Photo by Jon Furlong
Here's a last look at the completed 8-story mural of the Beastie Boys on 14th Street at Avenue A.
As previously noted, Shepard Fairey, in collaboration with the Lisa Project NYC, created this stories-high work from a photo by East Village-based photographer Glen E. Friedman.
The mural is part of the ongoing celebration of 50 years of hip-hop.
I just love this. So awesome!
ReplyDeleteIt would be better if this was art that beautified the neighborhood . It's not ugly but it also doesn't inspire joy unless maybe if you liked their music .
ReplyDeleteHaving just looked at their lyrics of a song its over used rhymes that make it a battle music is community not battling. If you like the music fine then listen. But it's not their music it's an image . Beautiful colors inspiring quotes things that bring joy to all is what should be there . It's a huge space that should benefit as many as possible. That's gonna be there a long time . It could have been more joyful to a much larger group of people .
As someone who grew up in this neighborhood and listens to all types of music and loved the beastie boys growing up, this is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteTo look up a few lyrics and call it battle music is reductive.
Here's a few non battle lyrics
"I want to say a little something that's long overdue / The disrespect to women has got to be through / To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends / I want to offer my love and respect to the end."
and
"Well, I gotta keep it going keep it going full steam / Too sweet to be sour to nice to be mean / Well, on the tough-guy style I'm not too keen / Trying to change the world, I'm going to plot and scheme."
Sounds like some pretty nice messages to me.
Like EV said, this is a celebration of the 50th year of hip hop. Not to mention Beastie boys sold 50 million albums worldwide. I'd say that's alot of people partaking in joy.
This is a Shepard Farey mural it is special. I is an honor to have him paint it. You probably know his work. He’s the guy who brought us the iconic Obama “HOPE” poster and Andre the Giant Has a Posse. He stands up for the oppressed. I have a print of his in my living room. It’s in similar style and colors as the Beastie Boys mural. But it is a beautiful image of an Arab woman. And in the bottom there is a woman in 1940’s style army uniform holding a sign that says, “From across the world, Welcome Visitors!” Then under in smaller print, “With a few exceptions!’
DeleteSo yeah this isn’t a battle painting. It’s a mural from one of the most influential and socially conscious street artist next to Banksy.
I'm a Shepard Fairy fan too (I also have one of his prints). But Anon./10:57 makes a great point that even a well-executed mural isn't always appropriate and doesn't always improve its surroundings. Check out Kingston NY, a beautiful old city (an intersection in its Uptown is the only one in America with pre-Revolutionary houses on all 4 corners). Kingston has way, way overdone huge public murals: They're all over town, they're too much, and they're out-of-place; most of them distract from the charm and the setting.
ReplyDeleteThat said, from the photos (I haven't seen it yet), this particular Fairy mural seems to brighten up an otherwise unexceptional wall/space.