Banksy:

A Postmodern Graffiti & Stencil Artist?

 Bank of Banksy’s Literary Devices &
Aesthetic Techniques:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vP
KnsgHFD8qWoj5fLAkHZPlFGZoulcCUc
FWZXhVVw1E/edit
Banksy: Who is Banksy? What we know about the
anonymous graffiti artist

for independent study, first

1) read this article (Banksy: Who is Banksy? What we know about the anonymous graffiti artist)
then
2) answer these four questions about it:
a) What is the form (style) of Banksy’s artwork?
b) What is the content (global issues) of his work?
c) In what ways does Banksy challenge the conception of what art is?
d) What in this article links to our study of the intertextuality: connecting texts AOE?

Banksy: Who Is Banksy? What We Know about the Anonymous Graffiti Artist - CBBC Newsround.
www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/51504255.
Review on Modernity and Postmodernity from TOK:

Modernity
modern: associated with science as "progress"; there are universal truths to be discovered

(through science, for example

-associated with objectivity

ex's: science can solve social problems; medicine can create longer lives; Buddhism

takes precedence over Shinto (perhaps is an example)

Postmodernity:
there is no such thing as universal "progress"

-associated with subjectivity

ex's: history is not linear, just like evolution is not either--society does not progressively get "better")

-science has not solved social problems (why not?) but perhaps even exacerbated global inequality; lives are

longer with medicine but we live with more endemic diseases that threaten the quality of life, even in "rich"

countries; global fundamentalist religious sects rise in popularity (in all major religions)

-in the Human Sciences (like anthropology & sociology, for ex.) postmodernism amounts to the fact that we study

others from a highly biased perspective and therefore study more about our impact on the local population being

studied than objective facts about the people; it is more about self-reflexivity and understanding our ethical impact

on local populations than attempting to "objectively" study others

What does postmodernism in the arts look like?
What do we know already about postmodernism in the arts (from TOK class)?

-remember this:

Editorial, A., & Mann, J. (2017, May 09). How Duchamp's Urinal Changed Art
Forever. Retrieved June 27, 2020, from
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-duchamps-urinal-changed-art-foreve
r
What can we apply about our knowledge of
postmodernism in the arts to study the form (genre
and style) of Banksy?
-postmodernism questions reality and “progress”, and turns it upside down
(subverts), just like Banksy subverts not only the art world but also social roles
(rich vs. poor, soldier vs. little girl, snow represented as pollution)

-breaking all the rules and in the process encouraging you (“the people”) to do
the same

-subversive: changing, inverting the system, the establishment, the political power

-use of irony (visual sarcasm) and hyperbole (extreme exaggeration)

Betbeze, B., & Brittney Betbeze is a Blast staff writer. (2010, October 23). Banksy: A postmodern Pioneer.
Retrieved June 22, 2020, from https://blastmagazine.com/2010/05/15/banksy-a-postmodern-pioneer/
 Ban BBanksy” Banksy’s Irony & Dark
Sarcasm

Get our updates. Just subscribe. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2020, from
http://www.beyondberlin.com/en/blog/banksys-ironic-attacks-on-consumer-culture
What can we apply about our knowledge of
postmodernism in the arts to study the form (genre
and style) of Banksy?
-shocking, unidentifiable, responsive “to the now”, ever-changing, dynamic (as the art
is susceptible to change/being covered up by the authorities)

-satirical

Satire. (2020, May 07). Retrieved June 27, 2020, from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satire

-pranking the art establishment, subverting then by questioning what art is/should be
(illegal process, for example—“stretching the boundaries of genre and form”, for the
everyman!—critiquing the art and film industry themselves, not just society)

-mysterious identity (not about the artist so much as the art—Death of the Author
commentary?
Betbeze, B., & Brittney Betbeze is a Blast staff writer. (2010, October 23). Banksy: A postmodern Pioneer. Retrieved June 22,
What can we apply about our knowledge of
postmodernism in the arts to study the form (genre
and style) of Banksy?
-pastiche (what you popularly do in fine arts classes): “A pastiche is a work of
visual art, literature, theatre, or music that imitates the style or character of the
work of one or more other artists.[1] Unlike parody, pastiche celebrates, rather than
mocks, the work it imitates.[2]”

-both pastiche and parody are examples of intertextuality, our major

focus of study this unit! (see next slide)

