Graffiti: Art or Vandalism?

[SwiftOrgasm]

I bomb big ass corporations. not small businesses or houses.

[Loreleila]

@SwiftOrgasm Sounds reasonable. Are you any good?

[SilentWalk18]

Most of it is just some giberish shit.

[MIZFITJJ]

graffiti is art!! u said it ur self that there are many artist that are really good and its done on the streets cuz its the best way to publish ur art and express urself!! its not different from all the advertising we see every day, everywhere! .... if I go pass a wall full of papers I wont even look at it but if I see a painting that for sure Im gonna stop and analyze it >>advertising should be illegal too!

[Loreleila]

@MIZFITJJ I quite agree with you. In fact I think grafitti is far more art than advertising.

[psyclone253]

only a couple of those pics were graff. If you look at a piece and can't tell that it's art you are an idiot!

[crazynoob3]

graffiti is art. I can name so many graffiti artists more than the amount of painters etc. lets see. Graffiti: Banksy, Blest, Buk 50, Lune, Nerve, Bird, Stone, Nero etc etc... Art on paper: Vincent Van Gogh, Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, ummmm....

[diehard430]

its not vandalism. people arent gonna waste there time for years and years they spend shit loads of money and time and people think thats vandalism? graffiti isnt even bad or does anything its art world. take a look at cig's

[GraffitiMaie]

100% ART GRAFFITI IS ART ISN'T VANDALISM!

[sirnubenegra]

is it so wrong to do all this on canvas?

[Loreleila]

@sirnubenegra No. But is it right to confine it to canvas?

[sirnubenegra]

@Loreleila what? that is what i implied. the art of vandalism is insulting and disrespctfull. it's as bad as advertising on public places.

[Loreleila]

@sirnubenegra I don't agree with you.

[diehard430]

i hate when they say u gotta buff ur wall when u payed for a mural

fuckin hate the government

[Jadabh3]

A can of worms this subject. Very quickly becomes about free will and governance and and and. I believe people who have a blanket objection to it are simplifying somewhat. Their objection may be substantiated by "The Broken Window Theory" which is illustrated most succinctly I can think of in Bosch's Garden Of Earthly Delights. Point being, allow a transgression and chaos reigns. Personally I like it as an individual protest to corporate slogans intruding on people, thus long may it continue.

[Loreleila]

The question is, who is in a position to define transgression? Must we hand over that choice to others in order to avoid chaos, or is that in itself a chaos all its own?

[Jadabh3]

Their is a constant battle between individualism and collective responsibility Freud said. In which case on this subject I'd say a blanket objection is missing the point somewhat as some graffiti is making the point of that collective idea. Handing over individualism to a collective seems a necessary unfortunately for no one person is irrefutable. In the mould democracy is right now it certainly is warped... but the idea I agree with... in a way. Can of worms :)

[Giradius]

Technically, the Mona Lisa is vandalism of a perfectly good piece of canvas, however because DaVinci owned the canvas it was OK.

You wouldn't let a stranger come and decorate your house without permission, nor would you allow a stranger to landscape your garden,why is it acceptable to allow unsolicited strangers, whose portfolio you have not seen, to decorate your outdoor urban environment.

This question epitomizes the nature of subjectivity in art, art/vandalism is different for us all.

[Jadabh3]

As a protest to corporations doing exactly what you describe I think it has value.

[Giradius]

The problem is that graffiti is unsolicited!

Like telemarketing, you don't mind talking to a call centre if YOU phoned THEM, in that situation it was your choice.

When someone daubs what they consider to be "art" all over a public wall, it is intrusive and unsolicited.

If you owned a stationers, you would object if somebody came in and took all your paper and started drawing on it, graffiti is the same.

As a valid artistic style, in a gallery or on property owned by the artist? sure.

[Loreleila]

Your argument seems based upon the notion that ownership is absolute which I'm not sure it is. And the state, the government and big business do many things the majority do not want and have not sanctioned, in publicly owned places. Is that vandalism?

