Should Graffiti Ever be Considered Art?
Tiger graffiti by James Klinge in Glasgow, Scotland.
Before we can discuss graffiti, we need to define the word art. Google.com defines art as “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 has been a great debate in the art world for many years. Some people say that it’s vandalism, and some say that it’s art. Some countries even made graffiti illegal.
Art is such a huge world. If a baby scribbles random lines on the paper, that might be considered art. So debating whether an artist’s work is “art” or not is a complex discussion. In a lifestyle poll taken by yougov.co.uk, sixty-six percent of the British public think graffiti can be considered as art. In addition, cbsnews.com reported that there is little difference in opinion by gender; however, the young are far more likely to think that graffiti is art than their elders.
Graffiti appears to be one of the biggest topics in the art world right now. Banksy, a famous graffiti artist in England, is known for his street art. His work is usually found in random places and often considered vandalism. The reason people are attracted to his art is that it expresses his beliefs and often his criticisms, especially toward corruption in politics.
In my opinion, graffiti is art. For me, the definition of art is an expression of one’s opinions and their creative talents. It is wholly a visual example of an artist’s deep connection to his or her beliefs or thoughts. As humans, I believe we have been creating graffiti for over 5,000 years. For example, cave art was a form of graffiti. The Mayan culture developed a calendar carved on stone walls, which is another form of graffiti. We call those carvings art, don’t we?
Graffiti artists should also be careful about where the graffiti is drawn. Depending on the place the graffiti is drawn, it could be considered a crime or art. For example, if you do graffiti on a public wall or a beautiful statue, then it would be a crime because you are defacing another artist’s work or public property. If you draw on a wall in a parking lot or a train station, in order to decorate the place, it could be considered as art. Graffiti can also create a landmark. In Melbourne, Australia, where I lived for two years, there is a street that’s filled with graffiti. It looks messy because of the layers of all kinds of graffiti, but people still visit Melbourne just to see that artwork.
It also depends on the message the artist is trying to send by drawing the graffiti. If the graffiti contains a bad message, it might be a hate crime. Another interesting fact about graffiti is that you don’t have to go to a specific place to see it. It is everywhere in large cities. You see it whether you want to or not. If you saw negative graffiti on the street, would you be happy about it? If not, what could you do about it?
Because graffiti is such a controversial topic, The DiRectory interviewed some Rectory students for their opinions. Seventh-grader, Clement W., said, “Graffiti should definitely be considered art, no matter if it is vandalism or not. Art is a very diverse subject, and with all the art forms that we have nowadays, there is no reason why graffiti should not be considered art.” Ninth-grader, Rose F., said, “Graffiti is vandalism because some have a purpose or message, but others are just meaningless.”
Art is a big part of our lives; most schools in the U.S. teach art as one of their subjects. In my opinion, graffiti, the great debate in the art world, should be considered art. Some people even say that schools should teach graffiti as part of their art curriculum. So, what is your opinion?
My name is Eric S. I’m in 7th grade and 13 years old. I’m a boarding student in Lower Dining. This is my first year at Rectory School. I love reading...
Alex • Mar 12, 2020 at 1:27 pm
I think Graffit is considered art because its a way to express someones self if no one will listen. i do believe people should get some sort of permission but its a wonder topic to discuss
Eric Shin • Nov 10, 2019 at 11:45 am
Thank you for asking, Mr. Williams!
In my opinion, graffiti arts are usually done on any walls and most of the graffiti arts are done by spraying.
In contrast, murals are art that are done on walls that are made to be displayed. Mural artists usually use paints to paint on the wall, and it usually contains messages, but those messages are usually not from the artists.
Graffiti usually has the artist’s own opinion through it. For example, Bansky, a famous graffiti artist, does graffiti to express his own opinions. One of his art pieces, “Love,” is in the bin, expresses his opinion about ‘love’.
Mural artists also plan to draw on the wall and aim to fill out the whole wall. But graffiti artists usually don’t plan to do graffiti; they do it whenever they want to. This is just my opinion. Thank you for reading my article!
Eric Shin
Fred Williams • Nov 7, 2019 at 10:42 pm
Eric, Great article. You identify the important different perspectives on graffiti. I would agree that it is art done in the right setting. Regardless of the quality of the graffiti, if the artist paints on private property without the owner’s permission, or even on public property without some permission, that crosses that line for me. I do think graffiti can really beautify city walls and cityscapes in particular. Montreal actually has a festival each year where artists create huge murals on exterior walls. That brings up a question for me: what’s the difference between a mural and graffiti?
adviser • Nov 9, 2019 at 3:43 pm
Great question, Mr. Williams! Upon Googling it, I learned that a mural is basically the same as graffiti, but graffiti has a negative connotation because it is usually done illicitly, meaning without approval by the owner of the public space where it was drawn. A mural, on the other hand, though, it, too, can be drawn on a public wall, is done with the approval of the owner. Thus, murals have a positive connotation. The editors of “The DiRectory” also do NOT condone illicit wall art (aka graffiti). Though many graffiti artists are very talented, we agree with Mr. Williams that artists should always get prior approval to use the space where they display their art. Mrs. Shattuck