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Updated March 3rd, 2021 at 16:01 IST

Banksy-style graffiti appears on Reading prison wall depicting 'Oscar Wilde's escape'

The mural that is now flashing down the side of a corner wall outside the detention center in Reading, has the signature style of popular street artist Banksy.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
Banksy
| Image:self
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An artwork that appeared overnight on a wall of the Grade-II listed Victorian prison building in England where Oscar Wilde was once held under detention is suspected to have been painted by Banksy. The mural that is now flashing down the side of a corner wall outside the detention center in Reading, has the signature style of the world-renowned England-based street artist Banksy and had attracted a huge crowd since it has mysteriously shrouded the red brick wall. 

The artwork depicts a convict attempting to escape the jail via a rope and the design strikes chord with that of the elusive artist’s previous works, although, not forgetting that Banksy is one of the most imitated esthetes and the graffiti could just be a replica designed by an aspiring urban painter. The HM detention facility in Berkshire, however, holds literary and cultural significance for art connoisseurs as it served as an inspiration to poet Oscar Wilde for his The Ballad of Reading Gaol composition and evokes memories of his execution for having an “illegitimate” affair with British journalist and poet Lord Alfred Douglas.

Wilde, an acclaimed writer, and an Irish poet was convicted for homosexuality and the artwork contextually portrays a man’s mid-escape, dangling from knotted bedsheet for a rope, descending with a vintage-type writer. The striking artwork, although, is yet to be claimed by Banksy, who often makes announcements on his official Instagram handle that is being operated anonymously under his pseudonym. 

Read: Banksy's New Sneezing Woman Mural Appears In Bristol's Vale Street Famous For Steep Roads

Read: Australia Oldest Known Rock Art Discovered In Kimberley, Dates Back To 600 Generations

Could it be Banksy’s masterpiece?

Vice-chancellor at Arts University Bournemouth told local Reading news outlet reporters that the quality of the painting that appeared on March 1 explains so. The author of ‘Banksy: The Bristol Legacy’ and an art expert told Reading newspaper when compared with his style of artwork depicted in some of his commissions and auction pieces, the prison graffiti is more likely an authentic Banksy piece. ‘You can see from the photographs,’ Gough explained to the newspaper, showing photographs, as he said that the graffiti was pretty accomplished pointing at midtown stripes and shades similar to those used in old lady Bristol artwork. Meanwhile real estate firms in the vicinity told reporters that if confirmed that the art belongs to original Banksy, the prices of properties will inflate massively around the prison facility where the Bristolian artist created ‘escaping’ portraiture of a man which is ‘appearing to be’ Oscar Wilde. 

Read: 'Egypt's Mona Lisa': Ancient Egyptian Art Reveals An Extinct Goose

Read: UK Man Delays Sale Of House After Spotting Banksy's Mural, Netizens Share Other Artworks

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Published March 3rd, 2021 at 16:04 IST

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