A mural that popped up in north London depicting green foliage behind a real leafless tree is prompting speculation it could be the latest work by the world-renowned street artist Banksy.
The work, which is painted on a wall that sits behind the tree as the viewer looks south-east down Hornsey Road in the Finsbury Park area, appeared over the weekend.
It features a lifesize depiction of a woman holding a pressure washer, having apparently sprayed green paint up the side of a block of flats. Viewed with the tree in the foreground and centred on the wall, the green paint mimics the foliage of the plant, which has been cut back in a process known as pollarding
The identity of the artist responsible has not been revealed, and Banksy’s work is commonly confirmed when it is posted on his website or Instagram account. No such post has yet appeared, but one expert has said he believes the work bears “all the hallmarks”.
“It has the right techniques. It’s got an interesting and an easy-to-understand message, a very clever location. And it really resonates the second you see it. And, with Banksy, context is everything,” James Peak told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Crowds of people turned out to see the artwork on Monday morning. Wanja Sellers, a Hornsey Road resident who lives a few doors down from the mural, told PA news agency: “We’re so proud and delighted that Banksy chose our road and chose Finsbury Park for his work.
“The bright green colours represent Islington, which is lovely and also, of course, St Patrick’s Day which is nice and festive.
“Choosing the colours of our borough just makes it feel like a personal message to us residents. We just feel so proud.”
Peak created the BBC Radio 4 series The Banksy Story. He went to see the work on Sunday after receiving a tip-off.
“The message is clear: Nature’s struggling and it is up to us to help it grow back,” he told the BBC.
He described the scene as a “very busy, urban, built-up environment”, with the tree sitting in the gardens of some social housing. The figure of the woman, he said, was a “classic Banksy-style stencil”. And he noted that the shade of green used to represent the foliage was “exactly the same sort of virulent shade of green that Islington use for its social housing signs”.
He said: “So, when you step back, it looks like the tree has burst into life, but in a noticeably fake and synthetic way. And it’s pretty subtle for a massive tree, I’d say.” And the broadcaster added: “It’s spring now, and this tree should be bursting forth with leaves, but Banksy must have cycled past and thought how miserable it looks,” he said.
Its authorship has not been confirmed, but Peak said of the possibility it is the latest Banksy: “To my mind it looks like a dead cert. But, as ever with Banksy, you never quite know, until he fesses up by posting it on his website.”
