Human beings, it might be conjectured, are likely to forget about the great works of art barricaded in museums big and small, when the human beings are not standing before great works of art on a daily basis. Museum attendance is usually open to the public for most of the time: however the most enabled artworks of the ages are not displayed at “street level”. Of course there are many good reasons for this, reasons all people can appreciate, reasons like artworks requiring security and protection from physical damage.
The modern day artist Luis Gomez de Teran decided to “steal” a statue dating from the early 1800’s. Instead of reselling it under deep cover he wanted to place it at “street level” as a mural for the throng of attendees to relish, at the Casal de Pazzi Local Market, Locke Street, Rome, ( the modern day artist was “encouraged” in his “theft”, by the a.DNA Collective for the project Street Frames).
The mural has deep roots in a movement created between the people who visit the market, the artist, and the artist’s curators. The “movement” decided that the mural art-form is supposed to be something much greater than generic and simply eye pleasing. It is supposed to reflect important messages about the community and the community-based.
Thus Luis Gomez de Teran took up these ideals, and also with the literal power of “Street Frames”, he painted a likeness of “Polina Borghese, ” ( the statue of Pauline Bonaparte by Antonio Canova,1804-1808), and he had her set behind concrete at street level. This mural does indeed “steal” a statue “walled up”, in Rome’s Galleria Borghese in downtown Rome, Italy. The “Venus”of Canova has become free for all the people passing by on the street to view and take pleasure in.
The mural itself shows the head and face of the beautiful woman, the apple in her left hand, and some other interesting details from the statue. Concrete covers a great deal of the rest of the art piece as an homage to street level viewing and a reflection of Street Frames, (street art seen through cracks, or frames). The apple can be borrowed and used as a subtle hint at the suburban Local Market environment. Chiaroscuro has been applied to this mural, to give it the depth and play of light and dark that catches and holds the eyes of market visitors.
The artist, Luis Gomez de Teran is involved with several groups that assisted in bringing this unique mural to life. There is the Organization a.DNA collective, and there is Street Frames. There is also the sponsorship of the Municipal IV di Rome per Respirando Cultura, 2018.
Luis Gomez de Teran: web | facebook | instagram
a.DNA collective: web | facebook | instagram
