Creative Vandalism

Should graffiti be considered art or vandalism? Personally, I believe it can be both, but I’m more on the side of art. Obviously, there is graffiti out there in the world that should not be out there but there is also graffiti that is beautiful and should be considered art. Whether it’s to support a movement like BLM or LGBTQ or maybe it’s just art, graffiti can most definitely be a good thing. Most areas you will see graffiti are big cities but you may find some in smaller towns and areas.

There are many different types of graffiti. So does that mean that all types of graffiti is art and what different types of art are there and what should be seen as vandalism or art? No of course it’s not vandalism. There is grafitti like tags which are small words with many different colors that normally have no meaning and don’t really make the area look better. When grafitti like tags are created on walls it look messy, out of control and most of the time it looks out of place and doesn’t match surroundings. This quote is a simple, well-worded way of explaining it. “After all, who would remember Monet or Picasso if they’d created their masterpieces on walls, only to have them painted over the next day?”(Dolan). I like this quote because it has a lot of meaning. It can help to keep the good graffiti because people can be recognized for their talent and artistic ability. Another way to decrease vandalism would be to maybe encourage the artists to move their creations to paper. “Maybe we need to start at a very basic level and find a way to encourage the creation of graffiti art on paper or canvas, rather than walls.”(Dolan). This quote is good because the more creations that are on paper or a canvas can be spread to the public in an easier way and it can also remove the ugly graffiti from the walls.

Graffiti is a meaningful thing in many situations, whether it’s putting forth a message or helping to protest something, graffiti is meaningful.”t can mean a colorful mural with a message of diversity or a black and white stencil piece protesting police brutality. In each case, graffiti art makes a statement.”(Stowers). Some of the most prevalent protests shown through Graffiti is the Black Lives Matter movement. Some other big protests are police brutality and LGBTQ. Grafitti is always changing, the types of graffiti, the style and even the tools used to make it.”Grafiti has experienced movements or changes in style. From the first tag scribbled on a subway train to the large, complex mural on a billboard, the movement has experienced change.”(Stowers). People used to use markers and now they moved on to spray paint and now they are even using stenciles to speed up the process. Grafitti is becoming more advanced each day.

If you were to ask me, the world opinion on graffiti is slowly changing each day. Whether they are starting to realize it’s an art form or they are just starting to not hate it, each day people’s opinions are changing.

“Grafiti junto al río” by martin_javier is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.