The #HISPinParis19 students took lots of neat pics while we were in Paris, and after a month and a half back in the US, I’ve finally found a few minutes to look through my own. Among the 10,000 shots of my kids – yes, I’m that mom – I did manage to take a few pics of buildings and stuff. Lots of gravestones, which are now coming handy in HISP 471GG, and some shots of Brussels and Strasbourg, which I should probably blog about next.
The one big theme other than those subjects, though, is street art. I adore street art, and Paris has some really fantastic examples all around the city. Paris actively supports street art and has done so for a while now. What can be considered graffiti in other places is regarded as art among the French. Anyway, here are a few examples that caught my eye while I was there this summer:
Invader is a mainstay in Paris. There are lots of knockoffs throughout the city, or maybe just “inspired fans” is a better term. His own art is anything but static, and he has a great sense of humor.
For instance, this mosaic on the façade of the Pitié-Salpêtriere. It’s a hospital, so… Yeah. Dr. House, complete with cane.
Paris has also just instituted a major mural project. Some of the artists are well-known international figures, such as Shepard Fairey, whose work is instantly recognizable.
Others, I don’t recognize. But man do I like their work.
There’s also lots of small scale stuff throughout the city.
Don’t know if the Michael Jackson/Daft Punk and Prince/David Bowie pieces are related, but I think they are both really neat.
I’ll end with my fave random street art piece from this time around. I went on a walk in the mostly residential 13th arrondissement rather than go to the Louvre. Saw this social commentary by way of Donkey Kong and fell in love.
