Artistic
American painter Gramma Moses said "If I didn't start painting, I would have raised chickens." Aspiring chicken farmers, shoo! At Artistic, amateur artists showcase their artwork, seek and share constructive criticism, and swap tips for improving your artistic prowess.
What is art? What is inspiration? What gets you inspired? Figure it out this week, meet the new columnist, and most importantly, get inspired!
Graffiti as Art?
History of Graffiti
Graffiti itself, which just means words or drawings scratched or scribbled on a wall, has been around for ages, but what most of us think of as Graffiti, spray painted images on public property, has only been around since about the 1960's. Spray-painted images first began appearing in New York as scribbled names, but they have evolved into what many think of as an art form. Graffiti was, and to this day, is not accepted by mainstream society as it is seen as destruction of property and vandalism. Many people also associate Graffiti with gang activity, as many gangs in big cities would use graffiti to mark their gang's "turf" to warn members of other gang's.
There are several "types" of Graffiti, such as rude slurs, individual "tags" (writing one's own name or nickname in fancy lettering), gang symbols, and murals of art. Although the latter three are unacceptable and should not be allowed, there is something to be said about the last type of Graffiti. Are actual works of art on public property so bad? This is a question you will have to ask yourself.
There are several "types" of Graffiti, such as rude slurs, individual "tags" (writing one's own name or nickname in fancy lettering), gang symbols, and murals of art. Although the latter three are unacceptable and should not be allowed, there is something to be said about the last type of Graffiti. Are actual works of art on public property so bad? This is a question you will have to ask yourself.
Both!
Well I think graffiti is art, and vandalism! I agree it probably isn't the nicest thing to do to public property, but there is so much amazing stuff to see when artistic people paint graffiti. So I say, as long as it isn't too lewd or distasteful, what's the harm!
Kayla's comment: I agree with Brown Eyes, I think Graffiti is both Art and Vandalism. I know that graffiti is technically destruction of public property and is, therefore, illegal, but I also believe that some of the images created by graffiti artists are beautiful and unique! First, let's learn a little about modern day Graffiti in order to help us determine whether it is artwork or a crime.