70's MURAL IN THE EAST VILLAGE NYC

Last week, I was biking by a park in the East Village that I have passed for years, but always with the gate locked. That day the gate was slightly open. I wandered in and came across these beautifully aged murals from the late 70's, early 80's. It was a time of considerable strife in the neighborhood, (Tompkins Park riots, squatter standoffs, homeless camps, and the

ever present gnawing of gentrification). The artwork reminded me a little of Etruscan painting and

I felt a like an archeologist making a surprising discovery in a slightly off the path neighborhood in downtown Manhattan.

The struggle continues ...

PAPER FLOWERS PROLIFERATE

Here's to Spring with a special thanks to the anonymous artist(s) who, for the past few years, have brightened some lucky walls of lower Manhattan with their ambitious cutting and pasting.

MONA LISA'S MUSTACHE (POSTER PRANKING)

One of the many visual treasures of New York City are the multiple layers of ad posters that have proliferated forever and are a constant source of amusement for graphic junkies. Recently,

and I've read of no specific reason for this, (paste up strike?), the display boards are empty.

As a modest celebration of their presence, here are excerpts from a file I call "Mona Lisa's Mustache". Here's hoping they come back soon.

MONA LISA'S MUSTACHE (poster pranking)

MONA LISA'S MUSTACHE (poster pranking)

WHEAT PASTE-UPS

"Homer of the hedges" and other random vertical pix to study and enjoy ...

RANDOM VERTICAL PHOTOS

EASTER MORNING MUSINGS

EASTER MORNING MUSINGS

POISSON D'AVRIL/APRIL FOOLS

April 1st fast approaches, and I thought it might be nice to celebrate with this small selection of turn of the century French fantasy postcards that celebrate "Poisson d'Avril", the equivalent of April 1st
or April Fools day.

Many cultures throughout history have celebrated Spring with a sense of relief, release and frivolity and though the true origin of this holiday remains a little murky, the general theory is that it came with the French change to the Gregorian calendar ordered by King Charles IX in 1582. Before the calendar shift to January 1, people had celebrated the New Year on or around April 1st, following the Spring equinox. In the days before instant news and email, many were left out and or didn't get with the program and were referred to as "April Fish". They were often on the receiving end of hoaxes and pranks and thus came the beginnings of April Fools.