My Favorite SF Works and Artists

     When I moved to San Francisco to go to school, I wasn't like a lot of the other students that surrounded me. The city wasn't all new to me. I have lived in the Bay area for sixteen years and I had seen all the tourist spots in the city a thousand times. I thought that I had seen all of the interesting things that there was to see, but I was wrong! After all my friends had been to every tourist site, we began to further explore the more unknown and less popular side of the city. This is where my interest in street art began.

    As I continued to explore the city I discovered quite a few pieces of street art that I fell in love with. The first work was one that I discovered in the Haight while touring with some friends; it is titled "X-Ray of a Wolf" and is depicted below. This really was the piece that started it all for me as it peaked my interest in street art. I believe it was my love for dogs and anatomy that caused this piece to initially catch my eye. I began to research the artist who created "X-Ray of a Wolf", Nychos. I found that Nychos had several other pieces that had been commissioned in San Francisco, and countless others around the world. Here I am in front of "X-Ray of a Wolf."   

     Nychos was born to a hunting family in Styria, Austria in 1982. His Facebook biography credits some elements of his style as arising out of his upbringing. Nychos was “confronted by the anatomy of dead animals at an early age,” and was an “80’s kid with an interest for cartoons and heavy metal.” All of these influences “ended up being some of the ingredients which inspired him when he started graffiti and painting at the age of 18.” ("NYCHOS.") Since then, he has worked to develop a style all his own. He is well known for “his dissections and cross sections of human and animal bodies” that are easily recognized by the public. ("NYCHOS.") Nychos has painted many “huge and technically outstanding art pieces in the urban environment” in cities all around the world. He has also exhibited his works in galleries worldwide.  He is said to currently be “one of the most sought-after artists of the street art scene”. Nychos says this about his works of art; “Combining the comic character with how a body actually works is really interesting to me”. (Nychos, March 2013)("NYCHOS.") 

"NYCHOS." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May. 2015.

Below you will find some pieces Nychos has painted in San Francisco.

For more information on Nychos and his works I have added in the links to his tumblr and Facebook!

Link to Nychos' Tumblr

Link to Nychos' Facebook

     After becoming interested in Nychos' works I wanted to find out about other popular artists who had worked in the city. One of the artists I came across was Banksy, a prominent but unknown British graffiti artist/ political activist. He paints street art all over the world, and has several pieces in SF. Not a lot is known about him because he keeps a low profile as the works he makes are not commissioned and are often considered vandalism.

The piece below is one of my favorites because it has become a source of inspiration for other artists that work in the city. When Banksy painted his tree on the wall it was the only work there, as depicted in the first picture. 

Now, we can see that the wall has become a forest of trees. Other artists have been inspired to create their own trees on the wall. I really enjoy this set of works because a multitude of artists, both famous and unknown, have worked together to compose it. 

I have attached the link to Banksy's website where you can find more of his works, as well as a movie he produced about street art called "Exit Through The Gift Shop." I highly recommend the documentary, it was interesting and quite humorous!

Locations of Banksy's SF Works

Banksy's Website

Link to "Exit Through The Gift Shop"