Banksy: His Works of Art and Outlook on Life
For my research paper, I chose the British graffiti artist known as Banksy. Even though very little is known about this artist, his work that he has done has gained him international recognition. He has graffitied all over the world from London, England to Bethlehem, Palestine. He began his work in the streets of Bristol, England as a free hand artist painting his graffiti all over the walls of the city. He later started using stencils to make his work easier cleaner and faster. Banksy has moved up in the art world from stenciling the streets to showing his work all over the world. Despite now being internationally known as a “Graffiti Street Art Legend”, his work hasn’t slowed down one bit. He still paints the streets with his critical political view and imagery that first caught the attention of the world. The increasingly rousing nature of his work displays his aggravation with society and is expressed in every aspect of his art from the location and subject at hand all the way down to the specific statement he chooses to express.
In the world of graffiti artists most of the surfaces they deem as canvases for their art aren’t exactly legal and just because he’s Banksy isn’t an exception especially with regards to the beginning of his career, when he exclusively tagged walls. When he decided to tag the Tower Hamlet’s Council of London with a yellow flower they labeled his work as vandalism, but even despite the “crimes” he has
Graffiti has been around for more than half a decade and practiced worldwide. However there is debate between whether it is a form of art or vandalism. Graffiti artists’ debate that many do not understand the reason most graffiti artist take the risk of incarceration, fines, injuries, and in some cases death to paint a wall. A graffiti artist can have the simple desire to become recognized, or to create a piece that speaks to their audience as a form of self expression. Because graffiti is associated with gangs and acts of destruction to some many cannot see the history and importance graffiti can have on a worldwide scale. Due to the fact that graffiti is usually produced illegally, meaning it is
He has issued to fixated on in, is the fact that the police never apprehended the artists as well as Theirry when vandalizing. When visually perceiving news footage in today’s world, if anybody gets caught with vandalizing they are customarily taken to jail without a caveat. However, in this particular film Theirry was out with Banksy as well as other street artists and they never got in trouble. Which leads to apostatizing as an unauthentically spurious film. When filming, Theirry caught on footage a police officer verbalizing to the artist, “Come here, Im not going to apprehend you.” This would never transpire in authentic life
“Street art is omnipresent in urban streets and is a rish source of inspiration for artistic creativity. . . It possesses the aesthetic voices of the ordinary and enables resistance for the marginalized. Banksy’s street art, in particular, can guide students to think about various social and political issues and to reflect upon the immediate, if not unjust, world in which they live, to transform that world, and to
His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humor with graffiti done in a distinctive stenciling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.
According to Boyd, through Graffiti is essential to understand as a form of art that crosses the boundaries of location, method, and motivation. He acknowledges that graffiti might include “racist remarks, empty slogans and illegal signatures.”(Boyd 251) Boyd’s piece is also very informative because according to the author, there are two methods for creating this form of art: murals and tagging. The most popular one is tagging because it can be found almost everywhere from fence posts to trains, street walls to buses. The main goal of graffiti writers is to put their signature tags in places to be recognized by their
The art that I find most interesting is graffiti, because it taking the streets and filling them with personality and stories. In the following essay I will be talking about three well known graffiti artist and their art.
Banksy’s projects always revolve around a key idea relating to the site and time specific political and socio-economic issues. Banksy is known for condensing complex global issues, not always at the attention of the general public, and putting his stance on the issue in very simplistic terms through his art. He gained a major following across the world of all ages and socio-economic beginnings. Another aspect that makes Banksy very likable to the communities is the fact that he wants his art to be public and available to everyone in all the parts of the world, instead of just a handful of high end galleries, museums, and private collector’s cellars. Moreover, the Banksy Effect was a central force to bring attention to street art, not vandalizing and meaningless to the majority graffiti, and put it on an international art arena. Bristol is not the only city in the world embracing the street artists. Miami, Baltimore, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Melbourne, and many more cities are progressively embracing street art rather than repelling it. Thus, in the next section I will turn to the discussion on the public policy in favor of Banksy and his fellow street artists, current possible legal avenues and briefly touch
Vandalism? Political Statement? According to the documentary, all of the above. Former New York Mayor, Michael Blumberg, called Banksy a vandal and had NYPD's vandal squad hunting for Banksy. Ironically, Bansky’s work has been priced for as much as $615,000 at auction, but he has never sold anything himself. Banksy thinks that museums are places for rich people to display their trinkets. Instead, Banksy displays his art on crumbling walls, rundown buildings and famous structures. He forces people into city areas they would never dare to go, making them notice their surroundings. Mixed crowds of people -- art students, plumbers, and the homeless -- all seek out his work and view it together. He has set himself apart from other street artists by having a bigger plan, taking bigger chances and by breaking bigger boundaries. According to his website, while Banksy was creating his artwork on the Israeli barrier, a soldier asked him, “What the f**k are you doing?” The Israeli security forces shot into the air, and there were numerous guns pointed at him; Banksy continued
From 1990- 1994 in the Bristol Underground Scene is where Banksy began his artwork as a freehand artist. He was inspired by Nick Walker, Inkie and “3D’, who were graffiti artist as well. In the beginning Banksy painted on public walls, bridges or any other public
First of all, Banksy is one of the professional street artiste from Europe who has many years of work experience. Banksy build this his reputation by traveling to different pleases. Also, Banksy form his reputation by doing arts in very difficult pleases like Israel and Palestine notorious wall. He started to became more
A great artist once wrote, “If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced”. This artist was Vincent van Gogh, soon to be an appraised artist known all around the world for his works, such as Starry Night. He is one of the very first artists of the post-impressionist style than is now adored in every continent. However, there is much more to the man than one painting. Creating a full timeline that stretches beyond Gogh’s life, this paper will discuss the life of Vincent van Gogh and the impression he made on the world.
The nature of Banksy’s work is iconoclastic in the way he blatantly designs images to rebel governmental authority or depict the failings of
This negative shadow on the art form of graffiti has caused the decline of the graffiti movement. As many have predicted, “graffiti may eventually disappear” (“The Writing's on the Wall; Graffiti”). Graffiti has already begun to dwindle from what was once a flourishing art movement, to an almost disesteemed hobby. However, a soiled reputation is not the only culprit in the murder of authentic graffiti. The occupation of the current generation with technology and social media has caused many artists to focus solely on selling their work and gaining attention through social networking platforms. Another, perhaps more common, reason for the decline is the improvement of police work and punishments for those indulging in the illegal form of graffiti (“The Writing's on the Wall; Graffiti”). Because of this decline in authentic and prohibited graffiti, artists have channeled their work into new forms and established their own artistic community.
Art is a persons’ opinion. The definition of art is the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. There is no real definition for what is beautiful or appealing to the human eye. Banksy is said to be an artist by some and a graffiti lawbreaker by others. Basically, it is up to the person to define Banksy as someone who is doing the right thing verses doing the wrong thing. Banksy creates his graffiti pictures to make a stand for what he believes is the right way to look at controversial issues. Some people may not like Banksy’s graffiti because they do not have the same views as him. Some people might
Banksy is a very renowned street artist who keeps his identity unknown. His artwork is portrayed by “striking images, often combined with slogans, [which] engages political themes, satirically critiquing war, capitalism, hypocrisy and greed” (“Banksy Biography”). He first started his bold street art in Bristol, his hometown located in London, but quickly spread to the United States of America. In the U.S., Banksy targeted the most populated cities; this was due to the fact that it was easier for him to spread his messages. With a crowded location, his lessons will extent over an audience much quicker.