Graffiti+as+art

Graffiti as Art (n.d.) //Retrieved from// Graffiti: Art through vandalism: @http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall07/Sanchez/art.html

Anyone walking around a city has seen the colorful, provocative, illegal "eyesore" that is graffiti. Although many consider the spray-painted pieces a nuisance, graffiti has been getting more and more recognition from the art world as a real form of art.

When most people __think__ of graffiti, they imagine "tags," or a stylized writing of a person's name. __While__ tags are probably the most popular forms, graffiti art is much more than that. It can mean a colorful mural with a message of diversity or a black and white stencil piece protesting police brutality. In each __case__, graffiti art says something.

George C. Stowers wrote that based on aesthetic criteria, graffiti has to be considered an art form. He makes a __distinction__ between simple tags, which don’t have aesthetic appeal and probably should not be considered art, and more complicated pieces. These larger pieces require planning and imagination and __contain__ artistic elements like color and composition. Stowers provides the __example__ of wildstyle, or the calligraphic writing style of interlocking letters typical of graffiti, to show the artistic elements that these works have.
 * Aesthetics **

 "Wildstyle changes with each artist's interpretation of the alphabet, but it also relies on, for example, the use of primary colors, fading, foreground and background, to create these letters," he writes. The artist's intention is to produce a work of art, and that must be taken into __account__ when considering street art's legitimacy.

Stowers explains that graffiti cannot be disregarded because of where it is carried out and because it is illegal. The way in which graffiti art is done is the only thing that should decides if it should be considered as art or not.


 * A Nod from the Art Crowd **

People are used to seeing graffiti art in public spaces, __after__ all, that's what makes it graffiti. However, after years of gaining recognition by the art community, graffiti art has been shown in various galleries in New York and London, and artists are often asked to do legal murals and other work for art shows.

One of the most famous graffiti artists, Banksy, has had his work shown in galleries __such__ as Sotheby's in London. Despite his anonymity, the British artist has gained tremendous popularity. Celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have purchased his work for a hefty price.

Recognition by the art world and inclusion in galleries and auctions is one __way__ that graffiti art is legitimized as "real" art. In addition, this exposure has helped the graffiti movement to become launched into the rest of the world.


 * A Style All Its Own **

Like all other artistic forms, graffiti has experienced movements or changes in style. From the first tag scribbled on a subway train to the large, complex mural on a billboard, the movement has experienced change. The tools and the means have changed as well. Markers were traded in for spray paint, and stencils and stickers were introduced to make pieces easier to finish in a hurry.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The messages have also evolved. Graffiti has always been somewhat political, but it has come a long __way__ from simply tagging one's name to making fun of world leaders to make a statement.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This is further __proof__ that graffiti is a form of art and not just a result of random acts of vandalism. The graffiti community moves in different directions and the resultant artwork moves with it.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Useful phrases