HISTORY OF STREET PAINTING ( Part 1 )

In cities and towns throughout the world pedestrians may see a patch of sidewalk or paved surface decorated with chalk or pastels. Although this art form is new to most countries, it has a long tradition in Europe and is thought to have originated in Italy during the 16th century.Italian madonnari were vagabond artists noted for a life of travel between festivals, and were the visual arts counterpart of minstrels. They often lived solely from the coins tossed onto or next to their drawing as homage to the Madonna and possibly their skill. They arrived in towns and cities to paint religious pictures directly on the beaten earth or paved public squares, using chalk, brick, charcoal, and colored stones as their medium. In Italy, street painters are called madonnari after their practice of reproducing images of the Madonna )St. Mary). Their work is tied to the rich history of Italian religious art and is connected to icons, as well as votive and ex-voto paintings an offering given either prior to, or in gratitude for an answered prayer or miracle.