Harvested Thoughts

Our lady of Grace

A'shop crew

Streets of Montreal

A'shop is a group run by artists who wish to make art for all to view. They started in the '90s in Montreal during the beginning of the birth of the graffiti scene. They try to bring a positive outlook to the community through art. For this piece of art, they referenced an artist from the early 1900s named Alphonse Mucha, but put their own twist on it. While still conserving the border and almost tarot card aspect, they put their own style into the background and the woman herself. The artists themselves seem to paint with a variety of techniques including taping off sections, using paint rollers, and even spray cans. 

The piece itself was so well considered and thought through and it really shows. The colors of the entire image generally tie to blue and orange as a theme: complementary colors. There are many varieties in saturation of the colors, making the image very diverse and interesting. There is an amazing transition between the past and future in this mural, shown by overlapping images. The most saturated and colorful parts of the image represent harvest make the woman look like a goddess or deity of mythology. The more unsaturated parts represent cities and modern landscapes, making a very impacting contrast.The blend of organic parts such as the flowers, birds,cloth, and crops with the very inorganic structures in the background are very cleanly pieced off, but are unified by color.The large blue sphere above the woman's head is a mix of inorganic and organic, as it looks like vines and plants but also like a clock. The overall composition flows so nicely together and is so engaging to think about.

I personally think this mural is amazing because of the subject matter and style. The woman and the cloth look so majestic and flowing, it definitely shows grace. The theme of the woman makes me think of Demeter in mythology, the Goddess of the harvest. Every part is so peaceful and the colors are so appealing. I love how they made the skin of her leg more of a blue tint than orange like normal skin color would be to tie in the whole color theme.  The gesture of the woman is also very appealing and elegant with her gaze going off into one of the corners. The border is so intricately designed and really pushes the idea that this is supposed to be relating to the past. I also enjoy all of the clean cuts around the different parts, and that it isn't completely uniform and rectangular all the time.