Girl and Soldier by Banksy
Some of the most recognizable pieces of street art is attributed to one of the most unrecognizable artists of all time. This artist goes under the alias of Banksy. Banksy is a street artist best known for his stenciled spray paint graffiti. He was in an Oscar nominated documentary about street art called, Exit Through the Gift Shop, where he talked to the audience while hiding his face in the shadows. His artwork has appeared in exhibits in Bristol, Los Angeles and New York. Although some of his work has been in museums and exhibits, most of his work has been seen on the sides of buildings all around the world. They have appeared in cities such as London, San Francisco, Vienna, Barcelona, Detroit, Paris, and more. We know a lot of Banksy’s artwork but not a lot about his personal life. This is because Banksy has never actually identified himself. In his book Wall and Piece, he states "Nobody ever listened to me until they didn't know who I was" (Banksy 13). Being anonymous not only allows him to avoid the ongoing legal complications of his artwork but it also adds a lot of mystery to his artwork as well. What we do know is that he was thought to have been born around Bristol, England in 1974 (Weaver 1). Also, he has stated that a kid named 3D, the first person said to bring spray paint art to Bristol, had inspired him to start spray painting at the age of 10 (Weaver 1). Banksy’s artwork is recognizable for looking like it could have came out of a 1950s comic strip. He is known for being anti-capitalist and anti-government. He displays this in his work by using satire and symbolism to question the morals of our government and culture.
Banksy’s Girl and Soldier (2007) is spray painted stencil of a lit...
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...reet art and vandalism, I have come to a conclusion as to why Banksy stays anonymous. Since Banksy’s artwork qualifies as street art in the eyes of the art world and legal system, I believe he stays anonymous for more personal reasons than legal ones. An alias was necessary in the beginning of his career but not as much now that he is well known. Although he could potentially face legal complications with his work, I don’t think it would be anything more than fines that he could easily afford. I think he mostly stays anonymous to maintain the mystique about his persona, to make a stronger message, and because he doesn’t want to be annoyed by the media.
“The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules. It's people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages.”
― Banksy, Wall and Piece
The power of blind obedience taints individuals’ ability to clearly distinguish between right and wrong in terms of obedience, or disobedience, to an unjust superior. In the article “The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal: Sources of Sadism,” Marianne Szegedy-Maszak discusses the unwarranted murder of innocent individuals due to vague orders that did not survive with certainty. Szegedy-Maszak utilizes the tactics of authorization, routinization, and dehumanization, respectively, to attempt to justify the soldiers’ heinous actions (Szegedy-Maszak 76-77). In addition, “Just Do What the Pilot Tells You” by Theodore Dalrymple distinguishes between blind disobedience and blind obedience to authority and stating that neither is superior;
Three years later, enter Banksy, a world famous street artist from England. Banksy has become famous ironically through his use of anonymity as an artist. Banksy will choose a city somewhere in the world and embark usually on a month long anonymous crusade where he “tags” different buildings with culturally and politically motivated works of “street art”. When Banksy descended on New Orleans, he painted 14 works of street art in total, but the painting that stood out as the most glaringly political was the painting called “Looters”. (Banksy story)
“We all fight on two fronts, the one facing the enemy, the other facing what we do to the enemy” (Boyden 199).
Within the impoverished urban streets arose a youth culture captivated by infamy and self-pride. A youth culture virtually undistinguishable from members of modern society with a passion, setting them apart from the community. The members of this underground subculture could be your next-door neighbor, your son or daughter, or the contractor repairing your roof, yet you would have no idea that they strive to “bomb” objects and surfaces found in everyday life. It is the subtle differences that distinguish a graffiti artist from the average member of society, such as their, mindset, desires, speech and active lifestyle.
” This was the start of his obsession with recording everything in his life, even if it went nowhere but into a box, never to be seen again. His habit soon became a driving force in his life. During a trip to visit his family that lives in France, he was introduced to the world of street art. That trip that he took in 1999 helped set the stone to the life that Theirry had yet to discover what it would create. In Banksy’s movie, it explains how the simple idea of putting your joy, or something that you love, up on a wall for everyone to see was an amazing thing.
