Greta Thunberg mural in San Francisco
The balance that this 2019 has left us in terms of climate change it is certainly alarming. Not only have most countries failed to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse emissions , agreed in the Paris Agreement , but have conditioned the panorama.
According to the ** Emissions Gap ** report published at the end of November by United Nations , only if an annual decrease of 7.6% from next year to 2030 were achieved, would it be possible to reduce the increase in global temperature by more than 1.5° , which would reduce the frequency and intensity of pollution, heat waves and storms.
But there is a character throughout this history that is fervently battling for the future of the ** environment ** and that has managed to unify the activists under the same flag. We talk about Greta Thunberg , who is on everyone's lips for her tireless efforts in demanding that the world leaders The duty of get active for our planet.
And although in recent months she has received recognition, praise, -some criticism-, she is a Nobel Peace Prize nomination and even an award from the Nordic Council, the Swedish activist affirms that the movement for the environment you don't need them. But who would be able to reject a ** sustainable street art ** intervention?
The Swedish activist has battled intensely this year
THE GRETA MURAL IN SAN FRANCISCO
The person responsible for having immortalized the young activist was the **Argentine artist Andrés Petroselli**, better known as 'Copper Boy' , author of hyper-realistic portraits, including **the eyes of Frank Sinatra in New York and Dalí in Barcelona**.
Although somewhat apart from Mission , the mythical area where most of the open-air works are found, Greta's mural is located in San Francisco _(Mason st 500) _, between Post and Geary streets, a few meters from Union Square.
The intervention has been part of the project ‘Art Celebrating Climate Activists’ , promoted by the ** NGO One Atmosphere **, who chose 'Niño de Cobre' for his peculiar and outstanding artistic work.
But especially for the notoriety that he acquired after having painted the actor robin-williams on one of the main avenues of **San Francisco**. The mural turned out to be a success in the community, and from there, the collaboration between both parties.
The intervention has been promoted by the NGO One Atmosphere
Andrés set out to do a 'hunt' through the center of the metropolis, visited potential locations and he sent the options to One Atmosphere, who was in charge of managing the permissions. “They got the wall and the paintings, and I donated my time . In San Francisco it is a little more complicated, it is a rather cumbersome bureaucratic process, not everyone can do it”, the artist explains to Traveler.es.
The goal was always to do something related to the climate change . Although there were several options, One Atmosphere opted for Greta because it was going to have an unbeatable impact. In addition to having been nominated for the Nobel Prize and being in The Angels , it was something very appropriate for amplify the message of the young activist.
Even though this It's not just any mural, it's street art sustainable: the impact on the environment has been minimal. How? They were used 80 eco-friendly spray cans and the rest has been hand painted with acrylic.
On the other hand, the empty jars will be used in a sculpture with the same theme and to minimize carbon footprint , Andrés walked almost every day to the place and if this was not the case, he traveled in a electric car.
Andrés Petroselli is the author of this sustainable mural
It should be noted that this intervention is exceptionally unusual for copper boy , since he does not usually delve into political issues. Although he claimed to feel very identified with Greta's message and the vision of her seems totally genuine.
"I had no news of her. I really don't think she ever responds or makes any mention of the mural because she doesn't want any recognition or award; she says that what she is doing is what we should all do, she is not doing it for her ego, she does it for the environment” , Andrés Petroselli tells us.
Although friends of Thunberg , who they conveyed to the artist his admiration for the mural, and they assured him that they would show it to him when they got the chance.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: ANDRES PETROSELLI
It is not the first time that Andrés transgresses borders with his murals: author of the face of Prince in Los Angeles, Freddie Mercury in London, Messi in Barcelona , Frida Kahlo in Santa Fe (Argentina), and Eduardo Galeano in Uruguay.
Since he was little he got into the artistic field, almost self-taught, when he drew and painted endlessly for hours . At 14 he would sneak with his friends through the streets of his hometown, Santa Fe , where he began to familiarize himself with the graffiti.
He was trained in Grenade and then in Barcelona , he studied Cinema and 3D Animation Narrative: “ Storytelling from the cinema It helped me a lot when it came to capturing a mural”, he declares to Traveler.es. He mentions being fascinated by the Renaissance and Street Art, a great admirer of painters like Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rembrandt.
In allusion to the artistic process: “First I measure the wall, and I take the measurements to Photoshop. Then I choose the type of frame. Generally I don't like to paint backgrounds, I like the wall to be occupied with the skin texture . I try to build less of a background to have more space for the portrait, and once the frame is set up, I make a grid and transfer it to the wall.”
After two decades of career , the challenge lies in doing something completely new and trying to bring it to life, if an image is somewhat strange it is immediately noticeable. The part of the eyes is the one that involves the most work and the hair or the hands are the ones that usually bring complications.
In one of his adventures USA , Andrés was walking through brooklyn with a friend and without planning it, he found a space to leave his mark. He requested permission and the owner would only grant it if he painted Frank Sinatra . “The wall was very good, and the reason seemed super interesting to me to bring him back to the neighborhood where he grew up Petroselli points out.
Although his favorite mural resides in ** Cheste (Valencia) ** and it is the one he has painted in honor of his grandmother's 80th birthday. He was a pure love message and the only one where he didn't worry about what the reaction of the people, the media or social networks was going to be.
Apart from Dalí and Messi, in Benicarló he owns a sailor , one of the biggest he has done, 100% spray paint. He also has another Grenade and, for the moment, he has not outlined any in Madrid.
Regarding the immediate future, he states that he will be in Santa Fe completing some work that was pending, “I want to paint a building (free mural), and at the end of February I will go to a festival in Australia”.