-parody: as suggested above, mocks, or makes fun of, the work or idea it
references Pastiche. (2020, June 26). Retrieved June 27, 2020, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastiche
Reinforcement on Intertextuality (you have studied it in 1984 already)

“Intertextuality is the shaping of a text's meaning by another text. It is the interconnection between
similar or related works of literature that reflect and influence an audience's interpretation of the text.
Intertextuality is the relation between texts that are inflicted by means of quotations and allusion. [1]
Intertextual figures include: allusion, quotation, calque, plagiarism, translation, pastiche and parody.[2][3][4]
Intertextuality is a literary device that creates an 'interrelationship between texts' and generates
related understanding in separate works. [5] These references are made to influence the reader and
add layers of depth to a text, based on the readers' prior knowledge and understanding. The
structure of intertextuality in turn depends on the structure of influence. [6] Intertextuality is a literary
discourse strategy utilised by writers in novels, poetry, theatre and even in non-written texts (such as
performances and digital media). [7] Examples of intertextuality are an author's borrowing and
transformation of a prior text, and a reader's referencing of one text in reading another.”

Intertextuality. (2020, May 31). Retrieved June 27, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertextuality
Detournement Intertextual Technique
“A term coined by Guy Debord and the Situationist International (SI) movement of the 1960's,
Detournement is usually translated into English as ‘diversion’ and was the method of artistic creation
used by the situationists. It was, in effect, plagiarism where both the source and the meaning of the
original work was subverted to create a new work. In the SI’s own words "there is no Situationist art,
only Situationist uses of art." Detournement is distinct from ‘theft’ plagiarism, which only subverts the
source of the material and post-modern ‘ironic quotation’ plagiarism which only subverts the meaning
of the material, the source becoming the meaning. The SI used detournement in films, art, graphics
for their journal and in posters that detourned comics during the events of the Paris uprising of May
’68. Many Situationist ideas became 'popularised' further through the British Punk Rock explosion of
the 1970's. As a movement it cast a lengthy shadow over subsequent developments in music,
inspiring furious unresolved debates among hapless commentators over it's real legacy.”

Detournement. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2020, from

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Detournement
In Summary:
“Banksy’s aesthetic is almost textbook postmodernism – given the logic of his
work, it might not be a stretch to suggest his whole oeuvre represents a
postmodern parody of postmodernism itself. I did say “almost.” How Banksy’s
work departs from textbook postmodernism is in its plain-spoken populism and
its open public access. The jokes are almost never in-jokes, the ironies are
immediately grasped, the images are iconic, the themes and statements are
clearly political – addressing controversial issues and matters of public interest –
and the language is both direct and fiercely witty. ”

-both Orwell and Banksy are populists aiming to use language and
images to shock and move the readers to take political action
Banksy and the persistence of postmodernism. (2012, January 07). Retrieved June 22, 2020, from
https://academicalism.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/banksy-and-the-persistence-of-postmodernism/
How can we find out more?
Two great sources to know to understand how and why Banksy is perhaps the
ultimate postmodern artist:

1) Betbeze, B., & Brittney Betbeze is a Blast staff writer. (2010, October 23).
Banksy: A postmodern Pioneer. Retrieved June 22, 2020, from
https://blastmagazine.com/2010/05/15/banksy-a-postmodern-pioneer/

2) Banksy and the persistence of postmodernism. (2012, January 07). Retrieved

June 22, 2020, from
https://academicalism.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/banksy-and-the-persistenc
e-of-postmodernism/
How are these early Banksy works postmodern?

Please read this source:

Betbeze, B., & Brittney Betbeze is a Blast staff writer. (2010, October 23).
Banksy: A postmodern Pioneer. Retrieved June 22, 2020, from
https://blastmagazine.com/2010/05/15/banksy-a-postmodern-pioneer/

AND look at the 8 images

1) What global issues do you see?
2) What are all of the reasons the authors describe Banksy as postmodern (paraphrase in your
own words!)?
Let’s go through these 10 works of Banksy all together
and look for/discuss:
1) global issues
2) intertextual links
3) visual literary devices
4) effects

source:

Banksy Top 10 Murals in London: Banksy. (2019, November 24). Retrieved June
22, 2020, from
https://www.myartbroker.com/artist/banksy/banksy-top-10-murals-in-london/
Details of this
brilliant piece that
calls forth the
everyman trope
(working class
within all of us) can
be found here,
though there is only
one more piece that
is different from the
previous source):

10 Banksy Street Art

Pieces in London.
(n.d.). Retrieved July
01, 2020, from
https://www.widewalls.c
h/magazine/10-banksy-
street-artworks-in-londo
n
Rage, the
Flower
Thrower
ACTSS TIME:
A: Audience/Purpose – Who is
the author writing to and what is
the purpose of them doing so?

