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Have you ever seen graffiti? If you had, it must not in a museum or an art
show. When the word graffiti came across your mind, you must be thinking of the
colourful, provocative, illegal "eyesore" that make a wall as its canvas. It is actually a
blast of creativity expressed through colours and filled with feelings, unexpressed
voice. To have a better understanding about graffiti, one must know the difference
between street art and vandalism. The difference lies in the intention. Banksys graffiti
are full with meaning while a drawing of vulgar words in a toilet stall is vandalism.
Why graffiti can be considered as both of art and vandalism? Here are a few reasons
why.
Art is defined as (according to Oxford dictionary): The expression or
application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as
painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or
emotional power. Graffiti is in visual form and applied the creative skill in its creation.
So, literally graffiti is an art. To be precise, graffiti is a street art. Graffiti should be
looked at as any other expression of creative skills in visual form. Gregory J. Snyder
(2011), said that in its purest form, graffiti is a democratic art form that revels in the
American Dream.
There are many artists who evoke feelings of anger, disgust, and negativity.
For their critics, their expressions are vulgar and the critics cannot understand the
meaning behind the work. While graffiti has historically been regarded as vandalism,
many could justify that other works of art are vandalism of culture, race, or morality.
Therefore, art should be defined by the mind of the creator, not society. So does
graffiti. It is a way for the creator to express his mind, emotions and view. George C.
Stowers (2008) wrote that based on aesthetic criteria, graffiti has to be considered an
art form. He makes a distinction between simple tags and more complicated pieces,
stating that tags have little aesthetic appeal and probably should not be considered
art. However, larger pieces require planning and imagination and contain artistic
elements like colour and composition. Stowers provides the example of wildstyle, or
the calligraphic writing style of interlocking letters typical of graffiti, to show the extent
of artistic elements that are present in these works.
Graffiti also inflict financial loss. Property owners incur tremendous expense
in removing graffiti. Business owners incur a loss of customers from the negative
image that graffiti generates. They also may incur devalued property. The taxpayers'
money is spent removing graffiti from public buildings, monuments and park
structures. All of these impacts really make graffiti as a cancer of the society. "Graffiti
contributes to lost revenue associated with reduced ridership on transit systems,
reduced retail sales and declines in property value. In addition, graffiti generates the
perception of blight and heightens fear of gang activity" reports the U.S. Department
of Justice. This statement indicates that graffiti is considered as a threat to the
society.
The conclusion is, graffiti is an art and also a vandalism act. From the context
itself, its intention and its message, it is crystal clear that graffiti can be considered as
beautiful and meaningful street art. Yes, graffiti is an art form, but like any other art
form, it can be misused and abused. If so, then it will be an art form used for the
wrong purposes. For example when it is being done without publicity consent,
promoting rebellion and inflicting a big financial loss, graffiti is nothing more than a
despised act of vandalism and a tumour for society.