But yes, art and the appreciation of it is almost entirely subjective, though the tendency to like what is popular does seem prevalent.

[smartbluecat]

I myself have partaken in a bit of graffiti over the years... my girlfriend and I would find a good blank spot somewhere out of the way and go to town at 5am creating big murals in run down areas. We'd sometimes do art in chalk on the giant concrete counterweights used by cranes, a few days later they were gone, washed away by the rain but we used to revisit and watch people's reactions to what we'd made... it was generally very positive. Check out Banksy for some wonderful street art.

:o)

G

[Loreleila]

Do you have any photos? How did it feel to see your work and that no one knew it was yours? :)

[smartbluecat]

I have one or two photos - I don't think I'll ever post them. The anonymity was fantastic! Doing it was the real rush but seeing other peoples honest reactions was very cool. We only went back once or twice on each piece... it's nice knowing it's really there. I've done a few sand sculptures(giant croc crawling out of the sea, crashed dragon on the beach,etc) and the feeling's the same sitting at a distance and watching people discover it before leaving it forever. It's a buzz.

:o)

G

[phekwig]

Art is in the eye of the beholder... I would consider these murals to be art, but illegible scribbles are not art in my opinion...

[Loreleila]

I would generally agree with you. Though the odd bit of scribble can sometimes be art. Is art always intentionally artful? But that's a whole different question.

[fehquig]

Assuming that all of it is art, there's good art and there's bad art, what's good and bad is subjective and varies with the opinions of the ones who observe or experience it... Better? :)

[Loreleila]

Oh much better. Only now my brain hurts. :P

[Setiancircus]

It is a fusion of art and poetic terrorism. We should not be "cleaning it up" but putting more poetic terrorists out on the streets. Give them free art supplies. State supported poetic terrorism. Art should always be slightly devious. *Insert diabolic laughter here*

[Loreleila]

Hmm, state funded terrorism seems slightly oxymoronic. But that in itself is mightily pleasing. :)

[Loreleila]

Well said. It's the tension that makes it art, or in part at least.

[TandLindustrys]

i think the kid scribble is vandalism but the imagery is very good near where my parents live theres a betty boop with that airbrush touch which everyone likes although recently had letters about communitys getting togetrher to remove them so dont know if its still there

[Loreleila]

I really don't understand why people want to get rid of even the striking and artful ones. Maybe they need everything to be policed or organised in order for it to be ok.

[Barklord]

caught this through mr regratex. i love graffiti! youtube could be a form of graffiti

[Loreleila]

It's a good analogy (or whatever it is). With YT constantly trying to paint us over. lol

[Barklord]

yeah. lol. they keep taking vids down and we keep putting them back up. :)

[regratex]

young people like to spray paint on buildings

old people like to moan on talk radio

[Loreleila]

That about sums it up.

[lapislazuline]

no no no! that does not sum it up at all! it,s

a stupid pea-brained statement to imply

that once people grow old they lose their

spark and can only express themselves

by moaning on radio shows...shame on

you Reg Ratex you fat bastard

[Loreleila]

I do love you sometimes. :)

[czarwright]

Love the art but do have a problem with the thing called tagging. chaos in the cities doesn't need more of it in who was here. i do enjoy the ones who take their time to share a view or an escape from reality.

Artful ones are worth sharing =)

[Loreleila]

I love the artful ones. :)

[IChoseTheRedPill]

most of it was really quite beautiful... thanks for sharing this with us...

take good care and peaCe2U...

[Loreleila]

:) Thanks, you too.

[Mrwrinkleintime]

... I have to admit that I have carved my name into a few trees over the years but only off the trail where only I could see them,,, Would not do so to a tree in someones yard... Like many others here, love the GOOD ART, DETEST TAGS !!!

[Loreleila]

That does seem to be the emerging theme. Maybe there should be a real distinction between them in terms of definition.

