Expressions of the city - faces of Paris

Probably it doesn't exist, the more interesting subject for artist than a human face (except entire human body of course). Why? Well, what could be more expressive? Moreover, the street artists want to catch our attention much more than the other artists do, and nothing is more intriguing and eye-catching than a wall, that we're just passing. Especially, when it has its own proper eyes and observing us at the very moment...

Let's start with the most famous street-face of Paris. Just next to the Pompidou Center and occupying an entire wall, there's an art piece made by the "father" of street art - Jef Aerosol. As we can read in Wikipedia: Aérosol (French stencil graffiti artist born in 1957 in Nantes) is represented by several galleries in France and abroad. He made the cover and gave its name to the first book ever published about street stencils: "Vite Fait, Bien Fait". His trademark is the little red arrow, which appears on each and every work of him. Nobody really knows to what it refers. To reveal by everybody by his own. 

Jef Aerosol

This "lovely" face of Jack Nicholson ( The Shining movie, 1980)  was taken as a subject for the work of the young artist Zona Yarost. The artist's comment for this stencil is: "La salle de bain est libre?" ("The bathroom is free?"). As far I noticed that Zona likes to "pick up" the topic that are somewhat connected with war, violence, macabre etc...

Zona Yarost

Next photo shows two different works from two different artists. First one, unknown, is playing with the words: "STREET TARTE" (which refers to "STREET ART"). Whilst it's neither most subtle nor most complicated play on words, another artist, Petrus von Tricht, allows himself to comment it with his own paste-up, saying: " un homme banal" ("an ordinary man"). Petrus von Tricht likes to use the walls as a sort of common dialog between the artists, but there will be another post about him. 

Unknows artist and Petrus von Tricht

LomoZano has worked on a lot of faces already, but this little series presented below, illustrates Parisian women together with different fashion (particular for different times), general moods of it,  etc... More or less elaborated works, thus I think it would be better to produce less and focus more on the quality of it.

Parisienne pleine d'amour (Parisian woman full of love)

Lomo Zano

Parisienne oui! J'aime les anness 30 (Parisienne, yes! I like the 30s)

Parisienne melancolique (Melancholic parisienne)

Lomo Zano

Parisienne gourmande (Gourmand/greedy parisienne)

Parisienne reveuse (Dreamy parisienne)

Lomo Zano

Clown face. Artist unknown, though it didn't appear in one place but in a few already. Maybe the artist will unveil his name soon.

Unknown artist

This unbelievable expressive face was done by an unknown (as far) artist, but at least I managed to find who's face is it. It belongs to the French comedian, actor and political activist Dieudonné M'bala M'bala (wikipedia). If somebody is interested, here you can buy the tickets for his next "show".

Unknown artist

I left my two favourites for the very end. Fred le Chevalier and Madame. Fred's character, the little boy with a bird in his hand, says this time: "J'habite un maison en mai" - "I live in a house in Mai". Fred being poetic, like always.

Fred le Chevalier

Madame's collage presented below, I found completely by chance, behind some trash, tree and cardboard...We can see little vignette-like saying "Les secrets culinaires de Madame" (Madame's culinary secrets), which announces (probably) the whole series of those "culinary" paste-ups.

Madame Mustache

The rest says: "La cuisine c'est bien meilleur quand c'est relevé". It's a bit hard to translate this French phrase literally, but more less it goes: "Cooking/cuisine is much better, when it's sublime/lofty". 

Madame Mustache

Miam miam!

Street Art's "Ladies"

Woman and interpretation of her body, studying her face, results in various types of street art works. Stencil art, poster art and other form of expression present in worse or better way the female characters. Sadness or strength are the most often emphasized characteristics of the woman's personality. After we can observe more flirting or vulgar sides. Finally, very rarely the ladies appear in a simple, nice or, let's say, elegant way. But for that is street art made: to satirize, emphasize, exclaim something rather than just portray.

The first three pictures are portraits. More or less advanced studies showing the face focused on something or looking straight into our's eyes. I would say, the works of rather three different artists and all of them are unknown for the moment.

