Lying Behind the Curtains

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Robert Banks, mostly known as Banksy, was born in 1974 in Bristol, UK. Characterized by his indescribable indoor images, he is a famous English graffiti artist whose artwork is often humorous and/or political in nature. His famous “street art”, which refers to the combination of graffiti with a distinctive stenciling technique, makes him one of the best known graffiti artists of all time, leaving a mark in all Europe, specially in London and other countries with his anonymous paintings. Out of all the options, I have chosen “The Scarlet Pimpernel of modern art,” which is not only a simple illustration but a singular and particular situation which captures so many scenes happening in just a mere second. Making spectators imagine different things and possibilities of what happened in the painting, this picture represents regret, anger, disappointment, guilt, shame, sadness, loneliness and despair, among others.

The random blue spots on top of the painting captured my sight right away. It gave me a sense of regret from the artist towards his artwork, as if he was not satisfied with his work and threw something that accidentally may have stained it. In the other hand, the blue spots may represent anger, for the artwork may depict the story of his life and painting it might have brought back bitter memories from unsuccessful love life.

There is a dark room, and a man and a woman can be perfectly seen through the painted window. The man looks angry and disappointed. Covering his face from the sun, he is trying to find the man that was with his wife while he was at work. The woman in the back, wearing black underwear and a bra, is feeling nervous and guilty and hopes that her husband does not find out anything about her secret romance. Meanwhile, hanging from the window, the man she was with is naked and trying not to be seen. With his right hand he is trying not to fall down, while he uses his other hand to cover his parts.

Appreciating the rest of the picture, I focus on several details.

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