Banksy: Street Art

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

“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.

Known for his contempt for the government in labeling graffiti as vandalism, Banksy displays his art on public surfaces such as walls, even going as far as to build physical prop pieces. Banksy does not sell photos of street graffiti directly himself; however, art auctioneers have been known to attempt to sell his street art on location and leave the problem of

When driving or walking anywhere in Los Angeles there is graffiti or street art all around. Some say vandalism and I say ART. There is so many types of street art, like tagging, stickers, characters, murals, and more. Places in Los Angeles are mostly covered with beautiful murals. When street artists create murals they create a voice for everyone in that community without saying a word.

Street art is a visual art created all over the streets, it can be present in a form of posters, graffiti, window paints, and murals, among others. All of those artists that chose to exhibit their art on the streets, rather than in a museum or gallery is because they are situated it in a non-art context. The products they use to produce their art works most of the time are: free hand aerosol paints, krink markers, plutonium paints and graffiti remover used to create perfect images all over the cities. Street art adorn the urban landscape, explode the skills of the artists, and finally but no less important, is constructive providing a specific social message for all the audience.

1.Street Art is visual created in public. In many places street art is considered to be illegal but in other places people and government services pay commission for them to express their feeing in the world or anything else.

Banksy is one of the most famous and mysterious street artists in the world. Helen Weaver, the art in an American magazine writer stated that,” Banksy was born in 1974 and was raised in the Bristol UK area. When he first started spray painting, he was ten years old.” “(1). Weaver Helen.” Banksy.” Art in America. Sep 18.2009. Web.11 Nov.2015. Banksy enjoyed the attention he received from the public. He loved using street art to express his inner feelings. He mostly uses graffiti to express his feelings. In the early years the authorities worked hard to remove his pictures from public places. They considered his art vandalism and destructive to the public. Vandalism is when someone deliberately destroys the public or private property, however, the public fought to save some of his pictures from authorities. Banksy is a very influential artist in his time. He was well respected and recognized by his fans all over the world.

One form of art that contributes to this issue is graffiti. Street art is intended as a way for people to expand their creativity and express themselves in a completely different way than normal. It is important to know that street art is built upon the belief that, “to play in public spaces is to break the rules, to trespass one’s own emotions and sensibilities upon what is otherwise meant to be anonymous, functional and boringly quotidian” (Seno). In other words, it is a way for people to think outside of the box and in new

Street art is a form of untraditional art that recently began in the 1960’s. Due to the rise of the counterculture movements of the 60’s, this form of art has risen in popularity too. Being in a gallery has a different kind of tone than crafting work outside, because of the constraints that galleries put on the artist. When creating the work on the streets, the constraints are lifted which allow the artist to do what they want. The artist has the ability to do anything from political satire to creating a tag name that symbolizes them. Street art, for the nontraditional artist, allows one to explore who they are rather than conform to who they were taught to be in school. Traditional street art is created for everyone to see and is normally

As graffiti recently transitioned to a more respectable art form, it developed a more respectable name: street art.

Structures that stretch high above of the hustle and bustle of cars and people on the ground level, going through any big city numerous attractions can steal your attention away. There’s so much to absorb some things will never be noticed. Walls of buildings and sides of train cars are rarely acknowledged with all the advertising, architecture, and of course the “tagging.” An average person would consider the widespread art form of graffiti an eyesore, but others would disagree. Who's to say what is art as opposed to trash vandalism? Since the late 60’s people have hit the streets, cans of paint in hand, to scrawl their wildest dreams onto whatever “canvas” they could find. Philadelphia high school student Cornbread is credited with starting this movement in 1967 in attempts to get the attention of a girl he fancied (The History Of American Graffiti). Others took notice and began to search for any surface they could post up a “piece.” Graffiti is stereotypically defined to be strictly in a public place or be illegal. Opposite to that there are legal graffiti locations such as 5 Pointz in Queens or street museums such as Bushwick Collective in Brooklyn run by Joe Ficalora where people are allowed to paint as they please free from repercussions (Kennedy, Graffiti Art of the City, From the Bronx to Brooklyn). Additionally, since it’s expansion, in the 80s galleries began to showcase this “vandalism” as artworks. Curators and collectors even began to hire artists to create

Banksy or as said to be shortened for Robert Banks is the graffiti artist who will never be caught. His technique of stenciling makes it easier for him to get the job done fast and efficiently. Banksy states that being anonymous can be “crippling” and hard to do. In an anonymous email said to be from Banksy he states,

On November 2013, at an auction in New York City, the painting “Two women in the woods” by Vincent Van Gogh, a famous Dutch artist in expressionism and impressionism, was sold at the price of $689,000 (Lot: 17 VINCENT VAN GOGH, 2013; Van Gogh, 2008). Besides, “Silent Majority”, a painting by Banksy, an English graffiti artist, was brought to the auction in Paris and its recent price has reached £445,792, which is roughly at $676,000 (Banksy, 2014; Banksy 's Silent Majority fetches more than £445k in Paris, 2015). As they are clearly seen, the prices for the two paintings are about the same, which is interesting because one is obviously a well-known artist all over the world, whereas the other one is known for his graffiti paintings, which is also considered to be an act of vandalism all along the walls in England. Therefore, what graffiti actually is and why there are two different perspectives on the characteristics of graffiti is a cute issue. This essay will oppose the idea that graffiti is vandalism by demonstrating two main points. First, graffiti is a type of art, and last but not least, graffiti can help develop the economic as well as the job opportunities for lower income class.

In the early 1990s, Banksy began his distinguished career. He is mostly known for his contentious and politically themed, stenciled pieces. His identity currently remains secret, after two decades, and this adds a vibe of mystery into the art that he produces. His work has been rumored to appear in America, Israel, Palestine, Jamaica, and many other countries. Banksy is unquestionably the most controversial street artist to emerge on the global stage.

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.