Walls of Vision

The artworks on the Helbing Bridge in Essen are part of the nationwide street art series “Walls of Vision,” which was launched by the Dr. Hans Riegel Foundation. In this series, contemporary urban artists offer completely new interpretations of historical masterpieces. A famous series of images by the Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha has been transformed into a multi-part graffiti piece on the pillars of the highway bridge. The historical model is Alphonse Mucha’s famous 1896 poster series “The Four Seasons.” Mucha traditionally depicted the seasons as young, white women who, purely aesthetically, served as symbols of nature. As part of the “Walls of Vision” project, the artists completely reimagined the motifs on the concrete pillars. They broke with Mucha’s classical, stereotypical ideals of beauty to represent diversity and modern social values.