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Graffiti of St. Petersburg

Graffiti of St. Petersburg, Russia

A curious traveler knows that behind the facades of historical buildings are hiding works of another art - street art. Walk around the St. Petersburg courtyards with our guidebook and find unique graffiti: portraits of celebrities, a “portal” in the 19th century, full-wall patterns and the Roman Colosseum. All that is needed is just to turn off the usual city routes.

1. "Graffiti Dvor" on Ligovsky Prospekt. There is something to admire: the walls of two houses are full of bright colors, one plot goes into another, forming a whole wall gallery.

Pictures often change. The old ones are painted over, and in their place a huge tiger or a fiery eruption of a volcano appears. For a long time graffiti lurked behind the gates, and getting there was only possible by chance. In 2019, part of the courtyard was occupied by the terrace of a local bar. And this is great news, because now without obstacles you can take cool pictures and just drink coffee in an unusual setting.


2. The art courtyard at Zhukovsky is like a free open-air museum. Here, mosaic panels, sculptures, and colorful bas-reliefs, and the central place is occupied by huge graffiti.

Opposite the entrance to the courtyard you will be greeted by a gigantic hero from Pushkin's poem Ruslan and Lyudmila. Many heroes of Pushkin's fairy tales are represented here: a talking head, a cat-scientist, a goblin, Ruslan and Chernomor .. The author of these graffiti is a storyteller Valery Ivanov.


3. An installation in the spirit of the 9¾ platform from Harry Potter appeared on a very real St. Petersburg street. From a distance it seems that the whole composition is a drawing. Stepping closer, you see that the subway car itself is real. Like an electronic display that shows the time, date and air temperature.

An unusual art object appeared on the embankment of the Obvodny Canal for the anniversary of the St. Petersburg subway. In the metro they joked about this: “They opened a new metro station Obvodniy Dvor!” And Petersburgers ironically thought: “Well, at least they open the magic stations on time.”


4. You can plunge into the atmosphere of Petersburg of the 19th century only by looking into one of the courtyards on Gorokhovaya. Here a janitor in a cap quietly sweeps the street, ladies in luxurious dresses with umbrellas in their hands strolling past, a proud peacock sits on a balcony with flowers.

An arch overlooking the street of those times was painted right on the wall of the house, which creates the effect of reality. There is a confident desire to go there and change jeans for a magnificent outfit, to be at the ball, fanning himself with a fan.

Fortunately for the artists, their chosen wall was windowless. With their light brush, they appeared here, also stylized as the century before last. A lady in a home chemise peers into the distance, other balconies are full of flowers. In the courtyards on Gorokhovaya you can still see the gazebo, made under the carriage, and painted arches.


5. The most romantic and famous love story found its place in St. Petersburg graffiti. And in what city should she still be, if not in Petersburg? The northern capital is famous for a large-scale holiday for graduates, when a ship with sails floats along the Neva. Apparently, therefore, the artists did not depict the fictional city of Green called Caperna, but the silhouettes of St. Petersburg.

The firewall was decorated just in time for the graduation holiday. There is a legend - if you touch the drawing, close your eyes,  success on the exam - will  certainly come true!


6. Petersburg is closely connected with Italy. It is called Venice of the North, in the center is Italianskaya Street, and the historic place of the city - the Peter and Paul Fortress - was built by Domenico Trezzini. Not surprisingly, in one of the courtyards you can meet the Roman Colosseum. Not real, of course, in graffiti, but the picture looks quite realistic.

The walls of the St. Petersburg Colosseum are covered with natural branches of ivy, which certainly looks advantageous. The effect of reality is given by the traced clouds in the sky. In addition to the amphitheater, the walls and windows of neighboring houses are also painted under Italian arches and streets.


7. Lane Radishchev flashes in the headlines of the media almost every week. Here is a spontaneous open-air art gallery. Its creator is St. Petersburg artist Oleg Lukyanov .. Citizens immediately noticed new graffiti, pictures in social networks scattered, and the place became popular.

Utilities more than once painted over all the creations of the author, but the patriot of his business immediately restored them.

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