Simple style, 2018

Tones  

“Simple style" borrows its title from the technical vocabulary of Graffiti: a legible lettering style, without the entanglements of wild style, but worked in every detail to reveal the writer's mastery. In Graffiti, “simple style" is paradoxically more exposed than wild style because it fully exposes the quality of the stroke, without the shortcuts that complexity allows.

The illustration of the lettering with character arms — in aerosol acrylic paint — is a recurring signature of TONES' work. It gives the composition a more realistic, lively, and moving dimension, for which enthusiasts of the genre recognize and appreciate the artist's style. This maxi-format — 360 × 170 cm — places the work within the tradition of large mural frescoes that have made TONES renowned on walls in Geneva and internationally.

The letter as dance: the funk and the flow

TONES is a “funky letter technician" and a committed disciple of the style — these are the terms he chooses to define himself. His specificity is to make his letters dance through connections, funk, and flow, while respecting New York school codes. This notion of “dance" is not metaphorical: it says something profoundly true about the nature of TONES' lettering, where each letter is in a relationship of movement with its neighbors.

His declared influences: the companions of his house — REY ONER, HEWS, SNEKE — and the legends of New York Graffiti such as SKEME, WEST, and DOZE. These names belong to the founding history of the movement, that of the 1970s-1980s in New York, when Graffiti was invented on subway cars. TONES is a direct heir to it, through the transmission of his mentor REY ONER and through his own travels and encounters.

The art of decomposing the alphabet, appropriating it, making it dance — that is Graffiti.

International presence

TONES' work is now known far beyond Geneva. His frescoes adorn the walls of Santiago, Chile, La Paz, Delhi, many European cities. In 2017, Nike invited him to paint a fresco at the brand's global headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. He has also worked for Microsoft and Lays, proof that his style, formed on the street, has established itself in spaces where visual quality standards are demanding.

Formal analysis

The format of “Simple style" — 360 × 170 cm — is that of large mural frescoes. The canvas imposes a rare physical presence, that of a portable wall painting. The letters, clear and balanced, are inscribed in the space with the fluidity of a perfectly mastered gesture: no stiffness, no hesitation. The character arms that extend the lettering create an anthropomorphic dynamic that makes the composition immediately accessible to all viewers, connoisseurs or not.

The chromatic palette is generous but disciplined: the chosen colors dialogue with each other without conflict. Legibility is maximum, immediate visual presence. This is the “simple style" in the noblest sense of the term: what appears simple is the result of a mastery that is not shown.

Certificate of authenticity issued by the gallery

Simple style is presented by OUTSIDE ART