How is modern graffiti affecting American society today?

Question

Throughout history, we have seen many types of opinions and messages expressed through a spray can and an artistic mind. Graffiti is everywhere we look, and many of these works of art are merely being considered a nuisance. Yet, these people overlook the fact that sometimes the graffiti is trying to send a political message, or is an expression of what the artist feels like.

What I would like to know is how you think graffiti affects our society today. Whether it be positive or negative, tell me what you think about this issue.

Answer 1

I think if it is read and understood that it changes the political scene. I think that it is important counter balance

Answer 2

That just it, If it's actually making a statement or has some actual time in it that's one thing. If you just go and tag something just to prove you were there the only statement your making is I'm a jackass. There was a guy in the Pittsburgh area in the late eighties that used stencils. You always saw barcodes everywhere, or outlines of people on walls as well as some other things. Each one had a message behind it not just here's my tag respect me. I'm sorry but tagging (In the classic form) is not art. It is ugly to look at. Since one usualy leads to another and so on. If it's thought out and has something behind it, something concrete and will make you think than I'm all for it.

I will admit I have seen some stenciled tags that were pretty sweet. Those I don't have a problem with. They went through a real design phase and were actually well thought out. Other tags are basically ripped of from someone elses style and look the same. Yippie!

What happened to the ballsy graffitti artists that would take hours to do a piece? Run, hide and return. Huge murals that were really killer. Those guys I had a lot of respect for. They risked jailtime for their art and kept going back till it was done. That's dedication to your art! They always told a story and that's what was great about it, wether it was just urban life ar a political statement there was a lot of thought behind it.

The sad thing is the last few stories I saw in the news were about tagging and not the mural style of graffiti. I feel that takes away from those that actually put time in. It's downright demeaning and it takes away from the good work being done and puts it into the same catagory which it's not.

I do art but I don't do graffitti, I can respect some of it and if done right it is art.

As far as affecting our society goes it will always be around and that's the truth of the matter. In some ways I think it's good and it can help in awarness of problems in society. Tagging is a nuisance when all it does is gather more and can actually start to look bad and in that respect I think that it's BS. Maybe I'm being an art snob about it but that's what I think.

Answer 3

I do not think society is affected much by graffiti. I think in older times it may have been, but people are very much more bombarded by visual stimuli now, and filter out much of it. I think advertisement is much more affective than graffiti. One way it may affect people is that it may encourage people who see it to accept different types of design elements that they may not otherwise accept. It may also give people that live in a highly decorated or marked up area a feeling of clutter, claustrophobia, disgust. They may feel like its new beauty or that they cant have anything that is clean and free from someones mark. I live in the Midwest and dint see too much around here;)

Answer 4

i have a bit of a graffiti habit...inthat i photograph it and try to talk to the writers, most of the time they are very willing to talk to me and allow me to photograph their work and them...i keep a non threatening posture by frequenting "permission walls"
most of them are peace-nicks and simply want to make something beautiful to share...even the political works are extreemly artful and tastefully done...really stop and look at some of it...writing graffiti is a whole discipline in itself, those guys don't just grab a couple of cans of spray paint and start scribbling, they plan out their messege, and work up several thumbnails before deciding on what they'll do, and then work from a sketch they have worked up in advance...there are an assortment of tips for the rattle cans available...some of them even use airbrush.
i googled "graffiti" and came up with a whole bunch of graffiti art sites, you can e-mail some of the writers and they will answer you, most are very willing to share their hopes of their artwork.

Answer 5

you ever pay interest to rap? funk? jazz? do you want rock and roll? "what a spectacular international" is between the substantial regarded songs in u . s . of u . s . of america, all owing to the harlem renaissance.

Answer 6

do not know