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Interpretation of art
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Banksy is a pseudonym for an anonymous graffiti artist, painter, political activist and one of Time Magazines most influential people in the world. Little is known about Banksys actual background but according to Tristan Manco in his book Home Sweet Home, Banksy was born in Bristol England in the early 1970’s. Known for his contempt toward the government, for labeling graffiti as vandalism, he displays his art on public surfaces, such as billboards and walls, and has even built physical prop pieces. Banksys distinctive stencil style usually embodies humorous images often paired with slogans that carry themes of anti-war, anti-capitalism and anti-establishment. Uncommon to most artists Banksy does not sell photographs or reproductions of his work, but art auctioneers have been known to sell his street art on location for large sums of money. In 2005 Banksy infiltrated many New York museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History and hung his work among notable art pieces. Banksys distinctive satire graffiti style mixed with his anonymous rebellious antics give him an invaluable buzz that is rare among current graffiti artists today.
It all began in the 1990’s in Bristol England, when Banksy began as a freehand graffiti artist. With the help of two other graffiti writers, Kato and Tes, they formed Bristols DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ). Their inspiration stemmed from the local hip hop and breakdancing community and eventually they gained notoriety and size. By the late 1990’s Bristol became too small for Banksy as he was starting to become a street art sensation. Concerned about his anonymity, since graffiti is highly illegal, he fled to London ...
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... make almost anyone very uncomfortable. He doesn't ignore boundaries; he crosses them to prove their irrelevance." Whether he’s infiltrating notorious museums with his work or paying tribute to his own art critics, the artist who is Banksy will never fail to surprise and challenge society's perspectives.
Works Cited
Smith, Roberta. "Mystery Man, Painting the Town." The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 07 May 2014.
"History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian." The Story Behind Banksy. The Smithsonian Magazine, n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
Banksy, and Oscar Van Gelderen. Wall and Piece. Amsterdam: Lebowski, 2009. Print
"25 Things You Didn't Know About Banksy | Complex." Complex.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
"Banksy Paradox: 7 Sides of the Most Infamous Street Artist | Urbanist." WebUrbanist RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
Within the impoverished urban streets arose a youth culture captivated by infamy and self-pride. A youth culture virtually undistinguishable from members of modern society with a passion, setting them apart from the community. The members of this underground subculture could be your next-door neighbor, your son or daughter, or the contractor repairing your roof, yet you would have no idea that they strive to “bomb” objects and surfaces found in everyday life. It is the subtle differences that distinguish a graffiti artist from the average member of society, such as their, mindset, desires, speech and active lifestyle.
Raymond Johnson, most famous for his collages in the days of early Pop art was simply never a household name. Instead, the movie How to Draw a Bunny proclaims he was "New York's most famous unknown artist.” The movie explains this and so much more as the people “closet” to Raymond reflect how disconnected and different he was from society in his lifetime. The movie captures this and so much more as the director thouroughly investigates the enigma of what Raymond was and his mysterious death that baffled both friends and the public by interviewing people th...
The identity of a graffiti artist is hardly ever known unless they want to tag their art with their name or a nickname. Graffiti writers as a subculture are trying to express their political views through civil disobedience by painting pictures that speak out against the government. This subculture developed because they were tired of being oppressed by the government. Graffiti is one of the most enduring acts of protest. It is an important tool for the resistance movement as a way to publicize their protest. It is a visible and powerful form of protest that is going to promote change in the social justice by allowing oppressed groups of people express their viewpoints without being penalized by the
Three years later, enter Banksy, a world famous street artist from England. Banksy has become famous ironically through his use of anonymity as an artist. Banksy will choose a city somewhere in the world and embark usually on a month long anonymous crusade where he “tags” different buildings with culturally and politically motivated works of “street art”. When Banksy descended on New Orleans, he painted 14 works of street art in total, but the painting that stood out as the most glaringly political was the painting called “Looters”. (Banksy story)
His habit soon became a driving point in his life. During a trip to visit his family that lives in France, he was introduced to the world of street art. That trip that he took in 1999 helped set the stones to the life that Theirry had yet to discover what it would create. In Banksy’s movie, it explains how the simple idea of putting your joy, or something that you love, up on a wall for everyone to see was an amazing thing. His cousin, the man who initially inspired him was making characters from the game Space Invaders out of tiles which he then proceeded to glue onto walls and various other places to draw the eye of the surrounding population. His cousin, known to the public as Space Invader, was a big name in the street art community, not only to help start the spread of street art but to also assist in in...
A popular contemporary graffiti artist, Banksy, creates intriguing and intricate designs for public display on regular and everyday streets. His rising popularity serves as a catalyst for the renowned importance of the attainability of visual literacy. Visual literacy is the ability to understand and interpret the message of a visual image or object, and having this skill is becoming increasingly important in todays culture. According to Zemliansky, the first crucial step towards developing visual literacy is to treat visual messages as text and arguments. Although the message of most visual images are ambiguous, it is still logical to surmise that different ideas can stem from one image because of our varying perception due to varying experiences,
In present time, Vincent van Gogh is probably the most widely known and highly appreciated person of postimpressionism. During his brief lifetime, Vincent’s work went almost unknown to this world. His work now hangs in countless museums throughout the world and is considered priceless. His work became an important bridge between the 19th and 20th centuries.
