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Coloring the streets of Florence
As all of Florence is running around, tourists follow their tour guides sun flower, women bargain with the leather purse vendors, cameras flash back and forth, there are three squares of pavement used for street painting on Via Calimala near Piazza della Repubblica, where the world seems to be going at a different pace. A slower pace. A creative pace. An attention to details pace.
I walked over to Via Calimala hoping to get an insight into these street artists which I recently learned are most commonly known as “madonnari.” This form of art was named after the Virgin Mary and began in the 16th century when artists began transforming pavement into canvas with chalk. Over 400 years later the tradition was revived when the first known festival of street painting took place in the village of Grazie di Curtatone. Today, artists worldwide are appearing in festivals and on streets in the United States and in Europe and chalk painting is becoming a popular form of contemporary art.
Standing near these three squares being filled in by these extremely talented artists, it was hard for me to chose who to approach and how to do so. They were all concentrating so hard on their masterpieces and it seemed like a sin to disturb an artist at work. I finally decided to chose the cutest of the three. His name: Peter McClory. I asked him when a good time to speak to him would be and he told me to return in an hour. I came back a bit early and sat on the sidewalk next to where he was painting. I noticed the first step for street painting was to draw an outline using the chalk pastel and then begin to lay the base of colors. Gradually the artist layers the chalk blending the colors creating depth, contrast and shadow.
As I sat, it was interesting to see people's reactions, some “ooohed and aaahhhed,” some walked right back without even a glance, some flashed their cameras quickly while walking, one teenage American girl told her friend “this is the real thing, way cooler that going to a museum.” But during this whole time McClory seemed focused, his chalk filled fingers rubbing away at the pavement. He was painting these very interesting trees that he later told me were inspired by Bouguereau's painting Nymphs and Satyr.
Having been painting for over seven hours McClory was ready for a break and we sat on the sidewalk while we spoke. He seemed tired, he told me that his was finger tips were becoming a bit run down but nonetheless he seemed excited, happy and was very friendly. It turns out it was his first day as a street artist. But definitely not his first day as an artist. McClory is from Manchester, England where until recently he taught digital 3-D art. But after finding himself getting “pissed off at computers,” decided to come to Florence and study at the Angel Academy of Art. The Angel Academy offers an intensive program in classical painting and drawing. McClory decided he wanted to spend more time outside and thus joined a Florence street painting group. This group, comprised of roughly 20 members meets once a month and allows artists such as McClory to rent one of three spaces in order to paint. Each member has an official spot and pays only 1.50 euro a day for it or nothing if it rains.
The artists use chalk to create their paintings and pigment with alcohol sometimes to create a texture that is more similar to paint for parts such as backgrounds. I ask McClory what happens to the artwork when the day is over. He pulls out of his backpack, a brush and a bag that will be filled with water that he will use to clean the area at the end of the day. I could not believe that after nine hours of work, he had to erase his work of art. But he seemed less preoccupied than me, he said that he would take pictures before pouring water over it and that he was doing it for the experience more than anything. I asked how much money he thought he would make but he said he was not concerned about the money. Although, he had heard that the most a street artist had made in a day was 400 euros. Not bad at all!
After a while it was time for McClory to go back to work, he turned to me and jokingly told me that I owed him 500 euros for the interview. But, as a poor college student myself he had no choice but to settle for a cappuccino instead.
By: Sofia Ocampo
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