Banksy Research Paper

“In contrast to government-commissioned public art, street art is illicit and subversive in nature. Therefore, most street artists, including Banksy, use pseudonyms to avoid legal prosecution for vandalism.”(Chung 27) Banksy’s street art does not focus on competing with rival artists, but focuses on engaging with a broader audience in a deeper level. He provokes his audience by deeply expressing out various social practices that helps viewers to reflect and confront certain aspects together as a community. (27) The underlying message of Banksy’s art can lead towards an active involvement of street art within the community.

At one point in the film, street art became the rave and was being auctioned off in auction houses, but Banksy and other artists did not believe that the focus for their artwork was about the money; rather, it was the passion and expressional aspect of their art pieces. He believed that Thierry's video footage would be the perfect way to depict this passion, but a majority of the footage Thierry had was unusable. However, the usable footage that was used in the documentary was enough to demonstrate the true passion some street artists had. Many have different motives of creating their artwork as well. For example, Borf, creates street art in commemoration of his friend that passed away and even his alias is in memory of the friend who passed. Banksy’s purpose of creating art is often as a form to criticize social problems or just for humor at times. A very striking example of his artwork as a form to express social problems was when he went to the Gaza strip and created a trompe-l'oeil pieces of street art against the wall, which at the time was experiencing a vast amount of conflict and civil unrest. This was extremely dangerous, but Banksy managed to place it on the wall without any harm, which shows his dedication to his

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.

I chose Vincent Van Gogh because he was not only a great artist, but a tortured soul as well. “The 19th century painter Vincent Van Gogh is almost as famous for his mental instability as for his vivid paintings. “Van Gogh knew how to use the brush just so as to display his feeling for all to see, though it may not have been adequately understood much less well received at the time. Vincent Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853, a year after his mother had given birth to a stillborn child to which a year later, the same name was given to Vincent. He would pass the grave of his brother with the headstone which bore his name, how’s that for depressing! He felt rejected his entire life of thirty – seven short years, by his mother, his friend

Vincent van Gogh was an incredible painter who was a part of the post-impressionism movement of art. Many believe his artwork and style shaped 20th-century art and many artists incorporated his painting style. Van Gogh is often regarded as on of the fathers of post-expressionism. Sadly, critics only appreciated his work after his death, by a self-inflicted gunshot, in 1880.

There is a beauty in every art that is exposed and society appreciates the art that Banksy has given. When people think of street art they automatically assume it is just a mural or graffiti on an empty wall at a stranded building or community. Banksy art movement brought unity through the surrounding of people that enjoy looking at his artwork. Banksy brought a new twist to the meaning of street art. The art movement that happened in October 2013 in New York was unforgettable and people of New York were the city to experience it first-hand.

Vincent Van Gogh painted many figures, landscapes, cityscapes, and sceneries during the post-impressionism art movement. He used lighter palettes of reds, yellows, oranges, greens, and blues. Van Gogh also experimented with broken brushstrokes. The work of impressionists inspired Van Gogh during his trip to Paris. Influenced by a fellow artist, Gauguin, Van Gogh began to paint from memory, making his paintings more decorative and less accurate. His unique techniques inspired many artists including Matisse, Derain, Pollock, and Bacon. Each of these artists adopted/extended Van Gogh’s style to preserve his techniques.

The importance of Public Art in communities stems from a place of creativity, voice and rebellion. All art is a form of communication whether it is street art or museum art. Artists make art to express and address their political views, mark the anniversary of something, tell a story, etc. Public art creates a sense of community in cities and towns because it reflects what the places believe in. Whether it is street art or museum art, most all humans admire what artists express because it is easily accessible and almost always demonstrates a story. Street artists such as “Blek Le Rat” and “Banksy” have used their talent to create urban art that reflects societal, political, and economic views along with a pinch of dark humour. These reflections

Many discover life in the paintings of a dead artist in the most miniscule details: the number of colours used in a painting, the size of a flower, or the expression of a model. Looking back, one can remember how middle school art teachers would indulge our imaginations with lectures on the curiously complex intentions behind every colourful stroke of the painters brush. However, letters exchanged between artist reveal the truth behind not only the intentions of an artist but also the tactics used to create the sacrosanct works of art produced by one. Currently there are 844 surviving Vincent van Gogh letters, over 900 paintings, and over 1100 drawings. One man's life has been compiled into a medium sized pile of canvas, wood, and paper,

Directly after his death, the first bibliography for Vincent Van Gogh was written, by Emile Bernard, who was a painter and friend of Vincent’s. It was three pages long and discussed his aspirations as well as his love for his brother Theo. Emile Bernard continued to celebrate Vincent’s life by later publishing some of the letters he had written. Vincent’s sister Elisabeth later published a booklet of poetry detailing his life. This brought forth the attention of many others who knew Van Gogh to then write about him as well. Later, in the Municipal Museum in Amsterdam, hundreds of his drawings and paintings were displayed. After 1914, many publications of letters, art, and biographies were published in remembrance of Vincent Van Gogh’s work

Whether it is painting, drawing or sculpting, marginal art forms have become commodities. In addition, artists are becoming more popular for their fame rather than the content of their pieces. As artists have gone from creators to celebrities who happen to create, they are able to use their artwork to their own selfish benefit. In the Banksy film, “Exit Through the Gift Shop”, these issues are brought to life and help viewers realize that art as a commodity is not necessarily a good thing. When a marginal art form becomes commodified and a cult of celebrity emerges, the art loses its value and the genuine purpose and priorities are altered.

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.

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.

Demonstrated all throughout his works, Banksy does not make it clear what message his art actually gives off. Instead, he leaves it up to the onlookers’ own perception to decipher the true meaning behind the image. Most of his art uses no words, by that, it is through the investigation of semiotics that we can contrast between the meaning and the undertone of his works (Bal). For most of his artworks’, its not hard to seize the idea behind them. Some of their meanings are unmistakable and give a clear indication of what message is being perceived. In fact I have the perfect example.

The nature of Banksy’s work is iconoclastic in the way he blatantly designs images to rebel governmental authority or depict the failings of