Graffiti as an art form - Essay Example

GRAFFITI INTRODUCTION When one thinks about various art forms it turns about to be quite astonishing how art has transformed itself during the ages. One of the major transformations in the field of art is how it has spread beyond the boundaries of galleries to streets and urban areas. Graffiti is an art form which was not primarily accepted in the past but since the change to street art it has turned into a positive reinforcement and an essential form art although it has faced numerous criticism. Street art an important form of art: Street art or graffiti is a form of art that has a very broad canvas. It is basically a model of that portrays the hybridization of various forms of art in this universal visual culture. This form of art is not represented through any movement, theory or reasoning but is a result of the actual practices done by various street artists that has resulted in a modern genre of art. Majority of the artist that link themselves to this modern and urban form of art do not think of themselves to be as graffiti or street artist but believe that the city is their natural workspace and are apparently those artist who want art to grow far beyond the boundaries of an art gallery to the city walls making it their natural setting for work. This form of art is an amalgamation of various modern techniques that involve the use of internet and other resources to generate art which is a combination of the images, text, styles, methods and other means. This form of art has its own identity which is quite distinct from any other form of art. This form of art started on its own but now is an integral component in the art of any city although it faced immense difficulty to grow and flourish. Criticism and conservatism: Graffiti is a medium of expression although it does not derive from any art form or movement; it still contains a prominent language in itself that is used to communicate on a global platform. During the period of time graffiti transformed itself to street art, which contains various murals and abstract designs that contribute to modern art. This form of art although is extremely popular but has always been a victim of constant pressure by many external and internal forces. Street art being a form of art shows affinity for public spaces to express and provide opportunities to socialize in a place where only opportunities are given to those things that help in generating revenue resulting in suppression of talent Precedence of street art over graffiti: The reason why graffiti is not accepted is due to various reasons; one of the most prominent reasons is graffiti's association with criminology. Today a form of graffiti is used by various criminals and gangsters in which they condense the letters and form their own nicknames which are then painted on various locations like walls, shutters, parks, trucks, bars etc. which not only damage the beauty of the city as well as spread terrorism. This is done in order to gain popularity and recognition amongst the masses and is commonly known as "tagger graffiti" or "tag graffiti". This causes people to develop a wrong approach of street art and graffiti. Usually tag graffiti is mostly seen by the people and eventually they associate all forms of graffiti with it resulting in development of wrong approach. On the contrary street art is not just about tag graffiti but has its own dimensions and aesthetics. It is a way positive way to express art on a vast canvas and is basically a result of various institutional areas and disciplines intersecting to result in spreading awareness through a medium that is visually appealing. This form of art usually highlights those areas or questions the usage of space to beautify. It speaks the language of the people, their concerns, and their preference through the medium of revolutionizing contemporary art . It needs to be realized here that "street art is constructive, graffiti tagging is destructive." (Graffiti action) Street art a positive reinforcement: It is quite saddening that graffiti although being a form of art that has its own charm and essence has faced great difficulty to grow. Some skeptics believe that is a way to deface and deconstruct societies in recent times which is a fairly wrong approach as it can act as a positive reinforcement to the modern societies. Sadly today the importance of this form of art is not accepted by many countries in the world. In New York graffiti artist are banned to draw or paint on walls, building, public/private properties and are fined for doing do. They are not even allowed to possess instruments which are used to graffiti. This is not only demoralizing them but is also suppressing a magnificent form of art by considering it to be vandalism. Graffiti is not a crime that today it is considered to be illegal by the masses but is a skill which only few can master and shouldn't be suppressed under any circumstances. Those states which consider it to be illegal as it damages property or public space should provide them with spaces where they can practice their art and gain recognition and appreciation for their work. Street art is all about giving to the society through various means be it aggression, sympathy, love, beauty, innovation all are executed through art and as a result of empathizing with their city. Today it has been observed that governments spend huge amount of money on theme parks or public places to add on tourist attractions. Hence if the same amount of money is spent on to allocate places to graffiti artist to execute their skills then not only it will help to generate revenue by adding on tourist attractions but it will also result in beautification of sites in a more productive manner and will not suppress the talent of graffiti artists. CONCLUSION In a nutshell,graffiti and street art are two similar art forms that are derived from each other. This form of art is not a result of any theory or movement but was a response to oppression and the need to express them on a very large and diversified platform. These graffiti artist faced immense difficulty to propagate their art and are still struggling to do so. Despite this importance of street art and graffiti the regimes fail to understand their importance and hence suppress this amazingform of art. A lot needs to be done now in order to establish the significance of this art form. Works cited: "What's the difference between Street Art and Graffiti Tagging? - GraffitiActionHero.org."GraffitiActionHero.org - Graffiti Action.N.p., n.d. Web. 5 July 2013. . Read More