On the first day of October 2024, the vast wall located at the corner of rue de la Barillerie and rue des Falotiers in Le Mans was still completely white. A beautiful immaculate canvas on which street artist Wen2 began working on October 2, as part of the Fait Lire event.
The project for this new Le Mans fresco was, it must be said, based on a drawing by the famous François Schuiten, comic strip author. The link with the book festival was obvious. An idea that had sprouted in the heads of Samuel Chauveau from the Bulle bookstore and Étienne Kervella, responsible for the Parcours Plein champ in the city of Le Mans, several months ago.
In ten days, the street painter brought to life this vast fresco in ocher hues where the face of a woman dominates an old town that one might think of as Le Mans, and which gives a nod to the lantern makers, these people once responsible for lighting the street lights.
After creating the “doodle”, a sort of preparatory grid made up of multiple graffiti, the artist Wen2 began the fresco by painting the top of the face at the very top of the building.
Then he gradually, when the weather permitted, continued his work from top to bottom.
Since then, many people have stopped to take photos of this masterful fresco which will soon be inaugurated in the presence of the two authors.
François Schuiten and Wen2 are in fact announced Thursday October 17 at 4 p.m. to celebrate this achievement which is added to the dozens of other works created across the city at the initiative of the municipality of Le Mans.
