Sep 07, 2008
Claudio Picasso – yes, that is his rightful birth name – is making his mark on the streets of Miami with his larger than life graffiti artwork. With his modest manner and wondering mind, this native Chilean artist may be more than meets the eye.
Dressed in everyday cargo shorts, a striped blue polo and flip-flops, Picasso looks like anything but an artist besides his blue paint-stained hands. Graffiti art had been introduced to Picasso in the nineties as the hip-hop scene emerged and he took to the streets to express his art. As a former FIU student, Picasso studied art history but dabbled in the different creative arts such as photography and drawing.
"I didn't know what I [wanted] to do in college. I just knew that I liked art and that I was going to do something with it," said Picasso. "[A professor] once told me that I had an off way of looking at things. I didn't know it at the time but I guess it was a compliment. That comment has stayed with me till now."
After college, Picasso took a break from graffiti to pursue other career options. Currently, he teaches graphic art to students at Corporate Academy North in Brownsville. It wasn't until Lauren Reskin, a former co-worker and friend, asked Picasso to paint a mural outside of her independent record store "Sweat Records," that Picasso picked up the spray can.
Picasso's first mural, one of his favorites, is a painted red and white scene from the Akira Kurosawa film Yojimbo. The ideas can be accredited to Picasso's childhood memories in which he rented videos from a Chinese movie store and had been introduced to Asian samurai films.
"I asked the owner one day to recommend some movies so he gave me a couple of foreign ones. After watching them, I went back and told him I needed more. These movies changed my life and introduced me to foreign films."
Picasso has now returned to do a second mural for Reskin at her new "Sweat" location.
This time, Picasso's mural, also known as the Wall of Idolatry, depicts various influential artists such as David Bowie, Billie Holiday and members of Daft Punk in vibrant green, blue and white.
The unveiling of the mural this past Saturday kicked off with kegs and cupcakes, as guests bumped to the beats of local DJ's.
The success Picasso has had with his murals has branded him an artist, even though he may beg to differ.
"I don't like when people call me an artist. I just don't consider myself an artist. I hate nine tenths of my work. I even hate the process of painting."
What does Picasso like?
"When you do that one piece and it comes out just right, it makes up for all the rest," he said.
He calls his work autobiographical, something that he has just recently realized. His paintings depict different people influencing his life in one way or another at some point in his life.