In all the world there is one thing that I want to do in life and that is to be noticed and/or known. Maybe not worldwide or even throughout my country but even just in my city, I want to do something that people remember me for. This is kind of like Banksys life but his story is just a bit twisted. He is a shadow in the night that leaves an image in the streets. Banksy, if that’s even his real name, is a famous street artist that paints on buildings, sidewalks, and even billboards. But the thing about Banksy is that nobody knows who his real identity is. He is so famous and loved by so many people and has inspired many due to his art, but he is not around to make an appearance to be recognized and to speak with the fans he has because he likes being that shadow. I am not sure how he stands back and watches these streets flourish and not want to be identified for the art he has done. Even though I am sure he has taken the fact that he could make millions
Graffiti is an art form that was bred from the rebellion of youths. The first sighting of graffiti was seen on subways, and other impoverished areas around New York. This form involved what is called tagging , where the artist signs his or her name, nickname, or group name, on the side of a building or other surface. It is well known for its bold, colorful presence and intricate script. It is still prominent and visible in those areas of the Bronx today.
(All this information about the background of Jackson Pollock was taken from (Jackson Pollock, 2014) off of Biography.com Jackson Pollock bipgraphy synopsis)
The rise of vandalistic art produced by Banksy and others, has altered the way in which the public views graffiti culture. Where spray paint once represented gangs and violence, it now suggests an exciting and cutting edge artform that could potentially be a lucrative investment. In fact, Banksy’s work is so sought after that people are willing to take bricks out of buildings in order to steal it. In 2013, one of Banksy’s most famous pieces of artwork was stolen from the side of a store in the UK. It was later discovered at a US auction (Banksy Artwork Taken). “Street art has entered the art world’s mainstream, with Banksy pieces regularly selling for more than $1 million” (Salib
Fairey, an American Artist from South Carolina, graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1992. During his young adult years, Fairey “realized his desire and interest in the street art culture and graffiti movement” while he was working in a skate shop as a part-time job. As seen and described in his documentary, Obey Giant, Fairey’s first piece of work, the Andre Posse, was the sticker he used as an example to teach his friend about printmaking. This sticker once simplified and made into what today is known as the Obey logo. Fast forward to the presidential election of 2008, Fairey produces the Hope poster. The poster almost immediately turns into a global icon which is still recognized and even derived from today. This is the second art piece, to be discussed in this essay. Shepard Fairey’s Artwork, and Shepard Fairey’s influence on the world, each with their own various sub-topics such as the global iconography and impact within the means of copyright law. These pieces stress that from the smallest pieces within an artist’s portfolio to the largest can have a major impact on the world around us.
Although other artists know who he is, Banksy doesn’t have a public face that he shows at galleries and in his documentaries. In Will Ellsworth-Jones article “The Story Behind Banksy: on his way to becoming an international icon, the subversive and secretive street artist turned the art world upside-down” he talks about one of Banksy’s earlier galleries. Ellsworth-Jones says “The show was a high-profile demonstration of the phenomenon that has come to be known as the ‘Banksy effect’—the artist’s astounding success in bringing urban, outsider art into the cultural, and increasingly profitable, mainstream” (2). Banksy’s “effect” is altering urban culture and bringing it to art galleries to be displayed and sold. In the grand scheme of things, he is commodifying graffiti and urban culture, making it more consumable and then proceeding selling and profit off of it. In A&E’s biography page for Banksy they state that Banksy’s work is unique due to the fact that it “often engages political themes, satirically critiquing war, capitalism, hypocrisy and greed.” The uniqueness of his work is a common reason different news outlets give for Banksy’s success. Contrary to popular belief, Banksy’s content isn’t groundbreaking. Artists of all mediums, including graffiti, before and during his time have touched upon all of the same themes as
With in graffiti there four main types: tagging, bombing, writing, and scratching. Tagging is when a graffiti artist puts their nickname in a personalized signature that all graffiti artists have. Bombing is basically just tagging as many times as you can in a specific area. Writing is when a graffiti artist paints graffiti lettering in different styles, to name a few: bubble, throw up, 3D, character, wild, blockbusters, and electical. Graffiti is usually posted illegally, so the artist has to come in quickly and neatly create their “tag,” then leave the scene in order to not get caught. Conversely, street art is usually created legally, so inturn, street artists have more time to do more with their art, which allows for a wider range of types of street art- this includes, painting, stencil painting, stickers, wheatpasting, sculpture installations, mosaics, chalk art, and even video projection. Though doing it illegally is still risky, with stenciling, stickers, and wheatpasting, the artists can create their design at home, and then quickly apply it once the get to the desired location. The fact that graffiti artists have to create entirely on the spot and try to get away with it also explains the differences in the culture and ideology between graffiti and street
A large portion of his work can be found in busy cities, such as London and New York. His classic mediums consist of concrete city walls, stencils, and spray paint. There aren’t many vetted sources that tell the story of who he is, where he is from, or any substantial information about him. One is only left to assume his passions, which we derive from his art. His piece, “Girl With Balloon,” was meant to be viewed by those who have lost or are losing hope. The city wall that holds this piece of art is not well kept, spray painted in what is likely an area that is impoverished and full of dying hopes and dreams. Banksy’s purpose is found in the eye-catching heart-shaped red balloon that is followed by the portrayed innocence of a young girl reaching towards love and hope, and of course the statement behind it, says it all on it’s own; no matter what the circumstances, don’t give up – don’t lose hope. This image is meant to bring about desire for a new way of living, and certainly the aspect of finding hope. A child will most likely be drawn to the red balloon and portrait of themselves, whereas the adult will be drawn to the saying behind the portrait. Parents will be more inclined to feed their children positivity, potentially go after their own dreams and find their own meaning and remember the words that go along with the picture, whereas children are likely to remember the picture and what it