On the way to one of my weekly visits to the nail salon, I noticed a pop of color from a block away. Since it was surrounded by a dark setting with neutral tones, it made the entire block stand out. The large mural is situated on the corner of two walls on Avenue U between Lake Street and McDonald Avenue in Gravesend. Being that the art was not officially signed with the artist’s name, only after I’ve done extensive research have I found other artworks bearing the artist’s signature logo- “LOVE,” with a peace sign as the “O,” a heart as the “V,” and three horizontal lines as an “E.” He had originally tagged this specific wall with the words “Love Heals.” When the owner of the building announced to the Brooklyn Daily paper that he actually liked the graffiti, he basically gave the artist an open invitation to paint the entire wall. The artist took him up on the offer and even got a commission to paint a mural on the wall. The no longer anonymous artist, who now calls himself “The Real Mr. Love,” is John Westbay.
Using only spray-paint, the mural features three panels that take up two walls. In order to see all three together, one would have to stand in the street by the corner. The first panel is a riff on the Beatles’ Abbey Road Cover with Keith Haring-like figures on the crosswalk. There is a posted speed limit of 25 MPH, a traffic light, and a stop sign all floating above the figures’ heads. The second figure is carrying a red heart and the words “Haring Road” are painted on the bottom corner. Westbay explains on his Instagram (@westgard) that he’s listening to the Beatles 61% of the time while painting and that he wishes he grew up with the Beatles instead of Justin Bieber. Also, the Beatles’ album mostly focuses on love, which is probably why Westbay included this specific cover on his artwork. The combination of two of his many inspirations, the Beatles and Keith Haring, are portrayed in this mural by switching up Abbey Road to “Haring Road.”
The second panel is a recreation of the Van Gogh Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat. By painting the ear dark pink, the artist purposely distinguished it from the rest of the portrait to bring attention to the fact that Van Gogh only had one ear. Perhaps Westbay included Van Gogh in his painting because Van Gogh had struggled to find love in his life. There is even a theory that Van Gogh cut off his ear after he heard that his brother was getting married. Van Gogh eventually gave up and turned to his requited love, art, where he succeeded immensely.
The third and final panel is the background for the entire artwork; it is an unusual female figure, with a face of a clock with no hands, wearing a tank-top that displays the artist’s signature word, “LOVE.” The colorful triangles in the background extend onto the next wall. Westbay explains on his instagram that these triangles are a “portrait of the inside of his brain,” representing the complexity and creativity of an artist’s mind. The female figure represents the idea that time is limitless when it comes to finding and being in love.
Being that the mural had been there for at least 10 years, it is seemingly meant to be permanent. In order to really focus on the detailing of the artwork, one would have to view it during the day. The artwork spreads positive messages of love and can also remind people to be aware when crossing the streets. This mural is truly a work of art that has many underlying themes.
