![]() ![]() His pal Shepard Fairey, who designed President Obama's 'Hope' poster, has said of Prou: "Blek le Rat's stencils distill the essence of the human struggle into poetically concise images. Several lithographs present violinists and ballet dancers, while he has also made a limited number of lithographs depicting President Obama. His latest exhibit riffs on a recurring theme of tango dancers, which he first painted in 1986. "It’s very important to be in the street, but also very important for artists to show different work in the gallery." The artist’s interest in social commentary through graffiti has had a major influence on street artists around the world, including the. "Its absolutely incredible having a really good piece in the street - the day after it is complete thousands and thousands of people have seen it," Prou explained. He uses stencils and spray paint to create wall paintings, using photographic sources and juxtaposition to convey provocative and politically controversial statements. Even his moniker, Blek le Rat, was chosen specifically as it is an anagram of Art, the rodent’s omnipresence helping him spread the revolutionary message of the power of political statements through art. ![]() He was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and has been described as the Father of stencil graffiti. The rat is his symbol of this, long before it was appropriated by Banksy, an animal that can be found on streets globally. The illegal nature of Prou's work and the growing legitimization of street art has led him to exhibit in galleries with greater frequency. Blek le Rat 2 is a French graffiti artist. I did not want to imitate the American graffiti that I had seen in NYC in 1971 during a journey I had done over there.I wanted to have my own style in the street. I had the idea to use stencils to make graffiti for one reason. (Prou started stenciling rats around Paris in 1981, when Banksy, whose identity is rumored but not confirmed, was reportedly just in grade school.) BLEK LE RAT /ORIGINAL STENCIL PIONEER.1981 to 1983 the beginning of the stencil graffiti art. ![]() "Every time I think I've painted something slightly original, I find out that Blek le Rat has done it as well, only 20 years earlier," Banksy is widely quoted as saying. ![]()
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