In an effort to find site-specific art that was suitable to my interest, I chose to visit Five Pointz.  This unique location is known as one of the graffiti capitals of the world and has drawn artists from all different places.  As I was contemplating where to go visit for this blog, I came across five pointz and immediately chose to go there.  As a kid, I had always been intrigued by graffiti art and had always tried reading and interpreting the messages on the walls.   Once I heard about five pointz, I knew it was the perfect place for me to venture to and explore.  When I got there, I was stunned.  My immediate reaction was one of both excitement and transformation.  I felt as if I had walked into a completely new world.  Never in my life had I felt so intrigued to explore and admire all the different murals.  Although I do not consider myself a huge fan of art, five pointz greatly exceeded my expectations and I have never thoroughly enjoyed art as much as I did there.  As I was walking through the area and gazing at the beautiful works of art and vibrant colors, I came across a painting that immediately caught my attention.

It was simply a hand.  Normally, a picture of a hand would leave me expressionless and unresponsive.  However, there was something extremely different about this piece of art.  My first reaction to the pointing hand was that it had something to do with religion.  It seemed to me that the hand was pointing to heaven or to God.  One of the things that distinguished this piece of art to other ones I saw was the fact that it was the only one that I believe, had a religious purpose and message to it.  Another thing that caught my attention was the intricacy and many details of the hand.  Normally, I would see hands drawn or painted on a small canvas or piece of paper.  However, this hand was painted on a huge wall and enlarged to a great extent.  The fact that the hand was drawn and painted so large tells me that the artist was very preciseand careful to capture every element and detail of the piece.  Lastly, a distinguishable factor of this painting was the fact that it was one of the few that were not created with vibrant and flashy colors.  Rather, the hand was simply created with black and white and the pointing finger, with a glowing pink.

After I came across this wonderful and creative piece, I decided to research the artist and any possible background information as to why it was created.  Although I was unable to find information about the hand and the piece of art itself, I did find some other interesting things.  Through the website www.dase.es, which was painted next to the hand, I discovered that the artist of this piece was a man by the name of Marc Álvarez.  I also found out that it was painted only last month and I’m really glad I had a chance to see it.  Marc Álvarez, also known as Dase, currently resides in Barcelona, Spain and is known to be a graphic designer, illustrator and painter.  After looking through the website, I find some of his work very creative and ingenious.  I admire him and his art because I feel that his work is special and carries a certain precision that I really appreciate.

I feel that this painting of a pointing hand is very site-specific.  If I came across this same painting at another location, I would most likely walk past it without a thought in my mind.  However, after walking through five pointz and seeing the different works of art and graffiti, I found the hand was very distinguishable and unique through its message, its meticulousness, and its “not flashy” look.  I am extremely content that I chose to go to five pointz because it was truly a great experience.  It saddens me that the government plans to take the building down to create more apartments and living space.  However, I plan on going back a few more times to appreciate the unique graffiti art before the building is destroyed.