I came up with a term urban as a description of my art in the end of 90’s.
Of course I am not to deny here my art has been very much inspired by pop art, art deco, however one day I have noticed I am not a pop artist anymore. I have moved away from this art style.
What is urban actually? Urban is related to a city culture, the city itself. I have always lived in cities or towns, had no relationship with a genuine nature, genuine rural landscapes, rural neighborhoods… I have seen landscapes, of course, but there were very industrial or urban such as apartment buildings, cars, trucks, traffic lights, crossings, smog, industrial plants etc… All the green plants that I have been surrounded with were planted by humans. There was no this beautiful wild disorder or rather this natural order that looks chaotic, however it is not, in other words I was very far away from the nature. I have lived in this type environment, i.e. I was surrounded by industrial pictures and scenes… And all those industrial and urban pictures, sounds and noises and views have influenced my life and my art of course. The green plants, flowers I have seen were grown in flower pots or surrounded by concrete buildings. It was very urban.
I hope, I have made myself clear, i.e. it is understandable what I mean and why I am this way. So, one day I have realized my art is urban. That is why my paintings since 1998 have been called this way.
In 2000 I published my album Art by Phil Sobansky ISBN 83-914649-0-3 covering my oil and acrylic paintings where I used the term “urban art” describing my art for the very first time.
The term urban art has become popular, so we have urban dance, urban music, urban perfumes, urban cars, so I am not alone in this urban thinking. Graffiti is a very good example of urban art.
Look at this urban way, stay in the city, please, stay… – this sentence appeared in my publication Art by Phil Sobansky ISBN 83-914649-0-3 published in 2000.