San Angelo-Gazing at a famous masterpiece of painting usually requires a lot of travel. Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” hangs at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” is exhibited in The Hague, Netherlands.
To appreciate the modern entertainment of these and other famous paintings, residents of San Angelo can head to the parking lot near 19 W. Twohig Street.
On Tuesday, May 4, 2021, a new mural appeared in Paintbrush Alley in San Angelo. Prior to the 24-hour charity event San Angelo Gives, officials engaged in art work in unusual places displayed the work of several local artists.
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The mural series is titled “Wall of Art History, Paintbrush Lane”, with the creative talents of Che Bates, Alejandro Castanon,’Inx’ Davila, Zoe Flores and ’2oonz’ Maynard Zamora, a new interpretation of famous works of art.
“This is a great new series,” said Julie Raymond, president of Rare Place Art. “We are using graffiti muralists, all local artists, they are very talented.”
Davila painted his version of “Starry Night” and added famous San Angelo landmarks to the background of this painting, such as the Mermaid on the Concho River, Double Hills, Cactus Hotel, San Angelo YMCA, downtown Skate park, children’s kingdom playground, etc.
In a message to the Standard Times, Davila said that he put the familiar scenery of San Angelo into the painting, so that the local residents have a “greater connection” with his art.
Van Gogh “opened my eyes to real art,” Davila said, the Dutch post-impressionist painter was the first painter introduced to him by an art teacher.
“I like sloppy artistic skills…sports,” Davila said. “This is the most recognized work of art besides the “Mona Lisa” that people know….I put my colorful twists into it.”
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Maynard Zamora’s re-creation of René Magritte’s “The Son of Man” made this man wearing a bowler hat with a face The iconic paintings of Apple’s gentlemen are more surrealistic.
There are rainbow-colored soap bubbles on the mural, which seem to float on the wall. Silver tendrils wrap around the edge of the mural, around the man, his black suit turned violet and pink.
A painting that many people are familiar with, Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring”, looks very electric when attached to the wall. Neon colors, leaf decorations and afterimages on models’ faces brought this famous masterpiece into the era of modern street art.
“I was shocked by their work,” Raymond said. “If you think about how those are painted with spray cans, the details they can add are amazing.”
Raymond said that she and others like to see the artist’s work. Normally, when they climb up and down the ladder and stretch to the top of the building for the right finishing work, it is a labor of love. To watch the artist’s performance, Raymond said you must come to Paintbrush Alley at the right time, usually when the weather is good.
In addition to the public murals, more famous works in the series are under development. These include a modern version of Caravaggio’s David and Goliath by Che Bates and Inks Davila, and Leonardo da Vinci’s by Maynard Zamora The Vitruvian Man.
Artist Zoe Flores is drawing Cassius Marcellus Coolidge’s “Dog Playing Poker” version and Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” Pool”.
“Art in rare places likes to show local artists and donate these beautiful works to our beloved cities,” Raymond said.
For more information about the series and how to donate the art of San Angelo in Rare Places, please visit their official website ArtInUncommonPlaces.com.
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John Tufts covers business and research topics in West Texas. Send him news alerts via JTufts@Gannett.com.
Post time: Jun-04-2021