A Bleu-blanc-noir work of art at the corner of René-Lévesque and Saint-Laurent
Impact supporters will find a familiar sight in downtown Montreal, at the southeast corner of René-Lévesque and Saint-Laurent boulevards: a mural putting Nacho Piatti and the Bleu-blanc-noir under the spotlight was finished on Thursday afternoon in the city’s Chinatown, in collaboration with the MURAL Festival. Illustrator Marco Paradiso, winner of the Impact Art contest, and muralist Shawn Davis married their efforts and their inspirations to render their vision in this original work, which will inspire fans of the beautiful game.
“It is very impressive to see my own work on an entire wall downtown,” said Marco Paradiso. “I began by trying to show that Piatti is an important player for the team, who has a great impact for the club and for the fans. He is a special player. I also wanted to put forth the team’s colours. Initially, I opted for a refined and simple look, which already had the omens of a mural, of a painting. I wanted to show the sport’s speed and intensity through this work.”
The big challenge was to reproduce the illustration of Piatti at a large scale, on an outdoor wall. Naturally, the techniques vary from artist to artist, and the canvas influences the method used to realize the art.
“My challenge was to stay as close as possible to the original image,” explained muralist Shawn Davis. “I wanted my representation to be almost identical to Marco’s image. A few little things changed, like the colour tones, but it’s very close. The mural was done with spray paint or with a paint roller and a 20-foot pole. It took seven days of eight to 10 hours of work to be completed.”
Back in 2016, the Impact Art contest called upon Impact supporters who have a hand for drawing to send in their Impact-inspired work. The best were chosen to feature on the game programmes given at Stade Saputo.
The MURAL Festival will hold its fifth edition from June 8 to 18, on Saint-Laurent boulevard, between Sherbrooke and Mont-Royal streets, and in Old Montreal.
