Marietta Chalktoberfest 2017 and 2019, part 2

This is a continuation of my post of October 30, 2019, "Chalktoberfest 2017 and 2019, part 1" where I showed pictures from the 2017 chalk festival.  The following contains photos from the 2019 chalk festival.  I usually would attend on the Sunday when all the chalk drawings were finished, but rain was expected that day, so I decided to go on Saturday afternoon, October 12, 2019.  First of all it was difficult to find a parking place.  Where parking had been free in earlier years, now it was quite expensive.  When I went to the first chalk fest in Marietta in 2013 there were 20 artists from around the country then and a small crowd of onlookers.  In 2019, 86 international chalk artists took part and the crowd had increased to over 100,000 attendees!

Each artist is sponsored by a business or organization.  The name of the business is inscribed in the street painting as an advertisement for that firm.  A side road has an area reserved for non professional artists, of all ages.  As I started walking around I saw many drawings that were in different stages of completion.  At the end of the day before I left I walked again by several drawings that had been finished.  (Please click on collage to enlarge.)

Two little boys next to me could have been in the drawing we were checking.  This trompe l'oeil drawing won 2nd prize I believe.  The first prize was awarded to the drawing called "The siblings" shown on the bottom right of the collage below.

One of my favorites was the drawing of a dog, sponsored by the Cobb County Humane Society.  It won 3rd prize.  I also liked the drawing of the late David Bowie, English singer-song writer and actor (1947-2016.)  You can see his two colored eyes in the heading photo.

It was difficult to choose a favorite with all the beautiful art from so many artists, coming as far away as Serbia, the Ukraine, the Netherlands, Argentina, Mexico, Italy and 18 states in the United States.  I liked "Svegli nel sogno" / Awake in the dream" a drawing of Vittorio Valiante of Naples, Italy.

I stopped to watch Velko Geurgevich from Belgrade, Serbia.  He was not in a hurry to be finished.  We talked for a while after I told him I had been to Belgrade years ago.  Unfortunately, I never saw his finished work.  He says in his biography: "Nature is my muse.  I am forever devoted to portraying Nature in all its magnificence.  My landscapes are intimate and personal: I see them as pages from my diary.  My work is an attempt to show my respect towards nature, an attempt I am forever refining."  Below is his drawing in progress in Marietta and standing in front of one of his paintings.

I took many photos with my two cameras and my cell phone.  Not only of the chalk art but also of the people walking by, standing on top of the Strand Theatre, dogs and chalk tool boxes.

Below are two more drawings being worked on, and then finished.

In Italy in the 16th century artists paid tribute to religious figures of the Madonna with chalk art in city streets.  They would travel around the country while earning some money from onlookers.  They placed plates beside their artwork and coins were tossed into them.  These early artists were called "Madonnari."  There are different categories of artists - copyists (recreating famous works or photographs and of celebrities,) free artists (creating their own work) and 3-D artists, creating anamorphic or "trompe l'oeil" art, that is to say - intended to give a convincing illusion of reality.

Aren't these animals looking almost real?

One of the reasons so many people are attracted by this art is the fact that it can be observed from beginning to end.  We see how the artists plan and create these large-scale drawings.  How the plain dull asphalt is almost magically coming to life into vibrant colors.

It is truly amazing to see these oversized masterpieces in chalk next to our feet.

There was a steady stream of spectators, some taking selfies, others using cameras.  Most just gazing at the art and walking on.

Just with little sticks of multi-colored chalk a talented artist can create enchanting and intricate paintings.

The festival included vendors, food, drinks and crafts.  Live music was being played non-stop by local bands in the gazebo.  The last band to play was a band I had heard before and liked.  It is called "The Paradocs."  It is a team from the medical staff of the Atlanta Northside Hospital.  The guitar player below on the right in the center picture is a pediatrician, the singer an oncologist doctor, the drummer is a pharmacist, another guitarist is an obstetrician, the ICU staff on bass.  A nurse was dancing next to me (pictured in the white skirt below.)  The rhythms were infectious - the repertoire was from classic rock - it was hard not to sway to the music! (and I was ...)

It had been another magical festival.  This year again many talented artists worked on hand and knees to design these ephemeral creations and bring our streets to life.  An artist was asked if she was sad that all her work would be washed away soon.  She answered that it is the same when you go to the theater to watch a play.  When it is over, you clap and leave; they are just as fleeting.  As French philosopher Frederic Lenoir said:

« Tout passe, tout est éphémère, les sublimes bonheurs comme les grands malheurs. »  
F. Lenoir, born in 1962

(Everything goes away; everything is ephemeral, the sublime happiness as well as the greatest misfortunes.)