Homeless in Paris
Blek Le Rat
Painting - 161.29 x 129.54 x 2.54 cm Painting - 63.5 x 51 x 1 inch
$45,000
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The King,
2023
by Blek Le Rat
Print : Screen Print
23 x 31 x 0.1 cm 9.1 x 12.2 x 0 inch
$2,059
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About the artwork
Type
Numbered and limited to 300 copies
1 copy available
Signature
Hand-signed by artist
Authenticity
Sold with certificate of Authenticity from the artist
Invoice from the gallery
Medium
Dimensions cm • inch
23 x 31 x 0.1 cm 9.1 x 12.2 x 0 inch Height x Width x Depth
Support
Framing
Not framed
Tags
Artwork sold in perfect condition
Artwork location: France
This intriguing and captivating artwork depicts a rat in a bold and unusual way. The rat, painted in black on a white background, is a powerful visual choice. The striking contrast between black and white immediately catches the eye and gives a striking depth to the silhouette of the animal. What further distinguishes this piece is the stylized crown, composed of five red dots above the rat's head. This crown, a symbol of power and royalty, transforms an animal often perceived negatively into a majestic and powerful figure. The rat is depicted holding a paintbrush firmly in its paws, suggesting a subtle allusion to the artist himself, possessing the ability to create and transform perception. This detail materializes the idea that art and creativity can come from nowhere and be embodied by even the most unlikely figures. This work denotes a subtle social critique, where the rat, often a symbol of marginality and urban survival, is elevated to the status of king, thus conferring an unexpected dignity and an implicit recognition of its endurance and adaptation. The style of this piece is marked by clean, precise lines and a minimalist use of color that does not detract from its powerful visual impact. The placement of the rat and the crown in the composition is judicious, guiding the viewer's eye to the central message of the work. In short, this work succeeds in transcending the traditional boundaries of art by inverting expectations and reinventing the cultural symbolism of the rat. It challenges and forces reflection on the themes of marginality, power and artistic perception, while demonstrating impressive technical mastery.
About the seller
Prints And Street • France
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Presentation
Blek le Rat (born Xavier Prou, 1952) was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and has been described as the "Father of stencil graffiti".
Xavier Prou was born in Boulogne-Billancourt in the western suburbs of Paris. Prou began his artwork in 1981, painting stencils of rats on the walls of Paris streets. He described the rat as "the only free animal in the city", and one which "spreads the plague everywhere, just like street art". His name originates from the comic book Blek le Roc, using "rat" as an anagram for "art".
Initially influenced by the early graffiti-art of New York City after a visit in 1971, he chose a style which he felt better suited Paris, due to the differing architecture of the two cities. He also recognised the influence of Canadian artist Richard Hambleton, who painted large-scale human figures in the 1980s. He is credited with inventing the life-sized stencil, and recognised as the first to transform stencil from basic lettering into pictoral art. His oldest preserved street art graffito, a 1991 replica of Caravaggio's Madonna di Loreta, which he dedicated to his future wife Sybille, was rediscovered behind posters on a house wall in Leipzig, Germany, in 2012.
French authorities identified Blek in 1991 when he was arrested while stencilling a replica of Caravaggio's Madonna and Child, with the connection to Blek and his artwork being made by police. From that point on, he has worked exclusively with pre-stenciled posters, citing the speedier application of the medium to walls, as well as lessened punishment should he be caught in the act.
He has had a great influence on today's graffiti-art and "guerilla-art" movements, the main motivation of his work being social consciousness and the desire to bring art to the people. Many of his pieces are pictorials of solitary individuals in opposition to larger, oppressive groups. He has also been noted for his series of images representing the homeless, begun in 2006, which depict them standing, sitting, or lying on sidewalks, in attempts to bring attention to what he views as a global problem.
British graffiti artist Banksy has acknowledged Blek's influence stating "every time I think I've painted something slightly original, I find out that Blek Le Rat has done it as well, only twenty years earlier." The two have expressed mutual desire for collaboration; in 2011, Blek was seen adding to a mural begun the previous year by Banksy in the Mission District, San Francisco.
Blek initially disagreed with those who claim Banksy has copied his work: "People say he copies me, but I don't think so. I'm the old man, he's the new kid, and if I'm an inspiration to an artist that good, I love it. I feel what he is doing in London is similar to the rock movement in the Sixties." More recently, however, in the documentary Graffiti Wars, Blek took a different tone, stating, "When I see Banksy making a man with a child or Banksy making rats, of course I see immediately where he takes the idea. I do feel angry. When you're an artist you use your own techniques. It's difficult to find a technique and style in art so when you have a style and you see someone else is taking it and reproducing it, you don't like that. I'm not sure about his integrity. Maybe he has to show his face now and show what kind of guy he is."
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