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Daisy Cowdery
Dr Owen
English 1510-10
20 November 2017
Graffiti: Art or Vandalism?
In society today when people talk about graffiti it’s almost always portrayed in a negative
manner. Some consider it to be associated with vandalism or even property damage, but to others
it’s a work of art. To some, the word graffiti signifies that it’s something bad or illegal but what
many people don’t know is that the actual definition of graffiti shines a much more positive light.
There are many different forms of graffiti and although some only focus on the graffitist name in
the piece there are many other forms that are works of art. So, if graffiti is simply an art form
why does society view any and all use of the word in a negative way?
Graffiti has been in existence since prehistoric times and has been one of the
most influential pieces of evidence to help scientists understand and examine things that
happened during the time periods. For example, the ancient cave paintings in France have helped
scientists understand how long humans have been in existence. The relief sculptures in Ancient
Egypt are one of the earliest documentations of religion. For thousands of years humans have
made works of art in public spaces and according to Greg Eickmeier, whether these works
communicate understandable messages, the thing they do say is “We were here. We existed!” He
is saying that graffiti doesn’t have to have words or a meaning for it to have a purpose. Graffiti is
just simply a way to show the world that someone was there and created it.
There are many different forms of modern graffiti, so are they all considered vandalism
or are some considered art? Delana, a writer from WebUrbanist states that Tag, Throw up,
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Blockbuster, and Wildstyle are all forms of graffiti that revolve around the graffitist name and
the name is the center of the piece. These forms of graffiti are what many people think about
when they hear the word graffiti.
Tags: Unknown artist(s) Throw up: Unknown artist
Abstract, 3D, Stencil, and Brush are more of a mural or painting form of graffiti that have
some sort of image or message behind them. So, can graffiti be viewed as art or is it always
considered vandalism?
Abstract: Mark W. Moore Stencil over Tags: Banksy
Graffiti’s modern form is most abundant in larger cities and originated in New York City
during the 1960s. According to Camille Lannert, modern graffiti was created as an aspect of hip-
hop culture and has developed and expanded nationally and internationally over the last several
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decades. Graffiti art evolved differently in each city and served a different function based on the
particular subculture that promoted it.
Graffiti art is representative of an individual’s identity that is consistently portrayed in the
artist’s artwork. Graffiti art is an abstract or a mural of some kind that expresses the artist's
feelings or emotions. Mandy Wark says that this form of graffiti is often viewed more in an
artistic manner, but it’s still considered vandalism by many because of the negative manner
around graffiti in general.
Gang graffiti is a type of graffiti in which the sole purpose is to represent an individual’s
gang affiliation and related gang involvement. It’s a form of tag that gangs uses it as a means of
communication with other gang members or rival gangs and is also used to establishing
territory.
Graffiti Art: Mural/Abstract Created by Gang Graffiti: Salisbury, North Carolina
Jimmy Chiale, Bloor and Shaw-mural
According to Greg Eickmeier “tagging” is arguably the most prevalent type of graffiti
and cities all over the world have passed laws with strict fines often accompanied by community
service-hours that offenders spend cleaning up graffiti. Other types of graffiti are large colorful
mural-like works that take many hours to create. In most American cities this type of art is still
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considered vandalism, and so the same laws and consequences apply. Graffiti is generally
viewed as having a negative impact within communities where it is abundant. There is a basic
idea or feeling that a highly tagged neighborhood has been overrun by crime or that it is simply
an area of a city that is not worth caring about.
Camille Lannert says, “Graffiti art is an independent type of graffiti which should not be
associated with gang graffiti. Graffiti artists are commonly regarded as criminals but should be
considered as artists as well. Graffiti artists adhere to the standards of artistic evaluation used to
assess the quality of their art. The only difference between an artist and a graffiti artist is the
legality of the artist’s canvas”.
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Works Cited
Delana. “Graffiti Designs & Styles: Tagging, Bombing and Painting.” Web Urbanist, 2007-2017 Webist
Media, weburbanist.com/2009/09/24/graffiti-designs-styles-tagging-bombing-painting/.
Eickmier, Greg. “Graffiti: Art or Vandalism?” Museum of the City, 2017 Museum of the City, Inc.,
2017, www.museumofthecity.org/project/graffiti-art-or-vandalism/.
Lannert, Camille. “The Perpetuation of Graffiti Art Subculture.” Butler Journal of Undergraduate
Research, vol. 1, 2015, pp. 47–66.
Wark, Mandy. “Graffiti: Art Or Vandalism?” The Odyssey Online, 2017 Odyssey Media Group, Inc., 27
Oct. 2017, www.theodysseyonline.com/graffiti-art-or-vandalism.
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