Banksy Practice
Instructions: Analyze the 2010 San Francisco street art images on the next page. In your groups, record
specific examples from the text for each key feature in the table below. Be descriptive and consider: how do
these elements contribute to the purpose of the art?
Key Feature
Social commentary: Many graffiti artists aim to
make a political statement with their work.
Guerrilla art: Artists often integrate pre-existing
physical objects and public space into their work to
help create meaning. Guerrilla art blurs the external
boundaries of the artwork.
Situational Irony: Like political cartoons, street art
often uses irony. By integrating physical space into
art, graffiti artists can create situational irony as
well.
Icons and symbols: Street art communicates
succinctly through the use of icons and symbols.
Icons are images that look like the concepts they
represent. Symbols are like signs that we have been
taught to read.
Stencil: Street art needs to be made quickly, to
avoid being caught by the police. Stencils and spray
paint are effective tools for this reason. It also allows
the artist to replicate the work easily.
Trompe L’oeil: This French phrase for ‘deceive the
eye’ is used with reference to two-dimensional art
that gives the viewer a three-dimensional
impression. Many street artists use trompe l’oeil.
Examples from Text
The political statement trying to be made with this
is to respect Native Americans and their land. Today,
much of the land we are on is Native American land
that just got taken away from them. They are
people who also need places to live.
Something pre-existing that was incorporated into
the art is the “No Trespassing” sign. It looks as if the
person is holding a sign, telling them not to trespass.
I think that there is irony in the fact that the land the
building is on is probably Native American land that
got stolen.
I think that this is trying to represent that Native
Americans are having their land trespassed on.
People are using it for themselves, and not even
considering that people live there.
There aren’t really any uses for stencils that I can
see. It looks like it was all free hand. If there were
stencils, it might have been the graffiti that was
there before.
There is a line coming down from the no trespassing
sign, I can’t tell if it was painted on or pre-existing,
but it gives the effect that it is 3D. It is the fact that it
goes over the word behind.