days after March 28, well don't worry, it's all fixed now ;-)! I finally managed to find a workaround and uploaded this photo I took in the 13th arrondissement. I patiently waited for someone to show up in the picture to add a living being in it ;-) I really like it.

Concrete plant

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:02:00 GMT

My gym neighborhood is an endless resource of photo opportunities! Here is the one I took this morning in a small passage off la rue Doudeauville in the 18th arrondissement. The building is obviously about to be taken down and rebuilt and in the meantime they put bricks to block the windows and avoid squatters. Someone had the clever - and somehow poetic - idea of drawing a pair of curtains and a fake plant as if it were a real window! Isn't that cute? I love it.

More on bikes...

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:07:00 GMT

After the bikes lane, here are the bikes! I found them in the 10 th arrondissement, near the Passage Brady where I took the lastest Graffiti photo. If you think riding a bike in Paris is dangerous, well you're wrong! In fact, according to stats I found on this blog, there are 6 times less accidents on bikes than there are on motorbikes... And though most of them don't respect traffic lights according to my experience! I'm off to Lisbon today, but I'll be watching you!

Passage Brady

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 23:01:02 GMT

There is small Passage in the 10th arrondissement called Passage Brady and it's really worth a visit if you're into graffitis (and Indian food!)... The whole place is covered with them and some of them are real pieces of art. I chose to show you this one, which made me smile...

Sick day!

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 23:05:00 GMT

If you think I'm awfully quiet these days, well you're right! the thing is that I caught a very bad flue in Chamonix where I was spending a few days of vacation over new year's eve. I'm back in Paris now, but spent 99% of the day in my bed, sleeping... Needless to say this photo is not fresh of the day, as I did not even think of going outside today! I hope I will recover soon, for my sake of course and to take new Paris photos ;-)

Day off

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 23:03:00 GMT

Guess what? Today is a holiday in France. We're celebrating the end of the first world war, and more precisely the armistice between the allies and Germany in 1918 (see more on good old Wikipedia if you're interested). Now that we're all united within the EU, It seems so odd to me that there were once wars between France and other European countries like Germany or England. Anyway the good news is that even though there are now no veterans left, we're still going to enjoy a nice day off! Time for me to catch up on my work though ;-) BTW, I took this photo in the 20th arrondissement, rue Fontarabie.

France: an aging country...

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 23:09:27 GMT

One of the reasons why the recent law about retirement age was so controversial is that the French are getting older and older and that our life expectancy is also increasing (which is a good news of course, except for our national debt!). The recent figures published by Insee (the French national statistics organization) are formal: by 2060 the French life expectancy will jump from 84 to 91,1 years for women and from 77 to 86 for men. More than that, there will be 200 000 100 year old people against 15 000 today (and 1 150 in the 60's). France is not on top of the world list though, Andorra is! (check this table). BTW, I chose an illustration by MBW, which I believe shows Leornard Nimoy who precisely was not exactly born yesterday ;-)

Hello Paris!

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 22:02:00 GMT

No, this is not a slogan that some demonstrators wrote on a shop window, but just a graffiti that I found on a store that is currently being redone near the Carreau du Temple (a covered market in the 3rd arrondissement). In the front you probably recognized a Wallace fountain, named after Sir Richard Wallace, an Anglo-French philanthropist (see this very old post if you want to know more).

Belated Theme day

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 22:01:00 GMT

So yesterday was a theme day and... I forgot it! I know I should probably be banished from the City Daily Photo community for being so oblivious, but that is the way the cookies crumble. Besides it's probably the first time it happened ;-) Anyway, the theme day was Graffiti. You know I'm not short of them... Here is a new proof even if I don't really dare calling it a graffito as, to me, this looks more like a painting than anything else. It was made by Franck Duval, an artist known for his collages. I love his work. BTW, it is still time to visit the CDP community and see what graffiti they posted yesterday (there are some masterpieces) .

Jeff Aerosol

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 22:15:00 GMT

You know how I love to show you the street artists I come across when I walk through the streets of Paris (see several examples here). The most famous one, to me, is Jeff Aerosol. Last Friday, as I went to the opening of a Urban Art exhibition at Gallery Uni-ver I finally got to meet him (and yes, as you probably have guessed, he is the little man in this photo ;-) As for the blue figure in the foreground it was made by another well-known street artist: Zlotykamien.

The Crying Euro...

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:05:00 GMT

The Euro is not doing too well these days (that is one of the reasons why tourists have returned to Europe - and France in particular, as I already mentioned it here). I thought this sign was very appropriate. I'd like to think that the paint drippings was all natural, but I think it was made on purpose... We'll probably never know.

