Street Art Closeup Leopard – Cape Town, South Africa [photo Copyright Andy Richards 2023 All Rights Reserved]ONE OF my favorite anecdotes is about a cabinet meeting during the Lincoln Administration. Lincoln was known for his ability to put a diverse group of advisors together. Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals” tells that story better than I can. But the anecdote has stuck with me. After a robust and occasionally contentious discussion among the entire cabinet, Lincoln put the question to a vote. He voted “aye.” The entire cabinet voted “nay.” Lincoln’s verbal response: “The aye’s have it.” What does that have to do with this post. Well, nothing really. I just liked the lead in for a catchy title, with a play on the words: “aye” and “eye.” 🙂
If I had to identify a single element of street art that grabs my attention and puts me in awe, it is these artists’ ability to depict life-like eyes
UNSURPRISINGLY, THIS post is about the latter, “eyes.” But not just any eyes. In photography of animate subjects, most of the time getting the eyes in sharp focus and well-exposed is a critical element of the image. The photographer can get a great shot, with wonderful color, well-defined plumage or fir; even potentially compelling context. But if the eyes are out of focus, or just dark hollows in the head, the shot usually just doesn’t work. We are drawn to eyes.
Street Art Athens, Greece [photo copyright Andy Richards 2017 All Rights Reserved]THAT MAKES the eyes created by artists all that much more amazing, in my view. I am particularly impressed with street artists. A year or so back, I commented here that street art is ubiquitous in most urban environments these days. I have blogged about it a couple times and featured it on my LightCentricPhotography website with its own gallery. Something that I haven’t always paid particular attention to, street art has – these days – captured my full attention. I generally seek it out when walking around a city.
Street Art Lagos, Portugal [photo copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]I HAVE frequently said here and on social media that I am attracted by color. Bright and diverse color. The vast majority of my own imagery is color. And when I see it, it generally draws me and gets me thinking how to best photograph it. I am not always successful, but often, the elements in front of me make the image on their own. This is evident, of course, with street art. Someone else – usually much more talented than I am – has already laid out the art and chosen the colors and composition. It is just up to me to give it context (or sometimes not).
Street Art Cape Town, South Africa [photo Copyright Andy Richards 2023 All Rights Reserved]IF I had to identify a single element of street art that grabs my attention and puts me in awe, it is these artists’ ability to depict eyes. It is all the more awe-inspiring that the media for this artwork is not canvas, nor photographic paper. It is (quite literally) “brick and mortar.”
Street Art Porto, Portugal [photo copyright Andy Richards 2022 All Rights Reserved]I PROBABLY first reached this realization when my friend and guide, Jose’ Manuel Santos, pointed it out to me on the art of a certain artist in Porto. He showed me a “theme” this particular artist had as we found his work in different parts of the city: the eyes. They are – in many cases – so lifelike!
. . . with street art . . . [s]omeone else – usually much more talented than I am – has already laid out the art and chosen the colors and composition. It is just up to me to give it context
AS THE opening image illustrates, this is not a phenomenon restricted to human eyes. I think the leopard eye may be the best I have seen. Likewise, though bordering on creepy, the eye of the fly in the scene below is eerily lifelike.
Street Art Cape Town, South Africa [photo Copyright Andy Richards 2023 All Rights Reserved]
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