When is it vandalism, and when is it art?
By Fleur
@Fleura (29126)
United Kingdom
April 19, 2021 4:28pm CST
Railway bridges and road underpasses around here tend to be a magnet for mindless graffiti, usually just pointless unreadable ‘tags’ or sometimes offensive messages.
But recently someone (or some people) have upped their game and suddenly the local underpass, where the cycle path goes underneath a traffic roundabout, has become a ‘canvas’ for real talent.
I have no idea who has done this or when they found enough undisturbed time to create these works. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you could create in a few minutes with a spray can, and yet no-one seems to have seen the culprit.
So is this just graffiti, that we (via our taxes) have to pay to be removed? Or is this art that we should celebrate and enjoy?
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2021.
23 people like this
22 responses
@JimBo452020 (42629)
• United Kingdom
19 Apr 21
Well
To me
The photo in your post is art.
Quite good at that.
4 people like this
@JimBo452020 (42629)
• United Kingdom
19 Apr 21
@Fleura
It would take hours and hours.
I have never seen a half completed one either.
Maybe the artist had permission to do it.
4 people like this
@Fleura (29126)
• United Kingdom
20 Apr 21
@JimBo452020 It's weird isn't it - you never see one partly completed, you never really see one that looks sort of not bad but like a practice picture. I find it hard to believe that someone could go out there and create this perfect image in such a short time - how??
2 people like this
@Fleura (29126)
• United Kingdom
20 Apr 21
That's true, although I think the general opinion regarding 'what is art' seems to rely on the intention of the 'artist'. For example a colourful scribble by a toddler is regarded as just a scribble, while a colourful scribble by an adult who describes it as a reflection of their inner turmoil (for example) is considered art, even if they look pretty much the same (which I think is unfair!)
That's why Tracey Emin's famous 'unmade bed' was shortlisted for the Turner prize and was sold a few years ago for £2.5 million, while everyone else's unmade bed just means their house is a mess and/or they haven't had time to make it yet!
2 people like this
@marguicha (215368)
• Chile
19 Apr 21
There is a kind of art specializzin in painting walls. Those graffiti are different from the ugly and many times offensive omes that other people do.
3 people like this
@Fleura (29126)
• United Kingdom
20 Apr 21
I just can't get my head around how it is created. I mean you never see one partly completed, and you never catch anyone in the act, and yet surely it must take more than a couple of minutes! Also you never really see one that looks sort of not bad but like a practice picture, but surely these people must have practised their skills somewhere - do they just keep repainting their bedroom walls at home? I find it hard to believe that someone could go out there and create this perfect image in such a short time - how??
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (98822)
• India
20 Apr 21
I would not call it art. Art for me should make me feel relaxed and at peace and make me admire god's creation. So yeah... this invokes negative emotions ... if I can't have it in my bedroom, it is not good enough. It doesn't always need to be perfect, though that part is admired too. Just that overall thing gotta make me feel good. If this were a postcard, I would not buy it to send it somebody.
2 people like this
@vandana7 (98822)
• India
20 Apr 21
@Fleura To me he looks like a cannibal. It may be done for fun, but......... I have read too many comics to find anything appealing in this. If it is speed, many artists can churn out real masterpieces in few minutes. I used to watch one gentleman on Take Hart coming up with some exotic stuff.
Looks like I am the only one who does not consider it an art. Sigh.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (29126)
• United Kingdom
20 Apr 21
I know what you mean and I wouldn't put it on my wall either. There is something strange about the face. But you can't deny that it is skillfully executed. And I just can't work out how someone could create this so cleverly and so quickly!
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
20 Apr 21
To each their own. As the saying goes beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
2 people like this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
21 Apr 21
@Fleura Yes skillful but it could be interpreted in many ways - some good, some bad.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (94484)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
19 Apr 21
The artwork looks good. Keep it.
3 people like this
@snowy22315 (169927)
• United States
20 Apr 21
I say enjoy! If it is something we couldn't create, I would think of it as art.
1 person likes this