True art

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:04:00 GMT

I found this "graffiti" (I don't really dare calling it graffiti, as it's really more of a painting than a graffito to me), at the entrance of Jardin Villemin in the 10th arrondissement, by the Gare de l'est. I could not help but thinking of the cave men whose painting is now considered as work of art by our civilisation... Will this painting also be considered as a work of art in thousands of years (providing it survives that long!) or just as another tag on a wall? I tried to decipher the signature in the upper left corner - it reads Cho, or something like that - but I have been unable to track him/her down on the Internet.

The Mask!

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:03:00 GMT

I don't know if you remember, but I already showed you one of these masks last October and I know some of you find them scary, but I can't help being captivated by them. Unlike "simple" graffiti, they are strongly glued to walls, facades or, in the present case bridge (I took this photograph at Le Pont du Louvre). Like I already explained, they represent the face of Gregos, the artist who makes - and glue - them!

Scary? Yeah, a little...

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:05:00 GMT

It's been a while since I've shown you a Paris Graffiti! The colors of this one are not as vibrant as yesterday's Eiffel Tower, but it's still pretty interesting. I photographed it the same day I photographed the Bal des Pompiers, near le Canal Saint Martin (at the corner of rue Jean Poulmarch). It's a bit scary, but I really loved it at the time I took it. Paris is wonderful at the moment; people have started leaving and the weather is just perfect. Have a good weekend everyone, wherever you are in the world.

Funny ball game

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:24:19 GMT

I don't think there will ever be a world cup of this ball game(!), but if there was, I'm sure Jérôme Mesnager (the artist of this graffiti) would be the champion! I've shown several samples of his work on PDP over the past 5 years, but I could not help but stopping and pulling my trigger when I saw this one at rue Lhomond in the 5th arrondissement. Really creative. Check out his site and you'll see many other ones in the little video he posted.

Wandering near Beaubourg

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 07:07:59 GMT

I took this photo in the Beaubourg area, near the Pompidou center. I never realized until now how old and shabby this neighborhood has become. The buildings that once were restored (when I was 20!) need a real paint job (don't say I do too LOL!), the pavement is dirty and the trendy cafés are about to become much less trendy! I think it's time to plan some renovation... After all the town hall is doing it on the other side of the street (where the Forum des Halles is located), maybe they can get group prices! PS: sorry for the late posting. My mistake!

Touching graffiti

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 22:05:00 GMT

I don't know about you, but I NEVER see anyone posting graffiti on walls. Who the hell are these people, and when do they go out to write their stuff! These are the questions I once again asked myself when I saw this graffiti a few days ago in rue de Richelieu. Anyway, part of me thinks it's really silly to dirty a wall like this and part of me couldn't help smiling when I saw it, thinking of what caused the person to claim such an ownership! BTW, you see the little man in the mirror? Well guess who this is LOL

Another Souvenir from the Picnic

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:29:51 GMT

The place we had the picnic on Sunday is very very popular. So popular that a lot of people go there to take a walk or lay in the sun by the river between the Pont Neuf (in the background) and the Pont des arts. And before they go, they often want to leave a little souvenir on one of the many trees that are planted there! That is what I grabbed in this photo ;-) How romantic is that?! BTW, I worked all evening for you. The video is now ready - well it will be @ 1 am French time. Don't expect too much though... It's just a little souvenir.

Paris Safari (2)

Mon, 03 May 2010 22:02:00 GMT

Look what I found in the middle of Paris?! A Rhino... Of course it's not worth the ones I could see in Kenya last February, but still, I think the work of Harry James is absolutely stunning. BTW, if you want to see it for real - and providing you're in Paris at the moment, for I don't think it'll last for ever... - this Rhino lives at rue Alibert in the 10th arrondissement.

Smile, you're on camera

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:01:00 GMT

I know what you're going to say: "this photo really sucks compared to the one of yesterday..." True, it's less "sooo Paris", but I found the little camera graffiti - just above the typical Paris street sign! - pretty cool. And pretty timely too... As the new plan to introduce large scale video surveillance in Paris has just been released a few days ago. About 1200 cameras are going to be installed throughout the city this year (about 20 to 90 per arrondissement depending on their size - see the map here). As always, this project is highly controversial; some people argue that it is a breach in their privacy.

Graffiti

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:05:00 GMT

Here is a nice Graffiti I found on rue Clavel. I know nothing about it, I haven't been able to find anything about it on the web... But I like it. In this street there is also a theater called le Theâtre Clavel, of course!

Anti Graffiti Humor

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:01:01 GMT

I love that kind of humor! This poster says "I would rather have a blank wall than this crappy poster!" which is totally absurd, of course. I found it, at the very end of Le Marais, in a small passage called le Passage du Pont au biches (deer bridge passage) where, believe me, it's been a very long time since the last deer went through it!