Graffiti is Art of Vandalism?

Question

I am writing a paper about this quote

"Art is a very important form of personal expression, but when it is drawn on public or private property, it also becomes a form of vandalism."

I think there are many reasons to disagree. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Graffiti as an Art form is done everywhere, however if it is to be classified as Art it must not be unorganized and sloppy. I personally know one of New Yorks legendary graffiti artists and he is hired out to do his work on private property.

Graffiti as vandalism is also done everywhere, however this type of graffiti is more commonly known as tagging. People who do this want to get their names out there and be recognized. Most of this type of graffiti is RAW with no flow its just a mess of colors and lines.

veteran artists are respected and can create all types of works of art. If you look back to the late 70's early eighties you can see that the work done during these times is creative and has expressions. unlike today's tagging.

Answer 2

I still remember back in the late 60s watching the news on TV or an occasion photo on the news of someone being interviewed... images of people in buildings and subway platforms or stations and somewhere in the background there were the familiar 2" tall letters, "Taki 182." Everyone was accustomed to these 2" tall square block letters. No one knew what they meant. No one knew what graffiti was or had even heard of the word! In fact I'd go to different neighborhoods or different schools to visit to photograph athletic events and I'd see the familiar "Taki 183" and I'd see it scrawled on buses and subway cars, in court house buildings, too! Elevators, too.

One day, a news reporter from ABC-TV (it might've been Tony Arnasta, I'm don't recall who) decided to find out what this was all about. Ha! He found out it was a Greek-American youth employed as a delivery boy in a deli on Grand Concourse in the Bronx, NY. He interviewed the young man... wrong thing! Within a matter of two or three days EVERY damned kid was out in the streets marking up buses, subway cars, walls in schools, any building wall, subway platform, whole subway cars, kids getting killed falling off buildings and bridges trying to write their "tag" on the inaccessible places... the whole city was disfigured with spray paint within days of the first broadcast. Soon, the mayor (I think it was Koch) got tired of it and started to pass legislation outlawing sale of spray paint to minors, then he helped pass legislation to fine anyone caught spray painting public property. Buses and trains had to be cleaned with expensive caustic chemicals at astronomical costs to the City... new trains were bought that made graffiti difficult to adhere (costlier train cars, which resulted in the first train and bus hikes in many years and the start of a new trend in NYC with the unnecessary fare hikes). That's pretty much the story behind graffiti. It soon spread to other cities as newscasters reported on the problem of kids writing on walls and public property.

If kids have this so-called "artistic need for expression" why don't they study art or buy canvasses or drawing pads and collect and share their work with others? There are a handful of former graffiti artists right now selling baseball hats and T-shirts they've designed and are silk-screened and sold throughout the States and even abroad in other countries! If the person caught defacing public property is a minor, then the parents should be held accoutable to pay the fine and the (stupid) kid should be made to perform 500 hours of public service, like sweeping and cleaning subway cars.

Answer 3

No matter what graffiti is vandalism, but there are some graffiti doers that can be classified as artists if only they would find a better way to express their art form.

Answer 4

Graffiti tagging is a crime that broadcasts gang related turf wars, drug activity and hate. Not only is it ugly, graffiti vandalism and delinquency is costly. More than $15 billion per year is spent by our state and local governments to counteract graffiti tagging and property damage. Neighborhoods marked with graffiti tagging are also prone to other forms of crime and delinquency because it promotes the idea that no one cares.
Graffiti's visual pollution jeopardizes the quality of life in our communities. Tagging reduces property values (the National Association of Realtors reports that graffiti vandalism can cause properly values to decrease by 15%), causes businesses to lose their customers as they become too fearful to shop in the area, and increases gang activity as the neighborhood decays

Answer 5

Vandalism is wrong, and it is against the law. You cannot deface another person's property, because you feel "creative". How would you like it if some got creative all over the side of your house one night while you're asleep?

Answer 6

i agree but i feel it also depends on this purpose of the graffiti. if someone takes a spray paint can and writes "go back to your own country........" yada yada yada then i believe its vandalism. but if they write peace graffiti like "Power to freedom" or "God Bless America" then i believe that thats okay. it does also depend on where the graffiti is written. if its on the side of your house or in someelse lawn that u hav persmission to write on then go ahead and knock yourself out. so basically when trying to determine graffiti it depends on where you do it and what u write, hope this helps.

Answer 7

Graffiti is a crime. If they are artists let them buy their own canvases. I don't find anything artistic about any of the work. It is just hoodlums spray painting on someone elses property.

Answer 8

Hi. I'm afraid that most graffiti is simply one person saying "I'm here and I don't give a rat's pink tail about you." You don't see it on most of the "artists" cars.

Answer 9

let us experiment on YOUR personal property first,then see what you agree with.