About the artwork
With the exception of the Louvre pyramid and Notre-Dame on the right-hand side of the image, the London Police's Parisian landscape is unrecognizable. Inhabited by the duo's famous Lads, smiling characters representing the cheerful mood of the artists, this capital is adorned with graphics verging on science fiction. Indeed, the stylized aesthetics of the lines and buildings seem reminiscent of an exaggerated contemporary architecture, quite different from the Haussmann-style architecture we're used to. The floating, dismantled appearance of the landscape is also reminiscent of the world of video games and computers, further reinforcing the futuristic aspect associated with the image. Our protagonists, meanwhile, are treated in a style inspired by Roger Hargreaves, and contrast particularly well with the scenery. They compliment and complete the background, which in turn gives them a more sympathetic, narrative dimension.
Expert opinion
This composition is characteristic of the duo's work. Bob Gibson's detailed architectural graphics contrast and balance with Chaz Barrisson's iconic Lads.
About the artist
Formed in 1998, The London Police (TLP) is an English artist duo made up of Chaz Barrisson and Bob Gibson, born of a desire to embellish the streets of Amsterdam. From its inception to 2003, TLP was a group of street artists who produced over a thousand urban works and were among the pioneers of street art. In 2005, Bob Gibson joined the collective, introducing his architectural compositions and detailed portraits to TLP's work. Chaz Barrison, for his part, creates an assembly of now iconic characters known as Lads. These smiling characters, with their round heads and thick contours, inhabit Bob Gibson's universe in works that are now acclaimed worldwide. Their work has been exhibited at numerous institutions and fairs, including the Dutch Museum GEM in The Hague (Netherlands) in 2006, Art Basel Miami (USA) in 2016 and Urban Nation in Berlin (Germany) in 2018.
“In our visual language, we can identify two styles that merged to become the language of The London Police. First, there were my characters who inhabit this fantasy world that Bob enriched with his architectural elements. Our style can be described as a fusion of futuristic and fantastical worlds.”
Additional info
Framed
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