Urban art, like beauty or balance, may be hard to define, but when it’s there, it’s obvious. Although the term urban art is modern, the ideas behind it go back to the industrial revolution. Arguably the first well-known urban artist was L. S. Lowry with his matchstick men. Of course, Lowry’s works are now way beyond the price most people can afford, but by buying a new painting online at Saatchi, buyers have the chance to find the Lowry of the future at a price they can afford. There are prices to suit all budgets at Saatchi. Here are some suggestions to help you give your home that urban look.
©Peter Matyasi
Measured Loss by Robbie Rowlands of Australia
This is available as an original work ($5,500) or as prints (from $106). The focus of a work is a parking meter, which has been broken open and then bent over. The perspective is essentially from the level of the street with the different textures of the paving materials being clearly noticeable. The work is set against a background of shops, which spill light onto the scene.
Organic Wall by David Joly of France
This is available as an original work ($2,000) or as prints (from $129). It is essentially graffiti on wood, but it is a far cry from the sprawled tags of bored teenagers. This is graffiti as it should be, with colour, edge and attitude. This picture demands and deserves attention.
Untitled00314 by Peter Matyasi of Hungary
This is available as an original work ($1,800) or as prints (from $58). Peter Matyasi is a native of Budapest and obtained his degree from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. Matyasiloves driving through the city to capture facets of buildings on camera. The origins of this piece can be traced back to one of those outings.
Time: if you can find the time, if ever you’re free by Sally E K of the United Kingdom
This is available as an original work ($8,000) or as prints (from $59). Abandoned, graffiti-covered cars are a quintessential feature of the modern urban landscape and in the hands of Sally E K, a piece of oversized urban litter becomes a dramatic statement about our modern world. The artist sets the car in context, showing both the grass-ridden paving and the ill-kept wall against which the car is parked – but the car’s working lights hint signs of life.
Don’t Make Us History Elephant-Gorilla-Whale by PolarBear Stencils of France
This is available as an original work ($280) or as prints (from $49). Even though most people may live in cities these days (or at least in the urban world), we still have connections to the natural world.“Don’t Make Us History Elephant-Gorilla-Whale” reflects the need many city-dwellers feel to stop the destruction of the magnificence of nature and to ensure that it is protected for future generations.
A_V by Eve Fainke of the United Kingdom
This is available as an original work ($300) or as prints (from $43). Many modern cities combine a mixture of traditional and modern architecture, with the latter often having a “space-age” feel. The bright, neon tones of this work highlight the dynamic forms contained within it. While the ambiguous sky makes it unclear whether the piece is set on Earth, or is an alien city where the inhabitants are watching us.
