Pros And Cons Of Graffiti

What is art? Many people agree that art is an external representation of emotions on the inside and mostly anything can be considered art. But why is graffiti not considered art when the pieces could be better than the “classics” that are placed in museums? People should expand their ideas on graffiti and stop looking at it as an act of rebellion and more of an act of self-expression. Graffiti should be considered an art form because there are no boundaries as to what art is, also graffiti can convey statements that can benefit society whether they’re political messages or a depiction of a controversial topic, graffiti makes people think. Lastly graffiti should be considered a form of art because artists are creating new forms and styles of art rather than traditional paint on canvas.

Despite the cons that can be attached to viewing graffiti as art, such as even more property being vandalized and the spreading of gang or hate group symbols, the main aspect of graffiti is expressing ones emotions to the public in a fairly anonymous manner and in that, it should be recognized as art.

Art is limitless, so who is the judge as to what is art and what is not art. “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing wo.nm rks to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power” "Art 1." Art: Definition of Art in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US). N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. From the definition there is no guideline as to what art is, therefore almost anything can be art. If it makes you feel emotion or makes you think, whether you hate it or not, you are still thinking about it and still feeling a type of emotion towards it, so from this minimal definition, graffiti is technically art. From the definition, graffiti fits in, but in society graffiti does

not fit in. Graffiti is generally looked at as a deviant act committed by someone purposefully going against the cultural norms, but most cases the artists does not think that way. Yes, some graffiti artists choose to create the art in this illegal form for the excitement and danger factor of possibly getting caught; but many artists want to publically showcase their work and emotions that they are feeling in the moment. Many artists also enjoy the temporary aspect of graffiti. It does not last forever, whether it is due to a person covering it up, for example another artist working off of the piece previously there or a person who was paid to cover it up to make the area look how it originally was. Weather is another aspect that adds to the fading of graffiti. Rain, snow, and harsh sunlight speeds up the ageing process of a piece of graffiti, possibly erasing it within days of it being put up. A person is entitled to their own opinion but should look at both sides of the argument. Graffiti most definitely falls in the definition of art, so why is it not considered so by some people.
Graffiti artists not only display their creativity on public space, they express their personal feelings and ideas on what is going on in the world. Artists like Banksy test the waters by displaying controversial art to make people think about their surroundings. For example a piece in Chinatown done by Banksy depicts a man painting over a tag that says ”follow your dreams” tag with the word cancelled or a piece of a homeless man with a sign that reads “keep your coins, I want change.” Banksy is an anonymous graffiti artist that is sparking ideas for people to think about what is occurring in our society and how it is not right. Some hate him and some love him but either way, you are thinking about his art and its message