I believe that graffiti becomes art when the person looking at it believes that it is art. People express their feelings through graffiti and for them it is an art form, not a crime. Others think it`s like writing on a meaningless wall behind it and don`t consider it an art form. People have different tastes and their own opinions about what makes something art. A person who experiments and sees graffiti will decide when it becomes art. Therefore, I believe it depends on the perspective on graffiti to decide whether it is an art form or not. Cities should strive to create and maintain legal places where emerging artists who want to stay safe can work and paint. The explosion of art that adorns 5Pointz has brought tourists to the area and international recognition. It`s easy to draw the line legally for both, because it all comes down to permission. If you don`t have permission to write or paint, it`s a crime. The law does not distinguish between a painting of Rembrandt`s calibre and a deliberate act of vandalism. Unlike those who see graffiti as a crime and vandalism, many see it as a form of art and freedom of expression. For her, there is no question when graffiti becomes art, because in her eyes it has always been art.
In the movie Style Wars, graffiti artists see graffiti as a way to express who they are and hope to inspire others with it. The street walls are their canvas and it is a place where they can show their talent and style for the world. People who enjoy graffiti also see it as a skill used to convey a strong and relevant message. In the Encyclopedia of American Folklife entry on “graffiti,” author Sylvia Grider mentions that graffiti is “current and responds to current events, political trends, and local issues” (424). Walls with graffiti can solve the problems the public faces. Graffiti artists use graffiti as a means of expression for society. And yet, modern graffiti is widely recognized as an art. It has been exhibited in museums and art galleries around the world since its inception. From a graffiti artist`s perspective, the debate about whether graffiti is art or crime is pointless because, ideally, it`s both. In the graffiti community, a writer cannot achieve status based solely on his artistic abilities. The writer must also be willing to work outside the law and take a big risk.
The movement – which I have been documenting in New York for over 30 years – was founded on this principle and defines its essence. Eric Felisbret is the author of “Graffiti New York” and co-founder of the graffiti history site @149st. Graffiti is a controversial topic because it is considered vandalism by some people because it is placed on public or private property without consent. While others consider it art because it is a form of expression. Ideas around graffiti as art or vandalism change depending on the perspective. There are two types of graffiti: “bombing”, which is based on volume, with writers trying to mark as many places as possible, and there is “burning”, which is an artistic enterprise. In the late 1980s, when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority successfully controlled graffiti on the subway, painting murals on walls with permission became increasingly popular. Legal venues for the art form are excellent – they allow artists to perfect their works and perhaps get paid for it – but there are also drawbacks. Few legal places allow complete creative freedom and many purists in the graffiti community feel that paintings created with permission lack the wit and intensity that can only be created by painting under pressure.
A painting well executed under adverse conditions and under time pressure is much more impressive than a painting undertaken without risk. Graffiti will never become art for some people because they consider it a crime and vandalism. They believe it invades people`s privacy and destroys property. Graffiti can be seen as a vulgar form of recreation, depending on the point of view of teenagers. In the movie “Style Wars”, for example, we see the side of people who are against graffiti and want to get rid of it. Throughout the film, government officials and law enforcement try to prevent graffiti because they don`t see it as an art form, but as a crime. They call graffiti artists criminals and vandals because they damage private property and visually destroy the city. In the Room for Debate article “Graffiti is always vandalism”, the author argues that graffiti is not art and will always be vandalism. Author Heather Mac Donald says, “Graffiti is always vandalism. By definition, it is committed without authorization on someone else`s property, in a notice of eligibility of minors.
That some viewers find a particular graffiti artistically compelling is irrelevant. The most salient feature of graffiti is that it is a crime” (Donald). A graffiti drawing on the walls of someone`s property makes graffiti a crime and an example of vandalism because it was drawn in a place where it doesn`t belong. Similarly, author Eric Felisbret explains in another Room for Debate article, “Legal Venues Celebrate Graffiti as an Art Form,” “If you don`t have permission to write or paint, it`s a crime. The law does not distinguish between a painting of Rembrandt`s calibre and a deliberate act of vandalism” (Felisbret). Graffiti is not an art form if it is placed on private or public property without consent. Both authors see the graffiti, as well as some of the views shown in the film, reflect the same views as many others who view graffiti as an inconvenience and a crime rather than an art form. I regret the destruction of large legal venues like the 5Pointz building in Queens and celebrate the existence of movements like the Bushwick Collective, which installed murals in Brooklyn. Some people say graffiti is art, while others disagree and just say it about vandalism.
There is no real consensus on whether graffiti can still be classified as art. In the New York Times Room for Debate on “When Does Graffiti Become Art,” the authors argue that it depends on your point of view, while one person considers it a crime, others in the graffiti community consider it artistic. Similarly, the movie “Style Wars” shows the different opinions and points of view on graffiti, with some people considering it art and others vandalism. Most people think of graffiti as vandalism, while others think of it as art, I think graffiti becomes art when the person looking at it believes it`s art. A person`s point of view influences their opinion of when graffiti becomes art. There would be fewer examples of graffiti art in this city without the legal venues, and we should push for more. Even then, I really miss seeing real graffiti in its purest form. For nearly 20 years, from 1971 to 1989, New York City subway trains served as the ideal canvas. The intimacy of stations and tunnels provided an environment where artists could devote the time they needed to create aesthetic works. The environment was often dark and cramped, with much greater risks than arrest.
Electric shocks and dismemberment were always possibilities and thus ensured that only the artists who had devoted themselves most to their craft could prosper.