Unknown artist

Unknown artist

Unknown artist

Next three pictures below belong to the Street Artist called Paddy. I couldn't find his website, if one exists... Those are NOT my favorite ones. While the second is kind of acceptable (Karma's a bitch), so the others (by me personally) not really. Especially when there's no proportion neither of the body nor the face and something that should appeal, looks vulgar or just horrid.

Paddy artist

Paddy artist

Paddy artist

Stencil art piece presented below became already very famous in Paris. Young brunette with an expressive gesture of the hand and strong looking-like face. There's already a large number of people trying to discover the artist's name. As far nobody unveiled. "Vendez moi du reve!" means "Sell me dream!". I suppose that this tagline belongs to some other artist.

Vendez moi du reve! - Sell me dream - unknown artist

This stencil art could be much more nicer, simple without this tagline, which says "butt head". Unless it was someone else, who has painted it later. Anyway, it doesn't change the fact that it's not funny. Or maybe I'm missing a sense of humor?

Tete de cul - butt head - unknown artist

Finally, an artist presenting the women in a very elegant way. And not the unknown women, but the most beautiful and famous actresses of the past century. FKDL, Franc Duval, has created a big series, called Midi-Minuit, in which we can admire among others: Vivien Leigh (photo below), Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot. On the photo below, on both sides of silhouette, there's a collage made of most famous movie stills, where those actresses were starring. Just love it!

FKDL - Midi-Minuit (Afternoon-Midnight)

FKDL - Midi-Minuit (Afternoon-Midnight)

And for the end - funny as always - Madame Mustache with her poster saying: "So, my baby, wouldn't you like to come and see what's under lady's skirt?". Madame M. makes me smile and jokes in a classy way. For that I like it a lot. Enjoy!

Madame Mustache

Fred le Chevalier & Madame Mustache

Fred le Chevalier and Madame Mustache. Two of my favorite Street Artists, two artists that work very often together; finally, two artists that are recently one of the most productive, creative and visible on the streets (at least in Paris). However it doesn't mean at all that their work is similar or so... I just guess they like to appear side by side on the walls (as they may be a good friends, too). That's why I decided to present their work at the same time also here. P.S. The very first post about them you can find here. 

Madame Mustache

Madame Mustache usually does her art works as large and rectangular posters, that contain almost always sometimes funny, sometimes (so!) true and sometimes more philosophical maxims or tags. The story how she started her street art work in general, I will tell another time.

Madame Mustache

On the poster above the phrase means: "The memories are like the old mustard. If it's not spicy anymore, it's outdated (literally it means, if it doesn't tweak/sping your tongue anymore, it's outdated).

The characters, such as presented below, which are cut out along the contour are much less present (I would even say - very rarely) in her work contrary to posters, as presented above. A small exception is a cat, which appears very often.

Madame Mustache

Fred le Chevalier is not a favorite of mine, only. Apparently, even the police who tries to catch all of the street artists (as they "pollute" the streets) whilst they're working (adhering to the walls), has such a sentimental weakness for him, that it ends up with letting him free.

Fred le Chevalier-The love is never dirty

He has a very rich set of characters, often fantastic (like kings, queens, demons etc.). It is what makes me perceive it as a dreams. Dreams of his own, maybe society's dreams, street's dreams or our own as well.  

The characters are always cut out along the contour and with tag lines in the bottom. On the picture above it's written: "L'amour n'est jamais sale", which means: "The love is never dirty". On the picture below: "Le nuit, c'est pour les rois" - "The night is for the kings".

Fred le Chevalier-The night is for the kings

Although I have a great desire to analyze and briefly describe each and every picture, I won't do it this time. I leave it for you...

It has started with Montmartre...

Stairs near Place du Calvaire

While walking around Montmartre and one of it's most beautiful stairs, I just found out, completely by chance, streetart pieces made by, among others: Madame Mustache, Fred le Chevalier or Joe Rage. This kind of streetart, that belongs to street poster art, is one of the least permanent from all of them. Unfortunately, because I need to admit, it's one of my favourite (next to  stencil graffiti).

Fred le Chevalier and Joe Rage's stencil graffiti logo
"Ou voyageais tu cette nuit? - Where are you going to travel this night?"

Madame Mustache
"J'ai toujours reve d'etre un thon - I've always dreamed to be a tuna"

Fred le Chevalier