Williamsburg Murals

There's plenty of painting on public display in Brooklyn - ranging from hasty tags and stenciled pieces of street art to laboriously rendered commercial advertisements, many of which give photorealist studio painters a run for their money. The ongoing evolution and re-energising of the age-old practice of painting on walls is fascinating, and it's good to see such skillfully executed work. It is interesting that even the commercial pieces are respected by other artists - I didn't see any that were painted over. The hand-made nature of the works seems to confer a value that is lacking from the printed billboard, and perhaps a longevity too. The advertiser who is paying for a hand-painted mural has to think more carefully about what to put up, as it can't be changed in a few weeks time.