Street Artist XI at Las Ramblas, Barcelona

Today I choose a picture about something more likely to be admired in case you visit Barcelona (personally I think my two previous mountain images are too far away for tourists). I keep counting my series of Barcelona artists: number XI here a veteran fakir and sword eater is entertaining the crowd who does not know whether to laugh or look the other way sickened by the view. 

Did you know that Fakir is an Arabic word meaning "poor" and that sword swallowing was already famous as a magic trick in Ancient Greece?, in fact it is not an illusion, it's a matter of learning to control your reflex gagging at objects touching the throat. Anyway, I am glad that I chose the backstage because I had a great time watching people's faces by far more interesting than the show (no offense).

See Picture of Barcelona Street Artist at Las Ramblas Picture on a Google Earth Map.

Barcelona Street Artist X: Paella Tête-à-Tête

Paella n. A saffron-flavored Spanish dish made with varying combinations of rice, vegetables, meat, chicken, and seafood originating in the town of Valencia. Hum...not exactly. As you see the element of surprise was missing in the definition. Not that I disapprove having paella at Las Ramblas, where you can enjoy the view and stretch your tired tourist legs under the effect of huge Sangrias served in "buckets", but an experimented native gourmet would say it is almost a sacrilege. Maybe this sort of parody was meant to warn innocent tourists, we will never know. If you want another angle, there you go.

See Barcelona Street Artist at Las Ramblas Picture on a Google Earth Map

Barcelona Street Artist IX: Come with Mama!

If you take a look at my previous post about Barcelona fast food and Mediterranean diet, you will notice that the artist in the picture was talking to a friend during a break. Well, today I came back and caught "her", but paying a big price. The moment I gave her my coin she stepped forward and plunged my head between her huge breasts. From here I would like to encourage all those tourists who got the image to contact me so we can reach an agreement before starting with the blackmail. See here a side view that illustrates the junk food issue I raised then (in the background you see a delivery van, guess what they sell: fried potatoes!). One extra photo here with better sight of bottle of beer lodged right there.

See Barcelona Street Artist IX Picture on a Google Earth Map.

Barcelona Fast Food: Supersize Me

This is what happens when you don´t follow a Mediterranean diet, fast food or junk food kills you. Walking down Las Ramblas I came across another street artist who was distractedly talking to a friend during a break. Probably he/she enjoyed watching the Supersize Me documentary by Morgan Spurlock. It must be quite an uncomfortable outfit to wear anyhow. Just one more anonymous history of sacrifice to make ends meet in Barcelona.

See Picture on a Map

Street Artist X: Barcelona Graffiti

Today I post another picture about Barcelona graffiti, this time showing the other wall, see previous work in Street Artist IX: Barcelona Graffiti. The image could be easily called: A Fantasy from Hell, as it looks as the devil devouring sinners' souls, but of course you could all help me reinterpret the scene.

Street Artist IX: Barcelona Graffiti

Signed by street artist Peri-Kain (I don´t want to infringe copyrights) this graffiti can be seen on the walls of a small alley inside shopping mall La Maquinista, a big commercial area near Sta. Coloma de Gramanet in the outskirts of the city. To my surprise Nicola from Wiesbaden, Germany, another member of the Citydailyphoto Family had already published a photo about this type of urban art today. As I took the picture this morning and I had my mind made up I decided to post it anyway and give her my today's "recommended link" thus reinforcing our common topic. By the way the image this time is no digital art trick, I only used more shadows to avoid reflection on hair on the right and a little touch of color temperature.

Recommended Link to a Dailyphoto friend Wiesbaden (Germany) by Nicola

Street Artist VIII: Silence is Golden

After so much architecture I think a photo of people will keep up the good spirit. Let's return to Las Ramblas and admire this Oriental character that swiftly adopts different poses each time a coin makes some noise giving you a sudden start with his rod. Do not disturb the artist while he is working, for him silence is golden.

Street Artist Photo VII: The Saga

It is spring, and the sun comes out in all its splendor over Barcelona. Birds go into business and flowers in the stalls along La Rambla de las Flors indulge in their particular beauty contest. Lucky tourists who managed to win the weather lotto go like crazy up and down the promenade. Time for Barcelona street artists to work extra hours. After assuming I had seen them all, I have to accept the inevitable truth, they clone like Molly. See this elegant gentleman spreading his wings while holding tight his records of financial transactions.

Street Artist Photo VI

A new chapter of this serial to be continued. Not only you can find folklore, western, or reminiscence from the Roman Empire, there is also mythology. This photo illustrates the latest trend: sophisticated costumes amazingly wrought and heavy to weigh. Golden winged centaur half-man half-horse (or carousel horse) looks at me claiming for his photo rights.

Afternoon of a Faun

Just in front of Las Arenas bullring I set eyes on this worker who was doing Spanish siesta after his lunchtime. As the background was the ugliest thing in this world I decided to create a new layer, added the lens effect behind the parking lot vent and some texture to the sand where he was dozing. Today I wanted to stick up for siestas without having to go on strike as Eric at ParisDailyPhoto so humorously suggested the other day (remember my previous post).

Street Artist Photo V

Tourists wouldn´t miss by any chance posing with a glittering star like Gary "Cupper" (so would sound Cooper in Spanish more or less). Hope he doesn´t mind me calling him such names. This funny cowboy conquers your camera with his winks and his sweet smile, of course you have to pay a little for the reward but it is worth the price. There's always a history of sacrifice behind each of these performances.

Street Artist Photo IV

To follow with Las Ramblas street artist series here goes number four. I would call it more or less "My skinny fellow rider" or "The hell of a company". Of course maybe you could come up with much better names. This picture is dedicated to Eric's ParisDailyPhoto who has been publishing a picture a day for a whole year without missing any. Happy Anniversary!

Street Artist Photo III

If one of the living statues in Las Ramblas of Barcelona seems truly realistic this must be the Miner. Notice how the smudge and the soot contribute to give the character the solid appearance of a carved marble stone. Right behind him you can partially see the opera house Liceu.

Street Artist Photo II

It is a common belief that here in Spain we go nuts about bullfights, flamenco and spend a lot of time enjoying our siesta, nothing more far from reality. As you saw yesterday in my previous post Las Arenas...we have less bullrings (I have never been to a Plaza de Toros in my life), flamenco is being blended with pop, rock, salsa or even jazz and of course we don´t have time for siesta anymore, hummm, that, I do miss. This bailaor of flamenco (flamenco dancer) was performing near the end of Las Ramblas, suddenly he jumps, I shoot and notice on my screen that his legs were not even blurred in the picture. You have to admit that good dancers sometimes flow in the air.

Street Artist Photo

Barcelona is a cultural melting pot, and Las Ramblas is the main stage. Street artists from all over the world, scattered among flower and animal stalls give their particular impersonation of different characters, acting as human statues that witness silently the parade of tourists swarming around them to steal pictures and maybe drop some coins in their "vase".