I’ve spent some time talking about how striking the mountainous landscape looks in the morning when the sun sits between the tips of the mountains and the clouds are still hugging tight to the sides. The skyline looks like it’s been pierced over and over again with the jagged edges of the mountains. Actually, I learned that one of the tallest mountains in the world is right outside of our “window.” It looks like the top was picked up and dipped in a bucket of snow, then placed back on top of the mountain. As the day continues, the sun rises higher and higher above the peaks and the clouds hover higher up to create huge billows across the sky. While this is one of the most beautiful backdrops I have seen in my life, there is another manmade beauty that I feel is strongly overlooked.
Street art, or as some people like to call it, graffiti, can be found on almost every wall, almost everywhere you look if you take the time to notice it as something more than just “tagging.” I prefer to use the term street art over graffiti because sometimes, that can give it a negative connotation, when it is truly art. It is someone’s expression of something they desire, or something they already obtain and just want to share it with people who will stop to admire it.
I do have to admit, Philadelphia has some pretty artistic creations on the sides of buildings. You can tell the artist took time to think about what the final piece should look like.
In Quito, I sense a lot of the same feeling and expression, on this one wall in particular. Even though I have no idea what it says, because I am still fresh in my Espanol, the vibrant purples and blues blended together, with effervescent reds and oranges, give it life and energy. So, I take power and freedom away from it, even if that is not at all what the artist had in mind. So thank-you random street artists, for giving meaning to bare walls and for giving me some more beauty to look at. Even if it is not a panoramic portrait of a snow covered mountain or crystal sky, it is an example of someone’s exact emotion, wanting to be shared with anyone who takes the time to care. Thanks for sharing!
Look closely… 🙂
You don´t see this every day…It still counts as street art…in my opinon 🙂
