Banksy Essay

If people were asked to make a mental picture of a painter working on his work of art, most of them would describe it as a person with a big canvas on a stand in front of them painting the subject which they are looking at. There were two major differences in Pollock's approach to his art compared to other artists. The first major difference was that Jackson painted on the floor. The second difference was that he used a stick instead of a brush. They would say that because they are all not exposed to different types and styles of painting. For those people who do not know much about art wouldn't know the meaning of the painting or how it was created. In some instances people say to themselves, "you call this art, my little brother could

“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

The subject of religion has captured the attention of artists for centuries, working its way throughout the years, in and out of various of styles and movements. The artists of this era often found themselves reliant on this subject matter due to Churches being a steady Patron throughout the Renaissance all the way to the Baroque period. Whether it was because of the rich cultural impact to society or the enforcement of strong divine beliefs, depicting biblical narratives have struck an everlasting cord within this medium. Two particular ones, in fact: The Deposition from the Cross (Entombment of Christ) by Jacopo Pontormo and The Entombment of Christ by Michelangelo Caravaggio. Both of which provide an excellent example of how culture and artistic style combined can alter the message of the same iconic scene and still evoke different emotions.

Once upon a time, in a far away land called New York City, a mythical hero took up residency in October of 2013. Under cover of darkness, he spread his messages of outrage, peace and intrigue, causing New Yorkers to scramble about every morning in search of his message which broke the boundaries of the way that we experience art. The mythical hero goes by the name Banksy and he did it all with a can of spray paint.

During the Victorian Age, many poets discreetly included Christian values in their works because the time between 1850 and 1870, was a time of the greatest challenge to traditional religious belief. Christina Rossetti worried about the Christian virtues of, faith, hope, and charity, the rest of the world was worried about material prosperity, business, and the joy that the money they had could buy them. In 1859 Christina Rossetti’s poem, ‘’Goblin Market,’’ there is a strong parallel to Christianity, with it’s allusions to many different biblical themes. This children’s story has many hidden sexual and religious images that go deeper than the reader’s initial thoughts of the poem.

The first superstar of American art, Andy Warhol was obsessed with fame, glamour, and money. He is best known for his images of stars and celebrities and for his reproductions of symbols of the American society.

As Henry David Thoreau states: “the world is but a canvas to our imagination” is pragmatic in the sense of what is defined as art. The mere act of shaping art onto the simplicity of paper is condoned while walls, streets, and bridges become the norm. A rugged description, yet so valid in this case. This principle is exemplified in the works of Banksy. Banksy is my chosen artist. His works are authentic, yet aesthetically defined in the most unusual places. His method of art is likewise fascinating – for he uses bold sardonic street art and dissident witticisms combined with graffiti performed in idiosyncratic stenciling techniques to portray various messages. As findthemag.com states, Banksy uses “broad, complex abstractions and reducing them into something palatable.” I agree with this statement. Also, the term Banksy is a pseudonym for his unique identity that remains quite unconfirmed. This is enthralling - an artist who refrains from claiming his own art? This idea might sound confounding to some, but it adds fervor to my fondness of his art.

Capturing a culture or movement in a limited frame such as an anthropology or documentary is inherently difficult; the task involves portraying the beauties, flaws, nuances, and relevancies of an often under-appreciated movement in a finite amount of space. A documentary, already tasked with capturing the intricacies of a movement, also requires capturing this spirit in a neutral, fact-oriented, honest, yet still entertaining fashion. Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop is widely considered an example of a successful documentary on street art due to its interview-based style and celebrity street-artist director. However, Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop fails as a documentary because of the film’s biases and inconsistencies; because

Banksy once said, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” Banksy, the director of Exit Through the Gift Shop, a documentary that goes through the heart of street art strongly emphasizes that art is not about money, but rather about expression and passion. He supports his argument mainly through his strong visual and audio tactics. Visuals are much stronger than any other sense. A reoccurring factor that influences the viewer’s thoughts towards the argument is where Banksy focuses the video.

The people back in the 19th century really didn’t accept Van Gaogh’s truthful and emotionally morbid way of expressing the way of art is to himself. It finally was seen as art through the people’s eyes. This set a stage of art that is now known as Expressionism. It is best characterized by the use of symbols and a style that expresses the artist’s inner feelings about his subject. His style of painting is exemplified by a projection of the painter’s inner experience onto the canvas he paints on. Van Gogh’s paintings are done with his feelings that goes on in his life. (Mark Harden’s Artchive)

Who Runs the Gift Shop: A Cultural Critique of Banksy’s Documentary Banksy is a street artist who is both famous and infamous for the work he does. His 2010 documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop only adds to this. As the popularity of reality television and the cult of celebrity become ever more present in the current culture, drawing the line between what is real and what is fake becomes more and more difficult. What works such as Exit Through the Gift Shop do is raise the question: How much do these distinctions matter.

Banksy is a street artist who has used his talents to protest things in the world around him. From poaching to suicide bombings, his art covers a variety of subjects.2 One of the big things about Banksy’s art is that he uses stencils to quickly put his art up on the wall.3 While his true identity isn’t commonly known, the art that he has created has ended up around the world.4 I don’t think he is a vandal since what he does is art. The art uses protest to contribute to society. His art is well done and deserves recognition.

In this piece of street art, Banksy depicts a water tap “being phoned,” a clever play on “phone-tapping.” He created this piece in 2011 in response to the UK’s News International’s phone-hacking scandals. Aiming to downplay the direness of the situation and add an element of lightheartedness to the situation, Banksy makes his sentiment of inconsequence clear by painting a playful scene and a silly character. This ironic juxtaposition with the grave scandal conveys the pettiness he perceives of the scandal. With this humorous piece, Banksy appeals to his audience’s own sense of humor and amusement in order to convey his facetious attitude toward the scandal, rather than a stern or indignant one. He communicates his overall message by understating

Banksy is a famous- yet anonymous- is an example of a street artist who uses stencils to portray his urban art across the streets of London. His style of work is usually dominated with black and white and sometimes complimented with a splash of colour. This allows the viewer to understand the concept of his work much better as they realise the main focus of the piece. His art works usually involve a political message and is sometimes reinforced humorously. For instance, the image on the left raises awareness of the increasing interest and obsession and technology in younger generations. It suggests a scary future- if not already a reality- that the source of happiness will come from the ‘no. of likes’ we receive on our social media pages.

"I just paint things I always thought were beautiful, things you use every day and never think about… I just do it because I like it. (Beckris 110) I just do it because I like it is Andy’s philosophy on life. Andy might just be the most interesting and at the same time the most confusing individual you will ever read about. Andy’s work is like none others. His art brought common day people together and showed the impact of contemporary society and the idea of mass media on values. Andy’s father Ondrej Wharhola is best described as a bald, burly man with a bulging belly and massive upper arms, pudgy nose and bristling sideburns. Ondrej was born in 1889 in Minkova. (Bekris, 6) He was married and living