We may think of Rock Art as something archaeologists studied in caves-- but it takes on a whole new meaning when actual rocks are just painted. The artist, Stephane Jaspert, pulls Parisian cobblestones out of the street and paints extremely detailed images on them and places them back where he found them. Art and Science Journal explains that the artist hopes to "inspire critical consumption of cultural images and their tangible connections to history while also adding some whimsy to one’s walk." Like any great street art, coming across one of these on your own would be parallel to finding a hidden treasure.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELVES:
1. How would you feel if you stumbled across one of these stones while walking down the street?
2. Which one of these stones is your favorite?
3. How do you think the artist comes up with the ideas for each piece?
4. Why do you think the artist uses stones as his medium?
5. If you could paint anything on a stone, what would you paint?
LINK TO DIVE DEEPER:
Additionally, here's another video about rock balancing (via the wonderful Handbook of Nature Study) that is really impressive and would be easy for us to try to emulate in our backyard (if we had one). It reminds me of the rock piles that you see while hiking-- but taken to a new level. These are really awe-inspiring, gravity defying pieces of magic. We're looking forward to stacking and balancing rocks at the beach this summer!
EXTENSIONS:
Fortunately, to do our own rock art, it's not necessary to go through all that work to have a great end result. Today at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, I found some painted rocks that while simple, had a message. These were laid out around a tree dedicated to firefighters that gave their lives in 9-11. There's something about painting on rock that seems very permanent. Try it out!
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