Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
A brief glimpse into the mind of a graffiti "artist": By PAT MILTON, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK - A renowned graffiti artist, arrested last year for defacing the facade of a Bronx building, is back in everyone's good graces after spray-painting — with permission — a bright red-and-gold tribute to Pope John Paul II. James De La Vega's latest work, painted on the security gate of a Spanish Harlem storefront, was created to bring hope to the poor and struggling in his Manhattan neighborhood, he said Wednesday. "This Pope understood pain and tried to relieve it," said De La Vega, 32, standing in front of the artwork. The "God's Revolutionary" mural portrays a praying pope looking at a crucified Christ as a man with his head bowed stands off in the distance. It took De La Vega two hours to complete Sunday, and he hopes it becomes a permanent installation. As De La Vega spoke, several people paused to look at the mural; one man made the sign of the cross, while another kissed the religious medal around his neck. The artist returned to Spanish Harlem after graduating with an art degree from Cornell University in 1993. He used the brick facades as his canvas and the sidewalks as his chalkboard. On one wall he depicted the Last Supper, painting black and white skeletons at the table instead of the apostles, to underscore the poverty of the Harlem streets. Last July, De La Vega was arrested for painting a fish jumping out of a bowl on the brick wall of a Bronx building without approval. He was convicted by a judge of graffiti and criminal mischief, and ordered to serve 50 hours of community service. His brush with the law did nothing to dampen De La Vega's enthusiasm for his work. "Most poor people don't visit galleries," De La Vega said. "More people look at my artwork than visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art." http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050407/ap_on_re_us/pope_art
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag