Graffiti Art Is an Art Form

Graffiti Art is an Art Form

Art catches your eye. It's elaborate. It's unique. It shows your own individual expression, and the inner difference. A simple piece of white turned into a new world of thought and imagination. Graffiti is a art form that is intended for public display, and is now being documented on the internet for more to see. (Stowers) Graffiti is one of the few "hobbies" that includes people from all backgrounds, all over the world. (Stowers) The reasons for why graffiti art is done is based on the feelings of the artist, one might be doing a piece because he is feeling rebellious, but one might be doing a large mural because he is feeling artistic and would rather "break the law" by painting a picture instead of committing a real like robbery. The largest difference between the art works in a gallery or museum and graffiti art in terms of how and why the art is accepted as art in our culture is due to its location and presentation. (Stowers) In some counties graffiti art is legal and they have very large, beautiful paintings of not just words or terms but paintings on walls that are still considered graffiti because of the presentation. Not all graffiti art is a good example of the art form that I am trying to persuade, just like not every statue or painting is a good example of even worthy of being called art. (Stowers) Graffiti is a large form of self expression. A person wanting to share his expression of artistic ability with his community or world should not be fined or put in jail because there are far too many people in this world that are doing more wrong than being artistic.

Graffiti dates back to the beginning of mankind. The word Graffiti is derived from the Italian word Sgraffo meaning scratch. (Graffiti World) Graffiti has been found on uncovered, ancient, Egyptian monuments, and graffiti even was preserved on walls in Pompeii. (stowers) The definition of graffiti today is an unsolicited marking on a private or public property that is considered vandalism.

Modern day graffiti art originated in the late 1960's, and it has been growing ever since. (Stowers) Graffiti is not usually accepted as a "normal" type of art such as a statue or a painting in a museum. A graffiti piece is not denied being called art because of the way that it is presented, but some is not considered art because of the form. It's true that some issues of location/presentation is an acceptable argument to accept graffiti, but the graffiti artists don't feel that their art should be disqualified just because they don't have their art in a museum. Los Angeles and Chicago council members have decided that the talent of graffiti artists should be preserved by providing a park for the artists to do legal graffiti art which has helped to further the art form and lower the amount of graffiti crime which appears in the city. (Stowers)

The 1st Amendment of the Constitution says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (Constitution) In a "Question and Answer" segment of www.graffiti.org "Schmoo"