Surprisingly, even today, street art can still be perceived as vandalism. This misunderstood art form is a concept which is present in all of our daily life, acting as an inspiration to many aspiring artists and brightening up the dismal world we live in today, with the ongoing wars and refugees fleeing to safety in an attempt to escape their nightmare. It is a method of self-expression used by many people. Every individual has their hobbies and interests. To some it is street art. To those on the opposing side, it should be emphasised that street art is not graffiti and graffiti is not street art. It is a creative ability that should be praised and admired, instead it is often disdained. So is it right to simply equate the unique talented …show more content…
For ages now, strain has been lingering and bubbling under the surface between the graffiti writers and street artists. The majority of passers-by merge and confuse one with the other. Unquestionably, there are notable distinctions between them. Most people that carry out graffiti are not coached or shown how to and they are constructed mainly on words, usually names or foul language scribbled on the walls. It arisen for teenagers as a way to reveal themselves. Typically, it is observed as self-centred as they use “tags” as a way to build up their own status. Conversely, street artists are predominantly those that have been professionally taught- their paintings will hold immense thoughts and a symbolic (hidden) meaning behind it, sometimes political. The prime difference, explained by Kate Murphy, an employee of Graff Tours is, “Street art is relatable, graffiti isn’t” In contrast to the writers, most artists prefer to remain anonymous. Artists do not do what they do for money, fame or attention. Conventionally, it will be to express themselves and other times it will be to convey an important and thought-provoking message, for instance, the renowned Banksy. While graffiti would come under the term ‘vandalism’, street art should
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.
The difference in the approach between Margaret Kilgallen and Julian Schnabel can clearly be seen on the canvas. Ms. Kilgallen preferred to paint images that were flat yet striking; she favored street art over the main stream types of fine art. Street art is considered graffiti by a large number of people, since it is frequently placed without the property owner’s knowledge.
From New York to the rest of the world, Jeff Ferrell’s “Urban Graffiti” aims to show how graffiti serves as resistance to social arrangements and political power for many. The youth use graffiti as a way to provide alternate solutions for oppressions and cultural conditions. Ferrell demonstrates how young artists utilize this art form as a way of raising awareness and resisting social constraints. For example, in London, certain billboards in 1982 were aggressively altered to advocate the voice of the feminists and animal activists. Graffiti writing usually takes place in urban areas where discrimination and division of racial groups are heavily seen. Jeff Ferrell recounts how these young taggers work exclusively during late hours to avoid
The identity of a graffiti artist is hardly ever known, but the style of the art is. They can be identified by the way they express themselves. It can be broad and can be shown in many different forms. The forms can range from a simple tag of identity, an expression of protest and politics, to an alluring scene of art work. Although the graffiti writers work is their expression; they are trying to convey a message about the issues in the world around them.
The Graffiti Tunnel in Sydney University echoes the postmodern ideals of questioning structure by challenging what is known to be art. The different views of graffiti – vandalism versus street art – reflect the instability and uncertainty of postmodernism. Furthermore, through its nature of storytelling, graffiti reflects traditions and preserves culture and the ideas and beliefs of the context it was created in.
Graffiti shows creativity and self expression in one of the best ways. Typically graffiti artists display their artistic talent on train cars, buildings, and public/private properties. The vibrancy of the colors used draws in people nearby to look at the astounding creativity. Although this is true for a shocking amount of people, the same can’t be said for the owners of the properties. This illicit art has a negative effect on the owners. This is also true for some people who just happen to walk by this art, even policemen or businessmen who think this beautiful self expression is an unacceptable eyesore. The artists who have been caught have been penalized and shamed for their creativity. Their mentality has been destroyed and they have been labeled as public nuisances. Meanwhile, the opposing side can sit at home and feel satisfied as ever for catching
Within the last few years, graffiti has been deemed an acceptable and tasteful genre of art. Long gone are the days where the spray can belonged exclusively to the local delinquent. From the past to present, there has been a shift in how street art is recognized by the general public and the government. Laws and policies are being put into place that both defend and threaten the promulgation of this creative medium. By both protecting and prohibiting, the government displays an inconsistent and confusing relationship with street art. When art is so subjective, it can become challenging to delineate the fine line between vandalism and creativity. This essay will discuss the changing public perception of graffiti, the trademark and copyright battles between graffiti artists and property owners, the categorization of street art as an artform, and the beneficial aspects of commissioned street murals.
Graffiti is a form of art that people use to express themselves and to convey various messages to people in a particular community. In the movie "Graffiti Verite':. One of the graffiti artist explained that his purpose in doing graffiti is that it allows him to "express his anger' on the wall. Another kid by the name of "Jipsie" said that graffiti is a "form of growth". There were several different explanations that artists shared as well as several different reasons why they like graffiti. The common theme among the graffiti artist and taggers was that graffiti is simply a form of self-expression (Bryan). At the end of the film one tagger made a comment and said, "graffiti is not vandalism, but it is a beautiful crime". This comment did not make sense to me. Committing a crime, a hideous act, is not a beautiful thing to do by any means. Graffiti does not mean people can go around and draw and spray paint on other peoples property. Regardless of what types of graffiti are being expressed by the tagger, this type of self expression is considered vandalism when people decide to draw, destroy, or violate any persons property without consent. As a result of taggers committing the crime of vandalism, property owners, concerned citizens, and law enforcement officers spend too much time, money, and energy trying to put an end to the unlawful act of vandalism.
After all, what was once considered vandalism is now validated as art, showing society’s eventual acceptance of the subculture. Previously deemed as visual detritus, urban art is now seen as a possible vehicle of thought, forging relationships between artist and audience. It provokes thought and arouses consciousness within viewers in the most unconventional and unexpected places. But what would happen if the mainstream culture finally caved in to street art? Or what if the street art movement eventually succumbs to the laws set out by the government?
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...
Street art is understood to be a subculture of graffiti, but cannot be simply defined as one form (Hughs). “Street art, originally coined by Allan Schwartzman in 1985 (Lewisohn, 2008),
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.
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).
Graffiti started in the 1920s when gangs would tag train cars and walls to mark territory mainly in New York City. Graffiti took a different turn in the 1970s when young adults decided to use street art as an outlet to express their political and social outrage. This movement had soon gained the attention of the “adult” world. Graffiti was known as “creation through destruction” and to this day is still considered illegal in most parts of the world. In modern street art the mediums used have evolved past spray paint and now artists are using different methods with spray paint to progress their works past crude tags.
Graffiti has been highly talked about in our classes through the past classes throughout the semester. Throughout the semester I have learned a lot about how meaningful Graffiti can be and how the street artist expresses their feelings throughout their art. Also I have realized how much Graffiti gets a lot of controversy because there are many who love to see the art and there are many who are against any of the art called Graffiti and do not think its art. But many people do not truly know the meaning behind all of the Graffiti around the world.