Reimagining Graffiti: Social Force and Artistic Expression

652 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Graffiti art essay -300 words

Graffiti is defined as the usually unauthorized drawing or writing on a public surface. While all of us are familiar with graffiti - just think about the spray-painted names on road-signs and walls - the predominant perception in society is that graffiti is a social evil. However, chairperson, today I will prove that graffiti can in fact be a force of good.
To support my point, I will use the following arguments: graffiti as a form of expression, the economic value of graffiti and its contribution to our urban environment.
Firstly, graffiti, like any other form of art, can be used as a form of expression, specifically for the purpose of political communication, resistance and activism, as stated by Athlyn Cathcart-Keays in The Guardian’s online

Show More
Related

  • Graffiti Artist Identity Essay

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Graffiti: Costly and Damaging

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    Webster defines graffiti as an inscription or drawing made on some public surface. Graffiti is often thought of as gang-related, because gangs have traditionally painted their identifying symbols in places to mark their turf.

    Read More

  • Hip Hop: History And Elements

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Art And Vandalism In Graffiti

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    Due to this definition, most people automatically combine graffiti with illegal activity. Therefore, it is considered an illicit or illegal activity simply it is done in a public space. Graffiti it is misunderstood and misrepresented by the media; they twist it into vandalism and call it a gateway into other crimes. How can art be a gateway into stealing and murdering? Society just wants to group us all together into categories kind of like good vs evil. The best art says something about the social and political conditions surrounding the area of the picture. Furthermore the graffiti artist picks special locations to provide an insight into the area. Now some graffiti is words on the side of trains that are to some awful and disrespectful to look at. Nevertheless, be it your street name or an image testifying what’s going on with the world, much like the inequality between men and women, it is still self-expression. A self-expression that the elders of our generation claim to want youth to have but then condemn the same youth if it states anything close to the truth. Graffiti is expensive to take off and cleanup, which is why it is an outlawed activity. Los Angeles County had to spend 28 million dollars on graffiti removal. You know what is expensive, war is expensive, medication is expensive, and cost of living is expensive.

    Read More

  • Graffiti as a Form of Art

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although many people believe that graffiti is vandalism, it is in fact art because many museums display graffiti, people are interested in it, and it displays beauty and emotional power. Many people have learned to appreciate graffiti as an art form and have opened their eyes to the beauty and emotional power it holds. From the video on CBS News, “Is Graffiti Art or Vandalism,” Laura Fanning (museum visitor) explains at 1:42 “. now I see it as more of a commentary and a statement of ‘I’m leaving my mark’.” This quote exhibits a museum visitor whose perception of graffiti changed when she went to a museum that displayed graffiti.

    Read More

  • Understanding Graffiti: Art, History, and Expression

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Graffiti community is, although they will not admit, a bunch of aesthetic filled souls. Everyone gathers recognition in this community. “Graffiti isn't something a normal person does, I have been through a lot of situations just cus I do what I do,” my subject explains. These artist ARE outcasts, for a good. They express culture and it is something they get a feel for. It is brilliant, even with the trouble.

    Read More

  • Luella Bates Washington Jones

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    What would you do if on a dark night someone tried to steal your purse? Probably not what Ms. Luella Bates Washington Jones did. In this short but inspiring tale by Langston Hughes, we follow the path of a boy named Roger and his run in with a kind hearted woman named Ms. Luella Bates Washington Jones one night in the 1960”s. After reading this heartwarming tale, I have come to the conclusion that if you make decisions based on love and trust good things will happen.

