An expression or application of creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as a painting or subculture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. (Oxford, 2012).
As the years have passed Art has come to include expanding subgenres including architecture, murals and memorials (Newspaper Association of America, 2001). However, since the booming of Hip Hop culture, graffiti has also been acknowledged as a form of art in popular culture. “Pop Culture” is a term that includes society’s current collective preferences in music, film, sports, recreation, jokes, fashion and advertising (The Museum of Contemporary Art, 1990). Considering the effects of the international technological revolution
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As they differ in terms of technique, function and intent, there are still few similarities that are drawn between the two. Although one is subversive and the other is not, it is the one that is, that is most in question.
A defining difference is that street art does not directly emerge from Hip Hop in contrast, graffiti does. Graffiti is not only an art form it is highly recognized as a cultural movement that has spread across the globe as a sub-genre of Hip Hop (Blanchard. B, 1999) Street artists are sometimes seen as middle class gallery artists that curate their work on the street whereas graffiti is not. An example of this is a mural being painted outside a museum perhaps.
In contrast graffiti artists are more interested in presenting a statement in the spontaneity and minimalism of their work. Graffiti artists are also seen as being more invested in the art on a more personal level; by nature it rejects the concept of commissions. The culture of street art and graffiti has been threatened by the blurring of the lines within art and has caused underlying discourses in the public art community (Province of Western Cape: Provincial Gazette,
In Style Wars, there was a scene where it showed that it was traditional for old taggers to pass down graffiti from generation to generation through oral communication; they are expressing these ideas in graffiti in only one expression since it’s the same individuality passed down. This is a representation of how hip hop was folk since everything was oral, and only people within the local community knew the statement that was expressed; there was also only one way of interpreting an idea as well. There was limited diffusion because they could only diffuse these ideas through bombing, which didn’t diffuse the ideas extremely far. Fast forward to now, with one statement comes many different statements evolving from that one statement that is individual to them; any expression can influence other expressions creating numerous interpretations. The reason why there are more expressed ways is because more people know about the hip hop ideas through mass media and extensive diffusion. This shows the transition into pop culture by having hip hop culture at a global scale since any popular idea is rapidly diffused-ex. in a matter of hours, there could be a version of a song that was just published that expresses their own individuality. Hip hop culture has changed from being a folk culture only some knew of to something anyone around the world can express in their own different
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”.
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.
With means to express oneself, helps one overcome the difficulties of life. This approach represents the entire nature of the hip hop culture, especially when dealing with social justice issues. Today, the hip hop culture association revolves around raps (lyrics) and the rappers which reflect how consumers receive messages about social justice issues. Unlike breaking and graffiti, the music/lyrics penetrate society more. However, for this analysis, the focus will rely on a visual element with a connection to hip hop music. Even though a music video would make sense as a visual means of expression, this analysis has more interest in the cover art that goes with a hip hop album. Also, this focus will lead to the question of how important is art
Is graffiti seen as vandalism or a notable art that is used to voice the opinion of many artists? Many are quick to conclude that graffiti is an act of defacing public property, but few are in understanding of what real graffiti is. Graffiti is defined as art that is displayed or created in public spaces. So this presents the question of why some critics believe that graffiti should not be classified as a real subcategory of art. Below is the explanation as to why graffiti needs to be considered among the most prestigious and notable art forms.
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.
The cutting edge of the public art development, connected with the hip-hop society of breakdancing and rap music, began with African-American and Latino teenagers in Philadelphia and New York in the late 1960s (MacDonald 1). At that time graffiti to most, was considered to be a form of art work. Regardless of those that thought of it as art, there were and are still numerous individuals that loathe the graffiti movement. Works of art have been dependably charming for ages, as it is a method for self-expression and inventiveness. Artistic expressions have advanced in many ways, such as public canvases offering an approach to modern day unique artwork. Graffiti is progressively turning into a hobby. Although one of the major controversies of graffiti surround the statement that it is not art and considered vandalism, graffiti allow artists to display grateful meanings, skills and expressions to the public.
Graffiti portrays a message whether it’s spelled out on the concrete or hidden behind a sort of code. It lets unheard voices, be heard. There are many different forms of graffiti, tagging is the form of street art that most often results in consequences (Eickmier). This is because tagging is basically signing your nickname on a wall, and once the police figure out your pseudonym they will most likely find you. Graffiti is not always considered to be ugly though, some artists work actually ends up in museums (Wark) A manchester artist who goes by the name “Banksy” ultimately avoided jail because his work was deemed “artistic” He was later given an opportunity to showcase his work in a museum. Graffiti does not
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.
My favorite character was Iz the Wiz who said during the documentary,”A lot of trains, a lot of fun, a lot of art. Art that's gonna be part of New York City's history forever.” Which made think that graffiti is not vandalism but a form of expression that people use in a creative style of art. People always having such a negative connotation when it comes to the word graffiti always assuming it involves gangs and delinquents. Overall how New York and the MTA handled the situation with the outbreak of graffiti was harsh because it stopped the creativeness of the graffiti artist but it gave them more motivation to give New York city more life and color. One aspect I learned about the movie was the technical term of being called “tagging” and how
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
This negative shadow on the art form of graffiti has caused the decline of the graffiti movement. As many have predicted, “graffiti may eventually disappear” (“The Writing's on the Wall; Graffiti”). Graffiti has already begun to dwindle from what was once a flourishing art movement, to an almost disesteemed hobby. However, a soiled reputation is not the only culprit in the murder of authentic graffiti. The occupation of the current generation with technology and social media has caused many artists to focus solely on selling their work and gaining attention through social networking platforms. Another, perhaps more common, reason for the decline is the improvement of police work and punishments for those indulging in the illegal form of graffiti (“The Writing's on the Wall; Graffiti”). Because of this decline in authentic and prohibited graffiti, artists have channeled their work into new forms and established their own artistic community.
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.
Popular culture is generally believed to be comprised of a variety of elements. For example, popular culture covers the most contemporary and instant aspects of our lives. These aspects can often show the characteristics of rapid change, especially in today’s highly technological and informative world in which, people are highly influenced by the universal media. Certain standards of behaviour and common beliefs are reflected in pop culture. Because of its cohesion, pop culture both influences and reflects people’s daily life. Moreover, brands can reach iconic pop status. However, these aspects are not constant and may change rapidly. (Abbott and Sapsford, 1987).