Madrid has some of the most beautiful shop fronts you could see anywhere but a shocking proportion of them have been covered in graffiti. Even officially sanctioned examples of Trompe l'oeil like this apartment block in the old town are disfigured by spray can addenda. Nobody can pretend it's anything to do with art or personal expression. It's just ego running out of control. Sadly you get the impression that the city isn't fighting back.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Not big, not clever
Madrid has some of the most beautiful shop fronts you could see anywhere but a shocking proportion of them have been covered in graffiti. Even officially sanctioned examples of Trompe l'oeil like this apartment block in the old town are disfigured by spray can addenda. Nobody can pretend it's anything to do with art or personal expression. It's just ego running out of control. Sadly you get the impression that the city isn't fighting back.
We went to Lisbon recently for the first time and were surprised by the amount of graffiti there as well, particularly in the old part of the city. Where I live it is rare to see any so maybe that's why it was such a surprise. Luckily someone seems to have airbrushed it out of the Lisbon postcards.
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