I MADONNARI - THE CHALK ARTIST

The madonnari art style was born in the early 1980's when a group of Italian artists started to reproduce Art Master Pieces in the most famous squares in Italy. This form of art was named after the Italian translation of Virgin Mary, which is Madonna, due to the fact that originally only portraits of the Virgin were reproduced. (Madonnari: Artist that reproduced the Madonna).

These artists did not have any board, or utilize any canvas? they used the pavement as a base for their creations and made the Italian squares more colorful than ever. If you have the opportunity to cross any major Italian square, you will still recognize the Madonnari artist, no matter what subject they are reproducing: from the classical and sacred image of the Virgin Mary to the contemporary Marilyn Monroe, they are surrounded by votive candles, classical or soothing music and? a crowd of people!

The technique of this art form is not as simple as it seems, it not only takes talent but vast experience as well. The first step the artist must do is to draw an outline of the original painting in proper proportion using pencil or a charcoal pastel. After which they begin to lay the base of colors. The artist is using a number of colored chalk pastels that are characterized by being very soft, almost creamy in consistency. Gradually the artist layers the chalk blending the colors creating shadow, contrast and depth.

After many laboring hours a masterpiece is born, only to fall under the footsteps of the passing crowd. In order to preserve their creations, some chalk artists have begun to use a board placed on the ground. Due to the consistency of the chalk, the artist applies a fixative spray over the drawing in order to maintain the color characteristics for a prolonged period of time allowing the drawing to be framed and cherished for years to come.