Ericailcane is the pseudonym of Leonardo, an Italian street artist originally from Belluno, who has worked all over the world and also here in Naples.
The main feature of his murals, as you can see from the images, is that the animals are depicted in minute detail and "humanized," thus creating a disorienting effect. Their movements, expressions, and attitudes are those of a human being.
The murals are generally quite large, and it is precisely the disproportionate size (much larger than real life) that gives them a disturbing note.
Ericailcane has collaborated several times with Blu, and also with Bastardilla, with whom he also created a mural in Medolla—as a commemoration of the earthquake that occurred in Emilia Romagna in 2012—in which some little mice work hard to stitch up the devastated land.
In Naples, in the Montesanto/Pignasecca area, we find two large murals, painted directly on the wall, for which he collaborated with the street artist Sardomuto.
The first is located behind Piazza Dante, and depicts three characters: a cat and a little bird holding a bowl containing a goldfish, trying to prevent possible water spills with cork stoppers. The cat looks at the goldfish, while the bird stares at the viewer. Both, however, have an attitude that is unusual for their nature. We would expect them both to pounce on the goldfish to eat it, but instead they protect it, saving it from death by asphyxiation. The mural was dedicated to Mattia Fagnoni, a seven-and-a-half-year-old boy who unfortunately died from Sandhoff syndrome. The Mattia Fagnoni ONLUS association raises funds to support children suffering from rare diseases; another mural dedicated to the little boy in the city is the one in Piazza Pignasecca, created by Diavù.
In the mural by Ericailcane and Sardomuto, the protective attitude of the two animals indicates solidarity towards the weakest, who do not have enough means to defend themselves.
In the mural on Via Pasquale Scura, instead, there are two birds, one larger and the other smaller, and they too are depicted in minute detail and with human expressions.
Reference is made to the legends that explain the etymology of the term "Pignasecca," the market in the area. It is said, in fact, that when Pedro da Toledo had the famous military road built, he had to gut the surrounding areas, and only one pine tree remained as a nest for the magpies. The inhabitants of the area tried to chase away the birds, but the pine suddenly withered.
A second version of the legend is much more fanciful, but also more intriguing: the area behind Via Toledo was, at the time, occupied by the Biancomangiare woods, owned by the Pignatelli di Monteleone family. The magpies, at the time, would enter the homes of nobles and clergy, and would bring to the tops of the pines in the woods the objects they had stolen from the houses. Often, however, these objects served as evidence of the lust prevailing at the time, even among members of the clergy, and so the inhabitants of the area began to gossip about what was happening in the area. The bishop then decided to excommunicate the magpies, but gradually, after the excommunication bull was issued, all the pines began to wither, one after another.
In the mural, the two magpies are depicted fighting over the loot.
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Naples has opened its doors, especially in the last decade, to street art.
To discover the murals in the Montesanto area and the Spanish Quarters, you can book a street art tour at this link.
is the pseudonym of Leonardo, an Italian street artist originally from Belluno, who has worked all over the world and also here in Naples. The main feature of his murals, as you can see from the images, is that the animals are depicted in minute detail and "humanized," thus creating a disorienting effect. Their movements, expressions, and attitudes are those of a human being. The murals are generally quite large, and it is precisely the disproportionate size (much larger than real life) that gives them a disturbing note. Ericailcane has collaborated several times with Blu, and also with Bastardilla, with whom he also created a mural in Medolla—as a commemoration of the earthquake that occurred in Emilia Romagna in 2012—in which some little mice work hard to stitch up the devastated land. In Naples, in the Montesanto/Pignasecca area, we find two large murals, painted directly on the wall, for which he collaborated with the street artist . The first is located behind Piazza Dante, and depicts three characters: a cat and a little bird holding a bowl containing a goldfish, trying to prevent possible water spills with cork stoppers. The cat looks at the goldfish, while the bird stares at the viewer. Both, however, have an attitude that is unusual for their nature. We would expect them both to pounce on the goldfish to eat it, but instead they protect it, saving it from death by asphyxiation. The mural was dedicated to Mattia Fagnoni, a seven-and-a-half-year-old boy who unfortunately died from Sandhoff syndrome. The raises funds to support children suffering from rare diseases; another mural dedicated to the little boy in the city is the one in Piazza Pignasecca, created by Diavù. In the mural by Ericailcane and Sardomuto, the protective attitude of the two animals indicates solidarity towards the weakest, who do not have enough means to defend themselves.In the mural on Via Pasquale Scura, instead, there are two birds, one larger and the other smaller, and they too are depicted in minute detail and with human expressions. Reference is made to the legends that explain the etymology of the term "Pignasecca," the market in the area. It is said, in fact, that when Pedro da Toledo had the famous military road built, he had to gut the surrounding areas, and only one pine tree remained as a nest for the magpies. The inhabitants of the area tried to chase away the birds, but the pine suddenly withered. A second version of the legend is much more fanciful, but also more intriguing: the area behind Via Toledo was, at the time, occupied by the Biancomangiare woods, owned by the Pignatelli di Monteleone family. The magpies, at the time, would enter the homes of nobles and clergy, and would bring to the tops of the pines in the woods the objects they had stolen from the houses. Often, however, these objects served as evidence of the lust prevailing at the time, even among members of the clergy, and so the inhabitants of the area began to gossip about what was happening in the area. The bishop then decided to excommunicate the magpies, but gradually, after the excommunication bull was issued, all the pines began to wither, one after another. In the mural, the two magpies are depicted fighting over the loot. ****************************************************Naples has opened its doors, especially in the last decade, to street art. To discover the murals in the Montesanto area and the Spanish Quarters, you can book a street art tour at this .