Blek le roc figure
A name that is recognised as the man dubbed the Godfather of Street Art. Rat then came together with Blek le Roc, a well-known comic character from the 1960s, giving us the name we recognise immediately today.
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“I like this anagram." The duplicities between art and rat are numerous, giving Blek plenty of ammunition for his pin-sharp, playful mind, “I wanted to say to Parisians, 'Your city is very beautiful, but don't forget that your basements are full of vermin'.” “Within the word rat, there lies art,” he explains.
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Hundreds of rats were appearing on Parisian walls, each one stained onto the brick using what would become his signature method – stencils.īut why the rat? According to Blek, rats appealed to him because “they create fear, they are synonymous with invasion.” They are creatures that truly run free in the city, further appealing to Blek’s longing to break free from the anonymity he felt from living in a major metropolis.īut the rat goes further than being a chosen motif for Blek. It soon emerged that these rats were the first installation of an unknown artist, who aptly started to call himself Blek le Rat. He began his artwork in 1981, painting stencils of rats on the street walls of Paris, describing the rat as 'the only free animal in the city', and one. In Scandinavia he was called Davy Crockett, although he has nothing to do with the historical figure. Blek le Rat, born Xavier Prou in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris in 1951, was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and the originator of stencil graffiti art. Please login to add items to your basket. What were these rat spectres taking over the city? These creatures of the night were making a permanent mark on historic walls and public walkways, with absolutely no sign of disappearing to where they came from. Use our Advanced search to find more Blek Le Roc is an essential part of the new wave of German Krautrock. He described the rat as 'the only free animal in the city',4 and one which 'spreads the plague everywhere, just like street art'.5 His name originates from the comic book Blek le Roc, using 'rat' as an anagram for 'art'. Their shadows lingered in alleyways, sometimes alone or sometimes in packs, but every time just a thick, heavy silhouette. Early career and influence: Blek began his artwork in 1981, painting stencils of rats on the walls of Paris streets. Blek was written and illustrated by Giovanni Sinchetto, Dario Guzzon and Pietro Sartoris, a trio also known as EsseGesse.
They emerge from sewers, pick their way along the banks of the Seine, and hang around dustbins scavenging for their next meal.īut in 1986, another kind of infestation took over the city. Il Grande Blek is an Italian Western comic book, first published in Italy on October 3, 1954, by Editoriale Dardo. Indeed, there are probably more rats than people living in the French capital. It is not uncommon to see a rat scuttling around the shady streets of Paris, much to the disgust of its inhabitants.