Street Painting - Madonnari

Return to
Painting & Drawing

by
Kelly Borsheim

Sign-up to receive
FREE
e-news or printed mail.

(Your personal information is
never sold or given away.)

Street Painting: The Art of the "Madonnari"

No one knows exactly where the art of street painting originated, other than in the Mediterranean region. Devotional drawings, usually of the Madonna, were drawn on the hard flat surfaces outside of the churches and in the open air, perhaps to slow the spread of plagues. This form of art in the street began to gain in popularity in Spain and in Italy. Hence, the Italian word for these street painters is Madonnari. (Madonnaro = one male artist; Madonnara = one female artist)

No streets were harmed in the making of this art. The Madonnari use chalks and pastels, but only pastels without oil. Pastel is pure pigment, which lends to the bright colors typical of these paintings in the streets. Sometimes the street painters will wash away their work of the day with water and a broom. And the next morning the street cleaners will drive their vehicles over the work, wet brushes spinning over the drawing and washing away the night's dirt and the dust. But some of the time, people prefer the pastel paintings to remain as long as Nature and man will allow. Street painters often rely on tips from tourists and locals alike, but for a few events, such as street painting festivals, artists are paid by organizations, businesses, or individuals to create their works.

Artist Kelly Borsheim began street painting in September 2007 while living in Florence, Italy. This page contains some of her works on Via Calimala in central Florence, not far from the famous Ponte Vecchio. You may hire her to do a street painting in your neighborhood for a special event or for no reason at all, save for fun and beauty. Contact the studio for availability and prices. Please note, that any and all of these images can be also painted on paper or canvas. The price will be higher, but the work will also be archival.

Interviews (including video) featuring Kelly and her work as a streetpainter:

Tuscany Arts: Street Painting in Florence – Kelly Borsheim, “Madonnara”: 30 June 2010 by Alexandra Korey
EP. #110 Madonnari - Street Painters in Italy: recorded in 2009 (posted 16 June 2010) by Simone Di Santi of www.aroadretraveled.com

Kelly poses with her broom
during a break in Florence, Italy.

Read more about Kelly's street painting experiences on her blog.

Kelly's first street painting in Florence, Italy

"The Blue Madonna" by Carlo Dolci was recreated in the street.

Kelly's before and after, painting like a sculptor

Street painting in front of a Florentine parade.

from Michelangelo's Sistine Chappell

The Libyan Sibyl

the lovely colors and depth of pastel painting

the original art is attributed to Jacques Louis David

Kelly begins her drawing: light vs. dark

After layers of pastels, blending creates a new effect.

Kelly at work on a Sassoferrato in Florence, Italy

work-in-progress

Caravaggio art

Kelly invites children to "help" her sometimes.

original artist = Bouguereau

Botticelli's "Venus" (detail) in Florence, Italy

There is beauty even in the destruction.

Batoni's Madonna with Child in Florence, Italy

Street painting in progress by Kelly Borsheim

Batoni's Madonna with Child in Florence, Italy

Bouguereau recreated in Florence, Italy

Pastel painting as street art

Bouguereau recreated in Florence, Italy

Another sibyl from Michelangelo's Sistine Chappell

Illegal merchants pass by behind Kelly and
a young budding artist. Photo by Ernesto Brosa

Street painting in Florence, Italy

Note the grey wings are actually not painted - this is the color of the street

Street painting in Florence, Italy

Street Painting Festival - Nocera Superiore, Italia May 2009

Kelly works through the night.

Theme that year: The Life of Saint Paul

Part of the Florentine team, Kelly painted her first copy of a Rembrandt,
with minor changes to represent Saint Paul's second time in prison.

Florentine Politics and the Street Performing / Painting Taxes

Newspaper coverage of 'madonnari protesting tax raise in Florence, Italy

'Il Comune' (City Hall) raises taxes for street painters.

Kelly is famous in Florence, Italy!

'Madonnari' protest in Piazza della Signoria

Group Paintings in the Street

Recreating Botticelli's "la Primavera"
with colleagues Johnny (Ireland) and Geovane (Brasile)

Kelly drew the left side.

Kelly's part of a group effort

The second day of a two-day drawing

Copy of Caravaggio with colleague Johnny

Kelly starts drawing another Caravaggio, her colleagues arriving later.

Detail of a Caravaggio street painting

Group painting: Caravaggio's "Dinner at Emmaus"

Kelly chats with Iranian tourists in Florence, Italy

Raphael's Madonna and Child with Farsi compliments
street painting by Johnny Grogan and Kelly Borsheim

Kelly starts the drawing of "Adam" after Michelangelo

Chalking a part of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel

Street painting is a very physical art.
We start the drawing on all fours, to get the face drawn in more accurately.
Sitting, kneeling, stretching, standing up, standing back for a more objective look. The neck was the surprising sore area -- holding the weight of the head out horizontally most of the day.
The madonnari usually start around 10 a.m. and finish at midnight.

Kelly and Johnny's street painting at midnight

2010 June - Raphael's "Madonna of the Chair" drawn with my colleague Johnny McGrogan

Interested in Kelly's blog from Florence, Italy, and central Texas? Subscribe online at:
http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.com
(This is a different subscription list than the one for the art newsletter from Borsheim Arts Studio.)

Sign-up to receive FREE e-news or printed mail.

Return to Read Other Newsletters - Table Of Contents Page