Crime Vs. Art : The Interminable Debate

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

The value of any message or work of art, whether it is hanging on the wall of a gallery or a subway, lies on the intensity of the artist’s or vandal’s beliefs. Graffiti is an uncertain issue in respect to its virtue. While the voice of the individual must never be lost in a society of shouts growing larger and louder every second; graffiti is such a public medium that its integrity must be of great concern. Graffiti is a vast wasteland of indefinite opinions. Foremost graffiti is illegal and a form of vandalism, it invades peoples privacy and destroys their property. However, graffiti can be a means by which one may permanently express one’s self. It has the potential to convey a powerful, relevant

Graffiti has always been stigmatized as vandalism. Throughout history, unwanted markings on buildings has been seen as unlawful, crude, and unartistic. From the stone ages to the rise of gang graffiti in the 1970s, the word graffiti has had this negative connotation attached to it. Now, in the 21st century, people still associate graffiti with vandalism and negativity despite our growth as a society. The line between vandalism and art has been burred for some time, but in today’s society, graffiti is not simply petty acts of vandalism, but art and should be treated as such. People who think graffiti is only vandalism even in today’s modern society need to realize that modern graffiti is no longer tied to gang violence and is actual quite similar to modern advertising techniques. Also, if graffiti is legalized it would stop the government from wasting tax dollars to remove the graffiti and protect the artist’s creative freedom and first amendment rights.

Most people can argue that there is a fine distinction between what is recognized as art and vandalism. The individual is often faced with uncertainty when the topic of graffiti arises. The public often portray graffiti as a destructive act towards his or her surroundings however; graffiti can also be considered a form of self-expression. Many questions can be made pertaining to the graffiti movement, but the main question is graffiti a crime or an art? The answers lie in the complex phrase of “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

If you were to go open a dictionary and look up the definition of art, you would see that it has art as “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination…” (“Art” 2017) and “Works produced by human creative skill and imagination.” (“Art” 2017). From these definitions, graffiti is art, yet in most cases, it’s considered vandalism because it is done without permission of the property. When graffiti is done in a designated place or with the permission of the property owner, then it can truly be considered art. But even if these circumstances are not met, if the graffiti goes beyond a simple tag, it is art.

Just as Hip Hop is a form of art, so is graffiti. It allows individuals to express one’s feelings. Graffiti is one of the main pillars of Hip Hop . Graffiti is used as a way of expressing one’s feelings about what the individual is undergoing. This can be political and social issues such as racial profiling.Graffiti artists use spray paint to create symbolized images or expressions on billboards, subways and building walls. Although this is an obvious form of expression to many people, however to police, it is a form of “vandalism.” Vandalism is an action which leads to destruction or damage to public or private property. According to the Museum of The City, an exhibition written by Greg Eickmer, “Graffiti is generally viewed as

People often have different opinions and views toward stories or news articles they have read. My Parents killed Santa and Nobody Cared (Santa) by Dakshana Bascaramurty is an essay that tells the story of how a child was shocked to learn from the parents that Santa was unreal and did not exist. On the other hand, In Defense against Graffiti (Graffiti) by Alex Boyd discusses the positive of graffiti. Between the two, the story Graffiti by Boyd is a much better article because it is informative and exciting to read. For some time now there has been controversy on weather graffiti stands out as an art or not ever since it began to appear in a number of galleries worldwide. The reason Alex Boyd’s “Graffiti” is a better essay is because it seeks to distinguish between retrogressive instance of graffiti and positive especially in the messages that they put forward.

In the summer of 2013, a graffiti artist by the name of 'Lady Pink' had police barge into her house in Queens and arrest her husband for vandalism. They took her art supplies, photo archives, and many of her prized possessions. She had to sit there, helpless, watching police take away her things. In today's world right now, expressing yourself creatively is one of the most important things you can do to help figure out who you are. A part of creative expression is art. Art makes people happy. Graffiti falls into the art category. For some people, graffiti is what they do to express themselves. Graffiti is art and shouldn't be illegal. Expressing yourself creatively shouldn't be a crime.

If the person wants the graffiti on their building, it is not vandalism and is already legal. Ngo also compares alcohol and tobacco use to graffiti. This is a weak argument because a person chooses to consume the substances and suffer their own personal consequences. A graffiti artist chooses another person's property and inflicts damage to it. Freedom of speech is a protected right we have as Americans, but it does not and should not extend to protect vandalism.

From the early humans who painted on cave walls to the angst-ridden teenager getting their kicks from spray painting profanities on the side of a small business, human beings seem to have an intrinsic desire to paint images on the walls that surround them. This has led to many individuals painting on walls without permission. Although the walls cannot speak, city officials and the owners of businesses can and when they do, “Graffiti” is usually one of the words used to describe the images produced. However, although often overlooked, a line does exist between graffiti and street art. Christine Graff writes “Graffiti is defined as ‘writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public

Whether or not graffiti is a form of artwork or vandalism has always been a subject for debate in Toronto. In this article, I will tell you why graffiti is in fact a form of vandalism, and that we should try to wipe out all form of graffiti in this city. Graffiti negatively impacts societies for several reasons. First of all, removing graffiti from walls and other structures are draining our tax funds. Money that could be used to build parks, community centers, and schools, are instead being used to clean graffiti.

There is a lack of supporting evidence about graffiti information such as why people engage in vandalism and how it impacts on communities and so on. This article is useful for my research topic because this book’s focus is on street artists and legal street art. There was a lot of information about street

We seem to come into contact with a form art every day. It is all around us and sometimes we don’t even notice. One of those art forms is street art, better known by the name graffiti. Graffiti can be recognized for having a bad connotation associated with it, for example some people view it as offensive, vulgar, a nuisance or a form of vandalism. For some people graffiti is a way of life, a culture per se. There are many ways that culture can be defined for example culture can contain the use of symbols, it can be learned and shared, it has values and purpose. Graffiti as a culture contains all of these things and in this paper I will be looking at some comparisons and contrasts of graffiti culture in America from when it started and its evolution to mainstream artistic culture.

Imagine walking around, most places there is a mess on every wall, but some people see art. Art called graffiti, which everyone mistakes as trash. Many graffiti artists are not trying to do a crime, they just want to share their talent with the public. Graffiti is a way to express feelings and should be allowed, because graffiti can have strong meanings the community can relate to.

Multiple graffiti artists are thrown in jail simply for expressing themselves in a way that very few appreciate. Although multiple areas of cities have set aside certain areas where graffiti art is legal, many artists agree that the feeling is not the same as when they do it in areas that are not legalized. Graffiti artists should be legally allowed to make art wherever they want because it will help cities and the government save money trying to erase the ‘vandalism’ caused to the buildings, and it will allow artists to express themselves without fear of being punished.