Graffiti Is Vandalism Or Art?

The definition of art is notoriously difficult and is a field of philosophical inquiry as such. The meaning of the word "art" are multiple, sediment and cross each other in the language. Missing uses of the word are present in expressions and help to make the subject more that difficult. However, according to my studies, art is an expression, a symbolic way to communicate. Its key is to make something subject or scientific, for instance: an object that went through certain modification would be consider an art. We have a different type of arts but I will only be focusing on this tree types: prehistoric art, art of the ancient near east and art of ancient Egypt.

Graffiti is a controversial topic in some areas that would say that graffiti can’t be considered art. But how can’t it be considered art? Does the location or the message of the art make it any less art? How much do people even know about graffiti, which is judged upon so hard in today's era?

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

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”.

Graffiti is writing or drawings that are scribbled on walls or surfaces. But these drawings or code writings are illegally written or drawn on public properties of not their own. Lots of places that have odd or racist writing on public properties are known to be illegal drawings. A lot of known groups draw specific signs and codes to communicate to others or to claim properties that aren't theirs, to show intimidation and fear to others. Those groups are called gang graffiti. Gang graffiti accede violence to show preeminence of there such called territories.When gangs have indicated their neighborhood, anyone that's not part of their gang will have a higher chance of being attacked. An example occurred on April 6, 2016, fifteen-year-old high school player had a brutal bleeding due to not being in a gang.

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.

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.

Most people think of graffiti as vandalism or the defacing of private property by wild teenagers with spray cans. I had never really thought about graffiti or art for that matter until I found myself defending something I didn’t know about because I liked what I saw on the sidewalk in Memphis, Tennessee. Now, that’s sounds crazy but I did my best to explain using simple words that I hoped they would understanding.

In the 70s graffiti was just tags or small pictures but it quickly turned into and “art movement” (Eickmier). This means that the young and the old artist had finally found a way to express themselves and were spreading it around cities like wildfire. In other countries the amount of graffiti shock american tourists, it is seen as a good thing. “Instead of walls being used to separate people from each other, graffiti brings people together and keeps conversations going.” (Wark) Graffiti has value as art and it tells a story worth reading. (Wark) Most teens resort to graffiti as their last option, and most people see that as wrong, but it lets them express themselves in a really different

Since the late 1980s, various public and private-sector actors in the United States who do not write graffiti have practiced anonymity and sought fame to suppress and promote graffiti. Most non-writing public-sector actors have cracked down on graffiti as a criminal act that blights urban surfaces, while, in response, many non-writing private-sector actors have promoted graffiti as a profitable consumer good and art form. In the public sector, police officers and politicians in New York and then Chicago and Denver have prosecuted graffiti as the illegal vandalism of property walls and other surfaces; over time, police officers have learned to adapt plainclothes dress to patrol environments, capture writers, and destroy graffiti. In the private

Graffiti can be found everywhere and anywhere. It is a way for people to express themselves and be creative in a public manner. It shows how passionate and talented they can be when it comes to drawing or tagging and have it displayed as a piece of art for everyone to see. Graffiti goes way back to the ancient times and is now very well known in the modern days which makes more and more people interested and fascinated by them. It can be used in different types of ways. Many artists can either spray paint, carve, paste, or stencil them on a surface. From how we see them today they are usually images of random cartoons, big bubbly letters, vintage black and whites or inspirational quotes. Virtually anything colorful or not and big that can be easily spotted. Graffiti is more superior to be known as art than vandalism because it is a self expressing act. People need to be open minded about the images they see and look at the message behind it or else they will immediately criticize and say it is vandalizing property.

A teenager, about the age of 17 with green-dyed hair, ripped skinny jeans, a blue under armour tank top, and a tattoo of an American flag bursting in flames on his right bicep, is getting ready to spray-painting a picture of a banner that says, “Down with the Government” on an old brick wall. Scenes like this happen throughout America, but is art or vandalism? Graffiti is not art because it is illegal, destructive, and can be life-threatening.

Graffiti is a form of art involving writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall in public places. Graffiti has also existed back in the Roman Empire and Ancient Greek. During the time of the Catacombs of Rome, graffiti was known as inscriptions, figure drawing that were found on the walls of ancient sepulchers or ruins. The earliest forms of graffiti dated back to 30,000 BCE in the form of prehistoric cave paintings and pictographs using tools such as animal bones and pigments. These illustrations were often placed in ceremonial and sacred locations inside of the caves. In today’s society graffiti is a form of art that expresses underlying social and political messages and a whole

Art: the ultimate form of self expression. But, what constitutes an art? And, who decides? These very questions plague society as it tries to decide and define the official status of graffiti--art or vandalism? Because it has found its way into art galleries and because of the community of artists who challenge and inspire each other, graffiti should be considered art and as a way to express oneself.

Graffiti has put a major impact on the way people look at their everyday life. It was not used so much here in the United States but was used overseas. Overseas, graffiti, or street art, was used or played as a sport, just like baseball is Americas sport. There are different laws that are put over there than what there are here. They can get away with some of the things that they paint or make over there. If we tried some of that type of work over here, we would get in trouble and possibly serve time for vandalizing someone else’s property. There are many biased outlooks on graffiti, but it should be considered art in all places because of all the time, effort, and design the artist put into their work.