I wonder how the trees felt....

[Mrwrinkleintime]

.... They loved it,,, They were begging for it... :) ... Now in all their forest they are special,, Now about the young ones that I cut down and make walking canes out of... Not so sure... :O

[Kabuki0009]

I agree completely, some of what is called graffiti is in fact great art *****stars; )

[Loreleila]

:-)

[owheydusoapsk]

I had someone "graffitti" the side of a truck i owned. So I'm a bit jaded on the topic. I support the institution of Sharia Law calling for the chopping-off of hands. Then for a second offense I think the penalties should become more Draconian.

[Loreleila]

lol I must remember not to paint on your truck. :P There was a truck around where I used to live where the owner had had the most beautiful and striking art put on it himself. Thyat seemed like a good idea to me.

[philipsmovies]

I think if it is in good taste and in the right place it's fine. To a similar degree, i find strobe lighting on tv etc absolutely horrendous and irritating.

[Loreleila]

I wonder how one might define a 'right place' though?

[wolffenhaus]

I just like it. it scares me sometimes but my most prominent feeling is : this makes me feel better-grafitti. Even the worst subway musicians ever make me feel the absurdity and the humor of city life.

[Loreleila]

I agree. It's vibrant and takes us away from the limiting corporate structures we're forced to deal with, which is in many ways far more offensive.

[Projoiner1]

Cut me off mid thought .....

Was going to say i have spent to many hours to count washing crappy tags off my building and delivery truck, incredible waste of time.

If the effort went into the art on my building, like in this video, i would leave it standing.

Still think it's pretty easy to ask if the back wall of a building can be painted.

Although, for those doing the painting, maybe the lack of rules is a large part of the point.

As with most discussions about art, debate continues

[Loreleila]

I can see that asking would be reasonable, but also that in some ways it defeats the object of the thing. It's beginning to become apparent it's the tags which are the real nuisance, not graffiti in the truest sense, just childish rebellion and a desire to have some kind of impact.

[Projoiner1]

Agreed .....thanks for posting

[Projoiner1]

I think that Graffiti in outdoor (or indoor) galleries makes sense, and i find most is great to look at.

But when sprayed without permission from the surfaces owner it becomes vandlism to me.

Can't c

[Boucrate]

..Make my world in the city an endless comix book lol!

..Can stand Tags;(

But love Graffiti Art!

There's some cool spot in montréal where Artist practice their art, but there's always Taggers to scribble over them...What's the point?

Cool video and you really got a fine collection of them beauties!

[Loreleila]

Taggers are the ones who wreck it for all, I can see. The fact they even scrawl over the beautiiful works of others shows how little respect they have for anyone.

[hellavadeal]

graffiti has been around sence man learned to draw on cave walls. It won't go away. It is the gang marks and volgar stuff that I think should be errased not the expresive stuff.

[Loreleila]

Yes, imagine if there were some officious cave men removing all those wall paintings. Just how much we'd have lost. The gang marks are the ones. the 'I woz here' stuff which needs to be stopped I guess.

[theqmogvlogs]

lousy, scrawled graffiti is a nuisance but most is beautiful art, and often it is the most accessible, most honest reflection of society, human nature and such that exists.

[Loreleila]

Indeed. The problem is the scribblers seem to feel they have the same rights as the artists. How might one define which is which and have them accept it?

[VisionGhostPoet]

The locals and counsels are missing a vital option here; why not setup a local art group, put graffiti boards in place for the artistic persons/graffiests' to do their thing and then sell on the works to raise money for charity and/or local needs. That way everyone benefits! It makes sense to me!

[popebenadict16]

probably because it takes half the reason away for doing it.

[VisionGhostPoet]

That's were education and the installment of value for these youngsters can defeat that mind set.

[Loreleila]

It's a difficult line to find. I totally understand the need for freedom of expression as an artisit. The freedom to be able to choose where you might paint it is a nice thought, but not always practicable. There are others to take into consideration.