Street art is made were it is easily
seen by the public, most commonly in streets, on building walls and sometimes
in private property. It is sadly very often made and created illegally by
artists who are then considered vandals. The most commonly used mediums for
street art are stenciling stickers and poster art. However, street art can
also include wheat pasting, video projections, guerrilla art, as well as art
intervention, street illustrations and flash mobbing. There is no simple way of explaining the true
meaning of street art. It is a style of expression which is constantly growing
in urban environment. Some being humours or with a message, it is becoming a
very popular and democratic type of art. It is unique in ways, because it is
not limited to a small space in an art gallery, nor is it easy to posses,
trade, own or collect by those how may find this art as something the wish to
capture for their own use and benefit.
Banksy is a very well-known graffiti
artist. He is from Bristol, UK, and his art work has appeared and spread
through London as well as other locations across the entire world. Despite his
major popularity, he manages to keep his true identity a secret from all public
media. It was found however, that in many newspapers people have declared his
real name to be Robin Banks. Banksy has never given the public to believe that
he has called himself an artist, but many consider him to be a very talented
graffiti artist whom gains much respect. He has his own original ways to
deliver his street art, often with stenciling Some of his art works are
displayed on public surfaces such as walls and even building prop pieces to
include in this artwork. He does not sell pictures of his art directly himself,
but art auctioneers have tried selling his work on location and leaving its
removal problem to the hands of the purchaser.
Controversial Banksy, although respected and admired by many, has always turned everyday
things into something some people say is wrong, unjustified, or offensive. An
article called Animals Sprayed by Graffiti Artist, found on BBC News
website is one example which clearly shows us the controversy he caused. The
article explains how a cow, obviously not Banksy’s, was drawn on by him. The
inspector on the scene confirmed that no harm at all came to the cow, however,
a woman did not approve with the idea of animals being used as a raw canvas for
art. Some people considered this as animal cruelty. Whereas others may have
seen this as funny, original, and as a unique way of delivering a message
through art. A second example of controversy that Banksy created is when he
made an image showing the words ‘Follow your dreams’ and replaced them with the
word ‘Cancelled’ in bright red paint. This is documented in the newspaper
article Banksy Makes His Mark Across America which says his work is
‘humorous’ yet ‘socially scathing’. Again, some may have seen this as clever
and funny, but others may have considered this as unneeded vandalism with a
failed point to it’s message. It opposes all optimism in life which may be why
it turned a lot of heads in it’s direction and has so many people fighting to
voice their opinions about it.
I
think that many people who despair of the way graffiti vandals spray slogans on
public transport and public
buildings would be surprised to hear that it has now been elevated, by some, to
an art form. However, I think it is important that everyone does their part to
keep both public and private properties free of littering and illegal graffiti
in order to help the city. If graffiti is made against the property owner’s
will, this should be penalized exactly like vandalism. It is not in any way
right for someone to ruin another’s property especially if the graffiti
displays anything which may be found offensive. Otherwise, if the city doesn't have any bylaws related to design or architecture of the properties, the owner of this particular
property can have graffiti if they wish so. To eliminate illegal graffiti I
would educate property owners, students, and the general public about the
negative effects of illegal graffiti. Legal graffiti should be deserved to be
admired and praised. It has now been made easy to look for places in which the
local council has made it legal to spread the art of graffiti. One may also
purchase materials or acquire scraps on which the can practice their graffiti
techniques. This is a very good way to help those who love this way of
expression to do so freely and not against the law. In this way, the art can
also be further admired by those who pass by and it may also give a name for
those artists who wish to disperse further into the artistic graffiti talents
and passions.
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