street art near the corner of fr. rahmann st. and mango avenue, cebu city, october 2009.
sadly, this painting (no other word for it) of a woman with the most haunting eyes, is gone. it was already fading when i discovered it, the paint peeling off on some spots. this probably led to the street artist's decision to paint a new picture over it, one with a more youthful face, that of a smiling, and visibly happier, girl. i liked this one better though.
i think this painting's fate adds to the urgency of photographing street art, which is one of the city's redeeming features. compared to formal paintings, street art is ephemeral. formal paintings are shown in museums, encased behind glass, and put in climate controlled rooms with security cameras watching over them. every effort is made in their conservation.
in contrast to that, street art is exposed, not just to the elements, but to the ebb and flow of urban development. if the property owner decides to take down the wall where you painted your masterpiece, no matter how brilliant it is, no matter that it can rival even the mona lisa, your masterpiece goes with the wall.
so the photographer comes in, to tell the world that there was once a painting there, the face of a woman back from oblivion, staring at you, haunting you, with those eyes.
in case you're wondering, yes, that is my tripod's shadow.
No comments:
Post a Comment