ARTWORK HISTORY:
Our family is very much into "the Arts" in all it's forms, from music to art to chinaware and even classic old (quality) technology!
Our focus has always been landscapes, both Australian and New Zealand because we have connections with both countries but over the years our walls have become overcrowded with artworks from our past travels and although we love just about every painting we have, it's time to hang some new acquisitions and sadly this piece of Italian "street art" must now leave home!
You can see more Italian art of a similar nature HERE
THE ARTIST:
Only known as MK! Why?
Like most tourists to Rome, we visited the tourist "meccas" and in those days (1980's) there were Italian street artists ready and willing to sell their wonderful paintings to the tourists and taking home a painting was a bit different to the usual snapshot with the camera!
This is one of those paintings, like a busker, never judge the quality of the artist by their setting - buskers produce wonderful music and street artists also produce wonderful art.
We purchased this painting during the same trip as the various French Art Noveau art prints that we have on offer separately, in the 1980's
We do not know the artiste, perhaps he is famous in Italy now, perhaps not - does it really matter? My own personal opinion is that the artist has been trained in graphic arts, possibly working in the industrial field based on the "architectural - town planner" look, more comments about this below.
SUBJECT OF THE PAINTING:
Colosseum and the Arch Of Constantine (to the right) from a slightly elevated perspective (rougly 10 ~ 15 feet off the ground)
The Colosseum tends to be foremost in tourist's minds but the Arch Of Constantine is also an extremely significant (and it's origins are controversial) piece of Roman architecture.
Actually the framing of the scene is fairly unusual in itself, you can see myriads of photographs with the Colosseum as the backdrop or main subject but not so many with the Arch Of Constantine also in view.
A nice alternative to the common photograph or selfie but there are down sides. The artist has focused on the two main structures of interest, the Colosseum and the Arch. But you may get the impression of a certain "sterility" to the artwork, not many people are around and yet this area was usually FULL of tourists and there is a "feel" about the artwork that gives the impression of something a town planning graphic designer might come up with, a conceptual painting. The figures (and not many of them) standing around or walking but not one is holding a camera and taking photographs! It just feels a bit sterile, to me at least.
MK (Full name is unknown) - Roma Colosseo
Watercolour on art paper
Original art - NOT A PRINT!
UNFRAMED
Artist has signed his work on the lower Right hand side (Black)
Artwork measurements: 220mm wide x 160mm high
NOTE: When framing, allow for at least a 10mm wide border around the artwork, particularly for the subject naming which is written lower left corner.
Art paper measurements: 298mm wide x 239mm high
Artwork is CLEAN
I have visually inspected this painting very carefully and although watercolours can be very delicate and subject to marks or spotting, this artwork remains in very good condition with no marks or damage visible at all.
The rear of the art paper has no markings at all, either from the maker or the artist.
Shipping is no problem, we have always stored this artwork on a stiff cardboard "base" and then sealed within cellowrap (NOT shrinkwrap which can affect the painting) - this is the basic form in which it will be shipped (plus additional packaging of course)