In all the world there is one thing that I want to do in life and that is to be noticed and/or known. Maybe not worldwide or even throughout my country but even just in my city, I want to do something that people remember me for. This is kind of like Banksys life but his story is just a bit twisted. He is a shadow in the night that leaves an image in the streets. Banksy, if that’s even his real name, is a famous street artist that paints on buildings, sidewalks, and even billboards. But the thing about Banksy is that nobody knows who his real identity is. He is so famous and loved by so many people and has inspired many due to his art, but he is not around to make an appearance to be recognized and to speak with the fans he has because he likes being that shadow. I am not sure how he stands back and watches these streets flourish and not want to be identified for the art he has done. Even though I am sure he has taken the fact that he could make millions
“A totalitarian system can only maintain itself by means of terror and a system of informers while the masses are inert, but once the masses move into action it is the beginning of the end.”
The identity of a graffiti artist is hardly ever known, but the style of the art is. They can be identified by the way they express themselves. It can be broad and can be shown in many different forms. The forms can range from a simple tag of identity, an expression of protest and politics, to an alluring scene of art work. Although the graffiti writers work is their expression; they are trying to convey a message about the issues in the world around them.
The rise of vandalistic art produced by Banksy and others, has altered the way in which the public views graffiti culture. Where spray paint once represented gangs and violence, it now suggests an exciting and cutting edge artform that could potentially be a lucrative investment. In fact, Banksy’s work is so sought after that people are willing to take bricks out of buildings in order to steal it. In 2013, one of Banksy’s most famous pieces of artwork was stolen from the side of a store in the UK. It was later discovered at a US auction (Banksy Artwork Taken). “Street art has entered the art world’s mainstream, with Banksy pieces regularly selling for more than $1 million” (Salib
Even though graffiti, in general, has had a rough past, it has started a movement where it's a form of expression through the artist. Graffiti can be a wonderful work of art when it has a space where it doesn't disturb public or private property. The artist creating graffiti often wants to send a message. In many cases, the street art made on public property is to invoke a reaction or conversation to intrigue the viewer. A key element in graffiti and street art is to create a space where the artist can do his/her work and even receive compensation from art
‘Acts of whatever kind, which, without justifiable cause, do harm to others, may be, and in the more important cases absolutely require to be, controlled by the unfavorable sentiments, and, when needful, by the active interference of mankind. The liberty of the individual must be thus far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other people.’
Although other artists know who he is, Banksy doesn’t have a public face that he shows at galleries and in his documentaries. In Will Ellsworth-Jones article “The Story Behind Banksy: on his way to becoming an international icon, the subversive and secretive street artist turned the art world upside-down” he talks about one of Banksy’s earlier galleries. Ellsworth-Jones says “The show was a high-profile demonstration of the phenomenon that has come to be known as the ‘Banksy effect’—the artist’s astounding success in bringing urban, outsider art into the cultural, and increasingly profitable, mainstream” (2). Banksy’s “effect” is altering urban culture and bringing it to art galleries to be displayed and sold. In the grand scheme of things, he is commodifying graffiti and urban culture, making it more consumable and then proceeding selling and profit off of it. In A&E’s biography page for Banksy they state that Banksy’s work is unique due to the fact that it “often engages political themes, satirically critiquing war, capitalism, hypocrisy and greed.” The uniqueness of his work is a common reason different news outlets give for Banksy’s success. Contrary to popular belief, Banksy’s content isn’t groundbreaking. Artists of all mediums, including graffiti, before and during his time have touched upon all of the same themes as
Banksy’s artwork was effective in achieving it’s purpose because of it’s appeal to the heart, and in what is perceived as a dismal area where there is little hope, it most likely affected the view some may have on life, if not for just a moment.
Some of the first graffiti artists include Cornbread, Cool Earl and TAKI 183. Darryl McCray aka Cornbread started graffiti art while he was in prison; he used to write his nickname “Cornbread” all over the prison walls, and he continued with this trend after he was released. Demetrius “TAKI 183” became popular for his unusual tags on 183rd Street subway. When TAKI 183 made the front page in New York Times, tagging spread quickly everywhere in the city and artist would bomb many tags on lampposts, buildings, subway cars or any other surface. Since then, street art has attracted many questions on whether it is a crime or an art (Burners).
The majority of people if asked, would not be able make any distinction between street art and graffiti art. Though in reality they are actually quite different; Graffiti writing and street art are often confused with one another. They both display their work out in the open instead of in a gallery. Though, graffiti artists display their work publicly, they are really only concerned with relating to other graffiti artists; rather than the general public. On the other hand, street artists just want to catch the attention of the general public by making a statement with their art. Although street art and graffiti art seem very similar, upon closer examination the differences in technique, function, culture, and intent are revealed (Weisburg.)