l’atlas
France
L’Atlas is a French artist whose work is all about lines and forms. The main theme of his paintings, graffiti, and installations is the displacement of the people around the world. The spirit of his art can be compared to limitlessness, where borders and frontiers are described as mental barriers. Having the roots in street art, he gradually got familiar with diverse types of calligraphy and geometry that have overtaken the primal aspect of his art, but he still knows to ‘attack’ street walls once in a while. L’Atlas uses different mediums like canvas, video, spray paint, sticky tape in his mission of creating universal language and signs that can be understood by everyone. Since his childhood, the artist has been attracted by the energy of the cosmos and universe that is represented by calligraphy and life and revived by paint.
Jules Dedet Granel better known as L’Atlas was born in 1978 near Toulouse, but he grew up in Paris where he started street writing and tagging in 1991, being inspired by hip hop and rap emerging culture. The artist studied History of Art and Archeology in Toulouse where he met Smail Bour Quaiba, a traditional calligraphist, on whose invitation he spent three months in Morocco learning classical calligraphy.
Then he went to Egypt, where he accidently come to know Munir al Shaarani, a Syrian refugee, known for his modern approach in which he combines three forms, calligraphy, design, and architecture, all in one. Other than that, the author also traveled to Syria, China, Greece and other places where he upgraded his knowledge, but Arabic touch remained dominant in his art. His works remind of an intersection between geometric abstraction and minimalism where every letter is a form, and every form is a letter. Most of his pieces are in black & white combination which he finds as a form of resistance and a binding line between the people and the city. At the same time, this choice when applied to his photos is used as a reading tool, and as a reminder of the things that have disappeared.
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