Saturday, January 16, 2010

What Did You Think?

Any ideas now on what it is?

Look around the 'picture' and you have hints abound.

Got it?

It is in fact a chalk drawing/sketching by man you can see on the left hand side. The purple bowl is kept there, for people to drop in money. I don't know if and what famous painting has been replicated, but the man was just sitting by the busy roadside, and drawing them with chalk. I have seen people do pencil sketches/ portraits of people for money, outside the Jehangir Art Gallery in Bombay, or a few malls in Sharjah/Dubai. But this man just seemed to be doing it because he was enjoying it, and the little tips he was getting (or not), did not seem to concern him one bit.

It just caught my eye, the moment I saw it on the busy roadside of the main business district in Melbourne. I just stood there, and adored the work for a while, then took permission from the sketch artist and clicked a few photos. I just wanted to show it to everyone of you, but did not wish to do it straight up, and after a lot of thought, asked you to guess, what it is. I am neither a great artist, nor do I know much about art, but this man, his sketching nonchalantly , by the side of the busy street, and the breathtaking beauties of his work, there was no way I could pass it by without registering it in my mind. Gorgeous wouldn't you say?


Do you see the artist at work on another piece? Just rotated the previous photo, to give you a better view.

The man deep into work on another sketch.

MRC, yes yes yes, you got it right. But how? How did you guess? Are you an artist yourself? I was so so surprised when I read your comment, how on earth did you know? I don't have any prize to give, but if you would like, I can make a header for your blog, as in photoshop something for you, to the best of my ability, let me know if you would like it. And now everyone please applaud MRC for her correct answer, and I am really waiting to know how she got it!

PS - Trishna, thanks for not telling. She was the one I was out with.

13 comments:

mindspace said...

:)
I couldn't make any guesses worthy enough of putting them in writing my dear.. and since you had asked, it couldn't be as simple as a poster...

This is really praiseworthy.. the efforts of the artist and how he is deeply engrossed in doing it on the sidewalk/street..

I hv heard there are many such artists in European countries too..

Smitha said...

Wow! I reached here too late - but the artist is so talented! I have seen such artists in London and Paris too - they are absolutely amazing!

I would have never guessed from the first post!

hitch writer said...

I saw it earlier but had no clue so didnt ocmment !!!

This is lovely.. you know someone told me.. real artists dont paint for people... they paint for themselves !!! :D

Soin said...

good fellow.i guess if he had tried to do this professionally in some art gallery ,the joy you saw in his face would have been lost.free

Sraboney said...

WOW!

MRC said...

Hi,

:) Yes, I do dabble in art (oils,glass painting etc.) when I have the time.Some of it is on my blog archives,I'll send you the links if you're interested.

As far as the chalk painting is concerned, I took an educated guess based on your comment on the first two comments on that post and some pics of very nice chalk paintings sitting around in an old mail box of mine.

Thanks for the header offer,but I'll settle for some tips on tweaking my blog as and when I start posting somewhat regularly.

D said...

I couldn't even attempt a guess :P And if I did, it would have been nowhere close to this!

Passionate Goof said...


Mindspace - You just need excuses to not comment on my blog. :( I have heard and seen such things only in movies so far, so it was my first time in real life, and I was super impressed.

Smitha - Aren't they? I was like spell bound, really!!

Hitchy - Uff, bahaane, the man who can never stop, did not comment....
I agree with what you say, that is teh truest form of artistry isn't it?

Soin - Possibly, if he was painting purely for money.

Bones - Indeed!

MRC - Please do, though I am not a connoisseur, but I can surely enjoy seeing them. Aah, that is how you got it is it? I for one would have never guessed. Do let me help in tweaking your blog whenever you like. :)

D - Its amazing ain't it?

MRC said...

Hi again,

:) Thought I had posted a comment with some links, but looks like it got lost.Here are those links again

My second oil painting(the first was never finished)is here

http://minisblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/room-with-view.html

and a personal favorite is here
http://minisblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/colours-of-night.html

Ignore this comment if you got the first one.

Sandhya Menon said...

i know i am coming here after the answer's out but i just discovered this post and wanted to know if you had found out what painting it was. why didn't you ask the artist? also i guessed it was a sidewalk drawing right off cuz of the shadow of the trees and the flagstones on the pavement.

Sandhya Menon said...

Oh hey, I just had a look at the picture on a brighter screen. i didn't see the standing guy nor Jesus's hand in the air on the earlier look.

This one's a Carvaggio called The Supper at Emmaus, the one that shows a undercover, resurrected Jesus revealing himself to two of his disciples.

Art history is fascinating and this is just another wonderful example of how the masters played with their paints.

Passionate Goof said...


Restless Quill - The question was in the previous post. This entire post in the answer. Thanks for telling me which painting this is! You into art and its history? wow!

Sandhya Menon said...

I am into art history only by interest, not by any formal training. And the internet is the perfect place to be self-taught. and some how I prefer the literature of art than art itself. I can't draw to save my life so I read about people who do their stories through art :)
Your header is delicious.