Distinguishing Between Graffiti Art and Vandalism

Whether you agree or not, graffiti has become a part of the city environment. This is because of the many well-known graffiti artists who have popularised the whole urban art genre, slowly narrowing down the opinion that it is vandalism.

The public began recognising graffiti as an art form in the 70s and 80s when the NYC subways began to be hit by painted names of gangs. Groups of graffiti artists who call themselves crews began to grow. When different gangs of graffiti artists began competing against each other, it is no longer just the quantity that counts, but the beauty of the graffiti as well.

However, although the graffiti themselves are great-looking, it is still considered illegal and many question why graffiti artists are making these art, which will only be cleaned and erased in a few days? Some say it is a young person’s way of expressing himself. Besides, many feel that graffiti gives colour to the daily urban living.

Nowadays taking a photograph of wheels arranged in a certain order can already be an acceptable art-form. While graffiti art for those people who appreciate it merely utilises the urban environment as a canvas to express themselves through creative drawings. The question remains, is graffiti an art or not.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” a famous saying states. The same applies to art because, after all, art is concerned with nothing else but beauty. It may not be legal in many states, but that fact does not disqualify it from being an art because it expresses what the graffiti artist thinks is beautiful. In addition, the fact that many businesses are now using urban art styles for their logo and advertisements is an indication that graffiti is veering away from being the work of a vandal.