Take a look around. The world has lots of blank walls. A lot of the time, people don’t put art on empty walls because they think the room would look better if it remains blank. On the bright side, there are artists out there who are determined to make the world the lively public art gallery it should be. These after and before pictures of some really cool street art will show you what we mean.
1. Ornamental Stairs
Located in Beirut, Lebanon, this street art imparts a colorful rendition of an otherwise boring flight of stairs. The triangular patterns also make it stand out.
2. Piano Stairs
Another appearance from Beirut, Lebanon is this colorful rendition of a flight of stairs being painted as the keys of a piano. Sort of brings us back to our childhood and our toy pianos.
3. Cinéma “Le Vallois”
We travel to Levallois in France for our next feature. Here we can see a front for an old-age cinema theatre painted on a blank white wall. The realism is impressive.
4. Octopus Mural
A building that looks to be a simple warehouse in Fremantle, Western Australia became the hunting grounds of a terrifying Kraken in this street art.
5. Le Café Des Acteurs
This is from Levallois in France, as well. As a commenter says: “It looks like Patrick Commecy is loading up his proposal photos here but the murals are actually there… it would be great to see the finished photos.“
6. Mural of Imagination
This massive street art in Vilnius, Lithuania, showcases the imaginary prowess of both the artist and a young boy. It definitely beats the bland blankness that was there before.
7. Roméo Et Juliette
One more from Patrick Commecy in Levallois, France sees a classic balcony scene from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet get a permanent and modern rendition.
8. Les Dolto
Once again we see a building in Levallois, France. This time Patrick Commecy has simply “completed” the outside appearance of the building.
9. Putin and Trump
Viewers are a bit more skeptical about how much beautification this mural did. However, it is a poignant reminder of how popular art remains the most valiant mode of political criticism.
10. Café Reynaud
Once again, we have one of Patric Commecy’s creations. This time it is situated in Estrablin in France. He seems to have created a complete facade of a cafe on the sides of this building.
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11. Okuda, The Universal Chapel
This colorful street art by Okuda San Miguel is situated in Arkansas, USA. The artist termed it as the “Universal Chapel”, possibly because of all the vibrant colors.
12. Hercules fighting the Centaur Nessus
In Manchester, UK, we get a scene out of a Roman classic where Hercules takes on the Centaur Nessus. Who would have thought a building facade would make such a good background?
13. Mitre´s Smile Mural
Straight from Argentina, this gleeful street art was created on the walls of a metallurgical factory. It is situated on Avenue Mitre in the national capital Buenos Aires.
14. Barátságfa
This magnificent mural is from Budapest, Hungary. A rather barren and rundown brick wall of a building gets a fresh and vibrant look with this one.
15. Aquarium
This is one of Patrick Commecy’s largest projects. This is also from Levallois in France. This one stretches across two buildings to cover the exposed bricks.
16. The Masonic
A rainy but vibrant nighttime street is the theme of this street art from Bristol, UK. The mishmash of colors is nothing short of hypnotizing.
17. The Ethnicities
This street art in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil is the largest mural in the world. It was created for the Rio Olympics 2016 and is meant to celebrate the many ethnicities of the city.
18. Arthur Rubinstein
This image is from Lotz in Poland. For those who don’t know, Arthur Rubinstein is one of the most celebrated pianists. He is of Polish-American descent, and this was his birth town.
19. Signal Box
This street art from Toronto, Canada is more of a test of your eyes than anything else. The artist intentionally painted it in a way to blend in with the background. It works quite well.
20. Mural of an Old Woman
In Montreal, Canada, all that was on this building was some past half-erased graffiti. An artist took it upon himself to create a hipster old woman who’s pretty handy with the spray can.
21. Bird Mural
This eccentric bird mural is in Covilha, Portugal. As a commenter explains, this was painted during the WOOL – Festival de Arte Urbana da Covilhã.
22. Abandoned “Lietuva” Movie Theater
In Vilnius, Lithuania, this theater named Lietuva was left long abandoned. So, a street artist replaced the haphazard graffiti with a massive project of children playing with strings.
