It’s become quite a tradition to usher in summer with a collective i Madonnari creation. This year’s inspiration started with “The Geranium” by Henri Matisse.
From Wikipedia…
The Italian I Madonnari were itinerant artists, many of whom had been brought into the cities to work on the huge cathedrals. When the work was done, they needed to find another way to make a living, and thus would often recreate the paintings from the church onto the pavement. Aware of festival and holy days in each province and town, they traveled to join in the festivities to make a living from observers who would throw coins if they approved of the artist’s work. For centuries I Madonnari were folk artists, reproducing simple images with crude materials such as tiles, coal and chalk.
Have fun creating your own sidewalk masterpiece! For a step-by-step tutorial, visit this post.