When people in the US think of "street art", they often are imagining someone who performs their art on the street. However, the street artist Eltono doesn't perform on the street -- he decorates it. Eltono, an internationally recognized street artist, has also been described as a "graffiti artist." But unlike a lot of graffiti you'll find, Eltono's work is anything but vandalism.
Eltono, whose name is Spanish for "the tone", is best known for painting a geometric representation of a tuning fork on buildings, rail sides, or any surface you would find in a modern city. His work first began in the city of Madrid in 1999, but it can now be found in cities all over Europe, South America, and Korea.
When many people think of graffiti, they envision bright colors and big shapes that can be overpowering. Eltono's work is a statement against this type of graffiti -- his work is subtle and understated. Eltono does such a wonderful job of keeping his work simple that it's possible you could walk by it and never notice it.
Eltono's work is created using a technique that is completely different than that of his contemporaries. While many street artists use spray paint to create rounded shapes and art without straight lines or corners, Eltono uses a combination of plastic paint and masking tape to create uniquely geometric shapes and straight lines.
Eltono's work seems to draw one's eye to obvious discrepancies in the cityscape. For example, one can imagine a brick wall with windows that have been haphazardly boarded over by previously weathered plywood. Perhaps it's easier to imagine the side wall of a building, constructed of different types of brick, lumber, and iron. These are both common sights on a run-down block of any major city. For Eltono, these scenes are a blank canvas.
When Eltono finds a surface he likes, he will create a collection of geometric shapes and straight lines that will highlight the surface's natural differences while at the same time contrasting the typical graffiti one would expect to find. His emphasis on subtlety has undoubtedly made his art easier to recognize, and it may be part of the reason he is known the world over.
Like all good art, Eltono's work generates more questions than it answers. Does Eltono work in geometric shapes to draw attention to the harsh city environment? Is their a political statement? Because Eltono's chosen medium is often associated with vandalism, will his work receive the attention it deserves? While only time will tell, Eltono's work certainly deserves your attention now.
Author Jason Lancaster enjoys reviewing and discussing modern Latin art. He has a Latin Musica website featuring Tonos. To learn more about Eltono, visit his website Eltono.com.
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