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23. Magic Book
Situated in Malmo, Sweden, this mural depicts a scene from our childhood. As a commenter describes: “The colors are incredible – and this really shows the expression of someone with a great imagination, reading a well-written book. This was me as a little girl. I just love it!“
24. Street Art Steps
Once more we have a flight of stairs painted to absolute happiness. This flight is in Beirut, Lebanon. You can even play a fun game by following only one line of color up.
25. Owl Mural
In Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, you might encounter this enchanting street art of a wisened owl. The details are impressive, to say the least.
26. Umbrella Mural
Decorating the streets of one of the most popular cities in the world – Paris, France, is this thought-provoking mural of a girl floating while sitting inside an umbrella.
27. La Galerie V
Another appearance from the talented Patrick Commecy sees another tall building in Levallois, France, “completed” with balconies and a storefront named “Galerie V”.
28. Clochemerle
This one from Patrick Commecy is situated in Vaux En Beaujolais, France. This one has a more cartoony but lively vibe with several characters populating the fake windows and doors.
29. District 7
District 7 in Budapest is home to this towering street art. Once again, a decrepit wall of a building with paint peeling off is given a fresh lease on life.
30. Honeycomb of Life
This vibrant street art stretching across a corner building is situated in Germany. The colors give ample justification for its name.
31. Wise Grandpa
Situated in Kaunas, Lithuania, this street artist saw a great opportunity to play with perspectives while painting a wise grandpa. Notice how the pipe is created by incorporating the overhead smaller structure.
32. The Kiss Mural
This street art in Chelsea, New York, USA is a reproduction of a very iconic image – that of a sailor kissing a random woman on the streets immediately after the end of the Second World War.
33. Dob Suli
The painter had an enormous canvas to work with, in this example from Budapest, Hungary. Needless to say, the artist’s rendition of a sprawling scenery is the perfect way to do it justice.
34. Ringo Starr
Street art does not always have to be on flat walls. As this example from Barcelona, Spain, shows, imagination can make anything look like an amazing tribute.
35. Brick Kidz
Once again, this street art from Montreal, Canada, shows how even parts of the canvas can be used to create a fascinating painting.
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36. Lets Keep the Plants Alive
In this street art from Bialystok, Poland, the artist used the power of perspective to convey their message. As a result, it looks like the girl is watering the tree beside the building.
37. Trash and Found Object Racoon Mural
The artist, Bordello II, has many magnificent street art. This one from Lisbon, Portugal is the depiction of a raccoon using not just paints, but also many different pieces of trash. Notice the tires for eyes.
38. Porte Des Lavandières
Patrick Commecy is back again, this time from Aurec Sur Loire, in France. The details are extremely impressive, with one comment saying: “Love this. Shadows for top half lean right. Bottom half lean left love it. Genuine paint work I think.”
39. 16th Avenue Tiled Steps
In San Francisco, California, this flight of stairs is another immense example of an ingenious use of perspective. The two pictures show how the visual spectacle can only be seen while climbing up. While climbing down, it remains blank and original.
40. Diving Dog Mural
From the streets of Mechelen, Belgium, we have one of the cutest street art out there. At first glance, it might look like an otter. But it is actually a puppy taking a dive.
41. Full Moon Hostel
This mural from Bristol, UK, creates an enchanting view of a hostel shrouded in the light of a full moon. You can see the stars and sceneries blending together in the art.
42. Topart
“Topart” means lakeside, as this mural depicts lakeside scenery in Budapest, Hungary. Commenters have marveled at how the painted trees look more lush than the real ones.
43. Townwide Vibrant Grafitti
The town of Palmitas, Mexico, got a vibrant makeover as all the bare white walls were used together to create a massive vibrant, colorful pattern.
44. Knowledge Speaks, Wisdom Listens
Our final presentation for the day brings us to Athens, Greece. The birthplace of Western philosophy makes its mark with an owl street art that showcases eternal wisdom.
H/t Boardpanda.com
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