Expressionism is an art form that has been around since the early 1900s, giving us an alternative to realism. Expressionism depicts emotions, whereas realism focuses on accurate details of nature or of contemporary life. The two types of art are almost exact opposites, yet in the works of some modern artists, realism and expressionism seem to occur simultaneously. While the two working together in the same painting may be deemed impossible, one artist has given us several brilliant paintings that accomplish just that. Yann Houri, a young French artist who is passionate about photography and drawing, portrays an explosion of emotion throughout his works by combining the two. Even though he isn’t the first painter to join the two rivals together, his innovative approach to the industry has brought forth violent and emotional works of art that can be described as breathtaking.

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Dubbed the Spray Paint Zorro, his art is always easy to identify: bright, colorful, and full of iconic American characters. If you know the right place to look, you just might find him thriving on adventure in the dead of night. After all, his thrills are far from ordinary. In fact, they’re illegal, often ending with run-ins with the law. But L.A. graffiti artist Alec Monopoly is not concerned about legalities.  Instead, he’s concerned about creativity and the significance of his messages. “It would only bother me if I were chased/arrested for the ‘idea’ of my work, than the act,” he told PBS. So what exactly is worth Alec being arrested? Simply put, Monopoly.

alec4Loving Monopoly as a child and even now, the street artist sees the game in a different light. In an interview with Huffington Post, he explained, “Monopoly started out as a symbol of what was going on in the economy. At the start of the recession in 2008 I started portraying Bernie Madoff [the disgraced American financier] in my art and using Monopoly in the background. Then one day I was playing Monopoly and realized that Bernie Madoff is like Uncle Moneybags.” From there, his art has been comprised of various messages about society.

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