iT'S STreeTarT THurSDay iN eaST HoLLyWooD! with Malibu AM Pic of the day - Thursday, April 7, 2016

Dear Street Art Lovers,

We're getting down with simplistic this week. Don't worry, we've gone here before. Much of street art is elaborate, Rococo, subscribing to the aesthetic that "More is more!" whether it be color, people, textures, lines, squiggles, naked women, you name it...

Artist unattributed, Esoteric Medallions of Sunset Junction, paint on residence cinder-block wall.

But then once in a while you find stuff that is so simple, it's a breath a fresh air. And you think, "That's so simple, it's gotta be profound." And then the next thought is, "Yeah, right. It's street art. So the @$$wipe artist is jerkin' me around with irony ... Baxter!" At least, that's what goes through my head.

I displayed one of these "Esoteric Medallions" last year, vowing that I'd show you the rest. Well, it's time.

These are painted on the wall of a residence in a part of East Holly/Silverlake called Sunset Junction, it's where Sunset Blvd, meets Santa Monica and Sanborn, so it's a six-point intersection.

Since it's on the wall of a single-family residence, probably it's the work of the dweller within.  Let's look at all of them shall we. This one has imagery of a natural horn, sounding, but apparently played by a star and there are flames beneath.

 This one here has got a single eye seemingly atop a mountain or cloud adorned with an alternative cross.

This one has got a depiction of a storm at sea, with a ship moving into the waves and falling lightning.

















This one has a modified eye of Horus like we find on our money, but the eye belongs to a serpent. The whole pyramid thing floats on a sea of eyes with a squiggly sun shining above.



















And this one seems to be a modified caduceus--a winged trident, but with a ribcage and pelvis of sorts, sitting on an inverted heart.

They're all very rather symmetrical, which is quite engaging and adds to the profundity. They are all balanced images compositionally, so this artist has quite the eye for what makes a good logo.

The imagery is kinda kabbalistic, kinda tarot, kinda Christian, kinda Jewish, kinda Egyptian, and kinda SF. This is SOOOOO L.A. esoteric. I want to call it Orthodox Syncretism. Whatever the hell it means, they're fun to look at when you walk by them. And I'm just going to leave it at that.

Here's a context shot for you. Very 21st-century Silverlake. If you make over to this part of the world and you're a coffee drinker, make sure you get a cup of coffee at Intelligensia--it's the friggin' best. Expensive, but not much more than Starbucks, but worth the wait in line. If you want a lecture, ask the preparer to explain the blends they have available. You'll get more info than you ever imagined.

 My intent with this set was to complete Tuesday's offering which was likewise simple. Don't you think there's a kindred vibe going here?

Eh? What's that? No? "They're just red on black is all," you say? Well screw you ...


AND NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED SEASCAPE

The weather has changed to the cooler side. There's an expectation of showers today and tomorrow. I've given up on calling periods of rain El Nino storms. We had such hopes...

Have a wonderful Thursday.

Love,
Pops