Street Paintings - Analysis
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THESE REMARKABLE images, which have circulated via email, unattributed, since January 2004, are authentic photographs ripped from the website of internationally acclaimed street painter Kurt Wenner. The originals, along with several more images copyrighted by the artist, can be viewed in his Gallery of Work.
Wenner, who attended both the Rhode Island School of Design and Art Center College of Design before studying classical art in Italy, was once employed as an advanced scientific space illustrator by NASA, for whom he rendered conceptual paintings of space exploration and extraterrestrial landscapes. In his street paintings, Wenner employs a technique borrowed from Baroque artists known as "anamorphism," combining architectural elements with illusionistic painting. "When standing at a particular point in space," his website explains, "the architecture blends with the decorative painting, forming an extraordinary combined image for the viewer." The effect is so realistic that some have doubted the authenticity of the works, but they are real.Wenner's most publicly recognizable piece is probably the Absolut Vodka ad which appeared in magazines and on television in 1996.
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Sources and further reading:
Kurt Wenner - About the Artist
Biography on the artist's WebsiteStreet Art
August Chronicle, 30 April 1998Pavement Art Lifted to New Heights
Irish Examiner, 1999