C: Content/Theme – What’s
actually in the text? Is there a
theme you can detect?

T: Tone/Mood – What is the

author’s tone? What kind of mood
is he/she writing about?

S: Style – What kind of style do

they write with? Formal, informal?
Iambic pentameter or blank verse?
Poetry or prose?

S: Structure – How does the

author structure the text? Is there
anything visually appealing?
Images? Diagrams?
Thesis:
For the purpose of
demonstrating how peaceful
revolution can demand
freedom Banksy chooses to
use symbolism,
juxtaposition, and masterful
visual perspective in his
relatively simple graffiti
stenciling that nonetheless
demands attention.
1) What symbolism do
you see?
Before Googling:

-the flowers are a symbol for

peace, whereas typically the
object a protester might throw
towards a police officer (cop) is
a rock, a bottle, a Molotov
cocktail, or even the tear gas
canister that the cops shot at
them back at the police

-the pre-coronavirus context of

the bandana is to not only
protect the identity of the
protester from police
identification but also to protect
against the tear gas and/or
pepper spray
-symbolizes the struggle
for freedom that is fought
in street battles (related
to the form of street art)
After Googling (and finding
this source with context):
Banksy's Rage, The Flower Thrower -
Everything you need to know. (2020, May
07). Retrieved July 01, 2020, from
https://publicdelivery.org/banksy-flower-th
rower/

-it was sprayed on a wall in

Palestine soon after a Gay
Pride Parade, therefore the
colorful flowers can be
emblematic of the struggle
for LGBTQI people, thus
adding complexity since it
most likely also includes the
intersectional struggle for
Palestinian human rights
and self determination in the
face of Israeli neo-colonial
aggression
2) What is juxtaposed and
why (for what effect)?
-color
-monochrome of the
black-stenciled “Black
Bloc” demonstrator (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=IBFeZ-P5Bmghttps://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=IBFeZ-P5Bmg
) juxtaposed by the
vibrant imagery of the
flowers to distinguish
between the lone
protester fighting for
freedom and the
flowers that the
peaceful ammunition
in his war for the
acceptance of love in
all of its forms

-juxtaposition inherent in
having to fight for peace
(conceptual juxtaposition, or
a paradox---playful vs.
serious tone is juxtaposed)
3) What kind of visual
perspective is it? How does
the image move your eye
across the image and why
do you think Banksy
wanted you to see it this
way?
-eye level perspective
humanizes the “violent” protester
so that we can empathize with
the anonymously masked man
(at least, I can assume they are
a male to compose the ‘m’
alliteration)

-the image demands that your

eye follows the pointed hand so
the action seems to be moving
from the kinetic energy inherent
in the flowers that will shortly be
launched in the direction of the
police
-since the flowers are
under the pointing index
finger the viewer's eye is
attracted up (together with
the wonder of what will
happen to the police) the
image piques the viewer's
curiosity and makes us
wonder what will happen
next...hopefully hope can
& will lead to freedom for
all
Obvious title...
ACTSS TIME:

A: Audience/Purpose – Who is the author writing to and

what is the purpose of them doing so?

C: Content/Theme – What’s actually in the text? Is there

a theme you can detect?

T: Tone/Mood – What is the author’s tone? What kind of

mood is he/she writing about?

S: Style – What kind of style do they write with? Formal,

informal? Iambic pentameter or blank verse? Poetry or
prose?

S: Structure – How does the author structure the text? Is

there anything visually appealing? Images? Diagrams?
Thesis:
For the playful purpose of exploring the
revolutionary potential of graffiti (and all art
inevitably) Banksy chooses to display graffiti
lettering and stencil art that uses intertextual
allusion full of symbolism, situational irony, and
juxtaposition.
You identify the evidence for my thesis
now...then of course explain the effects on the
viewer and link back to the thesis (purpose).

This source will further explain the specific

cultural context of production:

Banksy, 'If Graffiti Changed Anything',

London. (n.d.). Retrieved July 02, 2020,
from
https://unurth.com/Banksy-If-Graffiti-Chan
ged-Anything-Londo
n

***You have hella talent if you can identify the

physics link to sense perception in this work:)