Source: Imgur

A mysterious work of art painted with hyperrealistic overtones has attracted the attention of the massively popular online portal Reddit. The painting features a scene familiar to those who transit the Avenida Central (Central Avenue) boulevard, a heavy pedestrian traffic artery that bisects the capital city of Costa Rica from east to west.

The first online mention of the painting was posted about a year ago by Reddit user coolboy666:

 

My friend came back from his Costa Rican Trip and I think I found something Bitcoin related in one of his photos

 

While looking through his photos, I immediately stopped him when I saw this…

 

http://imgur.com/NWBquyc

 

He said the hotel told him that this was from a very famous Costa Rican-American artist and that it was to be sold at a slient auction…. Anyone have anymore information about this paining? …who painted/owns it?

As you can see from the image attached to this article, it is a San Jose street scene of a bearded, bushy-haired gentleman who sometimes seats near the Hotel Presidente on Central Avenue; however, the background of the painting suggests that the scene takes place closer to the chaotic “Coca-Cola” market and bus depot near the San Juan de Dios Hospital.

The subject of the painting is holding a piece of cardboard close to his chest with an affixed quick response (QR) code. These codes are often used as offline links to the online world; a common idea is to scan them with an Internet-connected mobile device such as a smartphone to be taken to an online location.

Ostensibly, the panhandler in the painting offers the QR code as an alternative means of giving via the Bitcoin digital currency; in fact, the scene depicts a man in a blue polo shirt holding up his smartphone as a scanner, which may indicate that he is ready to give Bitcoins by calling up a blockchain code such as 1j2m5TakK99HvJUTfg2b2b8EGWQenmdTh (this is a popular example) and activating his Bitcoin wallet mobile app.

The Reddit users who participated in the conversation started by coolboy666 could not determine the artist, although the technique used (and the signature) suggests the hyper-talented hyperrealistic Gonzalo Morales Sáurez, who in turn may have been inspired by the mysterious British artist Banksy.