    Read More

  • Campbell's Soup Cans Analysis

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    Graffiti was made a long time ago and it started to become more popular (explode) in the 1900’s. This indicates that Graffiti illustrated the past because the people would design pictures of what was happening in their life or how they felt about someone or something, furthermore,Graffiti started to explode because more people wanted to express themselves. In addition,Graffiti reflects life because it is creating more criminals. When viewers see Graffiti, it encourages them to do it as well, but it is subversive. Graffiti reflects the lives of people because when viewers see it, they think it is okay to do it as well, but it is not okay. Graffiti is vandalizing a building or train which is against the law. Therefore, Graffiti is reflecting the people's lives by showing them that is is okay to break the law, but in reality it is not okay. Lastly, Graffiti reflected the people's lives because their artwork illustrated something about their life or their community. Graffiti is a way people can express their emotions towards something or someone. Therefore, Graffiti reflects life and/or a community because it shows them how they are feeling so, a community can identify and then fix the problem. In addition, to Graffiti, Karen Kilimnick helps connect art to the

    Read More

  • Graffiti is a Beautiful Crime

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    Looking from the taggers' point of view, one can understand why taggers and graffiti artists draw and do graffiti, but this does not justify the fact that often times this form of self-expression is not acceptable when it is done on other peoples property. Having the opportunity to listen (film, class, talk show) to why taggers and graf...

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Graffiti

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ronald, Kramer helps to understand if graffiti is considered as illegal or legal, this article will support my essay because Ronald stress the issues that every graffiti art should be recognized for their work and should be considered as art. I will be using this source to support my idea for my main paragraph Graffiti is also introduced several cultures so they provide a place for graffiti writers to learn and grow their talents.

    Read More

  • Art Essay On Graffiti

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Graffiti is a beautiful art that expresses feeling and emotions. However, people think of it differently. Is it a crime or an art? Those talented people, young or old, a teenage, a child or an adult, have a passion for making graffiti art on street walls a...

    Read More

  • The True Value of Street Art

    1928 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mention the word graffiti and what typically comes to mind is something unpleasant and distasteful like indecent language scribbled on a wall of a store or crude pictures. Most graffiti is characterized as vandalism on property that does not belong to the culprit. Graffiti also displays negative graphics that promote some type of vulgar message such as violence, sex, drugs, gangs, and racism. On the other hand, when the terms “street” and “art” come together, a blast of colorful creations upon blank slates on the street comes to mind. Although street art is technically considered graffiti, it is a type of graffiti with positive qualities, but certain figures in society find street art to be, in some way, disruptive. If used properly, street art can be appreciated artistically and socially. Despite the negative stigma attached to graffiti, street art has emerged as a progressive valuable art form whose vast history, surge in popularity, and urge for social change warrant its classification as a fine art.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Graffiti

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    No matter what people say about it, Graffiti is a form of self-expression. It is important to realize the amount of talent and work required to create a piece of graffiti. The scale of such a piece can be small found on a corner to massive one taking up an entire wall. However, there are varying

    Read More

  • The Handwriting On The Wall: Toward A Sociology And Psychology Of Graffiti

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    you have to look to the streets. Because of its omnipresent nature, street and urban art have become a part of the cultural fabric of a city. Om-Rio, a female graffiti artist from Brazil, mentions that she wants to “open people’s minds, make them review their conception, and test their soul” (Ganz, Graffiti Women, 38). Ernest Abel and Barbara Buckley mention in their book “The Handwriting on the Wall: Toward a Sociology and Psychology of Graffiti”, that the examination of graffiti and street art is: To a great extent a cross-cultural investigation of class and ethnic differences whose messages [tend to] reflect shared attitudes and values as well as ethnocentric variations on main cultural themes (144).

    Read More

  • Graffiti Essay

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    Common mediums used are stencils, prints, and murals. Graffiti is often considered to be art because of new artists, such as One of the main reasons street art is considered a crime is because it is believed to deface the property of which it has been applied to. Another problem being that Graffiti is costly to clean, in major cities the budget for cleaning graffiti can be in the millions. There is a solution to this problem that one city in Australia has applied. Police in Fremantle, Australia are focusing on getting rid of tags and less desirable graffiti but leaving the rest up because they believe it impacts the “culture and vibrancy of the city.”

    Read More

More about Reimagining Graffiti: Social Force and Artistic Expression

Open Document