A gallery of naïve art pieces from a while ago that decorated Bristol streets by J. Dior (Diore).
All photographs by Scooj
J. Dior
Tag: J. Dior
1347. M32 Spot (16)
Although it would seem that J. Dior is now long gone from the city of Bristol, there are still a few legacy pieces of his dotted around, and still several in my archives.
His deliverately naive style allows him to create characters and tell stories with ease. There is no doubting his imagination, but I think that at times his attitude and approach to painting upset some of the other artists in Bristol a little. Anyhow here we have a two-headed woman with a superhero top on – superheroes seemed to be a regular theme for J. Dior. This work is just a little bit of fun.
1262. The Bearpit (116)
I haven’t posted anything by J.Dior for quite a while now, mainly due to the fact that he appears to have left town almost as suddenly as he arrived. I still have several of his works in my archive, of which this was one, and will post them in good time. I get a feeling that he was not very much liked in the graffiti community because he appeared to disregard any of the ‘rules’. This is tricky territory, because the rules are so complicated that nobody I’ve spoken to can clearly explain them. Anyhow, obviously he upset a few people, and this piece has a note saying ‘how about respect Diore’ on it.
As with all his work, this mural in The Bearpit tells a story and is executed in his typically naive style. I have to say that as part of the full spectrum of graffiti/street art in Bristol I am quite fond of J.Dior’s work. It all seems like a bit of a flash in the pan now, but his influence during the summer of 2017 was definitely felt in The Bearpit.
918. The Bearpit (80)
Another Bearpit piece from the effervescent J. Dior. His child-like style is one of the most recognisable in Bristol, and his work usually seems to tell a story, although the story is often somewhat difficult to unravel.
I understand the J. Dior is an Italian artist, or so I am told, and that he is rather absorbed in his own space. I have not yet met him, but given the frequency that both of us are in The Bearpit, it is just a matter of time.
I think that J. Dior divides opinion. Some see him as a rather poor artist taking up decent wall space, others see his work as innovative and fresh. For me, the jury is out for a while, but I am drawn to his story telling.
858. The Bearpit (75)
Well I told you he was prolific, and I have only just got started on posting pieces by J. Dior. This time we see some kind of mythological centaur/tiger hybrid, with an interesting foot at the end of its tail. There are some curious things going on in Dior’s head.
The writing ‘In the Right’ doesn’t really give many clues to what the piece is about, in fact it rather muddies the water a bit. I note that the ‘tattoo’ on the Centaur’s arm says Jadore (J’adore – ‘I love’ in French) is this deliberate or is he just playing with his name? For the time being, and until I get to ask him face to face I will continue to call him J. Dior. His style really is distinctive and unmistakable. A fun piece.
845. The Bearpit (73)
I believe this is the third J. Dior piece that I have posted on this site, and still I am oddly attracted to his naïve style. In this work we have some rather unusual reference to the ‘Caped Crusader’ but I am really rather baffled by the figure with six arms and three heads.
The fellow on the right appears to have a specially made super hero suite designed to show off his manhood. Whatever is going on in J. Dior’s mind in this piece is probably best kept there. As far as I’m concerned another winner. I would imagine that his work divides opinion as it may fall into the category of ‘I could probably do that’. The point is that people who say that never do…and If they did it would probably be crap. A bit like me saying that I could play football better than Wayne Rooney (even though I probably could).
821. The Bearpit (72)
This is the second piece by J. Dior that I have written about, but I can assure you that there are a great many more to come; he is most prolific. I have only really noticed his work on the streets since the Spring, so wonder if he moved into Bristol, or just decided to take the plunge and start painting on the streets.
His style is pretty much unique on the Bristol scene. It has a wonderful childlike naivety about it, but somehow draws you in – there are stories here. This piece is very unusual, because it features nudity, something rarely seen in street art. I am intrigued by the fact that Dior will paint a nude image, but when it comes to the writing ‘My p***y’ he doesn’t use the word pussy. I like his work, but still know nothing of the artist.
790. The Bearpit (71)
There is a new artist in town (to me at least), and his works have entered my consciousness since March really. It is possible he has been here all the time, but if this is the case I can only apologise. The artist signs his work with the name J. Dior, and try as I might, I am unable to find out anything about him. I know he is a he, because I did spot him creating a piece around Easter time.
His artwork embraces a naive style and usually features people, colourfully represented often in unusual positions – a touch of Marc Chagall combined with children’s illustrations. This piece doesn’t perhaps portray what I’m saying as well as some of his others. I have a fondness for these works, not because of the quality of the paintwork, but more down to the human story telling that is going on. My father, my mother – what a fine tribute to his parents. I like it, so watch this space for more from J. Dior.
Natural adventures 