When you talk about art in the streets, it’s hard not for certain names to come up. You can immediately grasp the skill and originality of some graffiti artists out there today. Their pieces aren’t the kind of things you need explained to you. Whether or not there’s a deeper meaning behind the works of art, the style and boldness of the designs makes your jaw drop. Among a sea of street artists, the number of guys who can do that well is pretty low. One such artist is Blu.

In the late 90’s, Bologna Italy got the privilege of being beautifully defaced by this talented individual. This is when the name Blu started getting big, but he still hadn’t hit his stride yet. At this point, he was only using spray paint. Typical enough—but in 2001 Blu unearthed a style all his own. Using house paints and long-reaching rollers, he began to express his vision in a whole new way. Stronger, bolder, and clearly bigger, his new works began popping up all over Bologna, depicting the obscure cartoony figures that Blu is now globally famous for.

Stronger, bolder, and clearly bigger, his new works began popping up all over Bologna, depicting the obscure cartoony figures that Blu is now globally famous for.

Cartoony or not, though, Blu’s pieces shout originality. When I first saw his stuff, I thought Dr. Seuss and Gary Larson had a baby boy and named him Blu (plus or minus some drug use). The dopey yet freakish human characters and wild creatures are right out of some poor kid’s twisted nightmares after a night of pizza and ice-cream. He finds a delicate balance between his stuff looking like something a kid drew, and a masterpiece Picasso.

The difference between Blu and Picasso, though, couldn’t be further. Very little of his work can be found in traditional galleries. I’m sure the guy needs to pay the bills, but it’s obvious that he wants nothing to do with the word traditional. Blu believes in an open source philosophy when it comes to his aesthetic inspiration. You aren’t going to find by the book conventions in his work, but at the same time I think in today’s society the rebellious free spirit behind his stuff screams “contemporary” louder than the next guy. Blu moves to the beat of his own drum—and people like that beat.

Blu moves to the beat of his own drum—and people like that beat.

While a lot of the art Blu creates today is still considered illicit graffiti, his popularity has spawned a lot of legal job opportunities in the form of massive murals and displays of his talent. I’ve got the unfortunate fate of being on the wrong side of the pond, but on the European front anybody with the time and desire to check out Blu’s stuff have nothing stopping them. Something wonderful about his work as well as street art in general is that there’s no admission to see amazing, one of a kind pieces. Take a walk down the street and you can see something absolutely breath-taking. That’s a facet of the trade and lifestyle that I think this artist believes in strongly. Inspiration and the ability to see awesome artwork is something everyone deserves.

On the flip-side, public displays of free artistic expression are always going to rub some people the wrong way. Coupled with the strong political theme underlying much of his work, you can bet his murals have turned some heads. Time and again his masterpieces are painted over by the big dogs we love to hate, but that’s all part of the game. I don’t think Blu cares too much—he even paints over his own stuff on occasion. The mindset is undoubtedly that of an ever changing world. Pictures may come and go, but the ideas behind them never die. There’s always more paint in the world anyways.

Something else that must be highlighted are Blu’s animations. I’m no expert in animation, but I can imagine how difficult it is on paper or even digitally. That’s why the animations Blu conceives are so incredible. Looking at his still works of art, you already see the obscure, mind-bending creations and ideas he brings to life. Whether it’s a figure taking the front of his face off to find a writhing pool of little bodies inside its hollow, or a yacht-sized shark made of currency, Blu’s twisted take on things makes an immediate impression on you when you see them. When you see his creations in motion, though, crawling along the urban scenery with minds of their own? The result is something else.

The still pieces Blu creates are already teeming with life. When they’re in motion, moving and shifting and twisting reality, surprising you at every turn, the life behind the paint comes across even more forcefully. Check out the video above of Blu’s “Muto” and see for yourself.