Making Sense of Graffity in the Modern World

In the performance of life, one cultural representation that captivates and entrances people more fluently and describes the human experience more eloquently is that of artistic expression. It imposes itself unto the face of society through the individual who creates it as a reflection of any one or combination of personal, emotional, or physiological effects society or one’s own environment has inflicted onto them to compel them convey their feelings to the public. The essential argument, is whether graffiti has a place in the grand context of society. One end of the spectrum paints it as a nuisance to property owners and city officials allow for a criminal perspective of the practice. While at another end you can view it as the artist in a sense blessing others with the fruits of their inner consciousness. An artistic expression no matter what the viewpoint of society, in an anthropological context graffiti is essential to modern society and its impact is one that cannot be forgotten or lived without.
To make sense of graffiti’s place in the modern world, one must understand the aesthetic relationship that is held between artists and their work. Creating graffiti or as defined by Webster dictionary as: “pictures or paintings drawn on a wall or building etc…” is subjective (“Graffiti”). This definition implies the inexplicit nature to what graffiti really is. In that respect the chalk teachers use on blackboards or the markers that are used to etch formulas on whiteboards are nothing less than graffiti in as well. In terms of those who take the concept of it as a serious craft it is something heavily revered and as such is expressed by the outward action of displaying it to the world. In Ben Belitt’s poetic musing entitled Graff...

... middle of paper ...

...el and visualize mentally simply expressed outwardly and it is this form of representation that will remain constant in our society no matter how we attempt to rid ourselves of it. It is here for us to see rather than feel.

Works Cited

Austin, Joe. "More to see than a canvas in a white cube: For an art in the streets." City: analysis of urban trends, culture, theory, policy, action 14.1-2 (2010): 33-47. Digital file.
Belitt, Ben. "Graffiti." Salmagundi 87 (1990): 214-15. Print.
Castleman, Craig. "Getting up: Subway Graffiti in New York." The MIT Press (1982): n. pag. Digital file.
Hobsbawm, Eric. "I. Introduction: Inventing Traditions." The Invention of Tradition. N. pag. Digital file.
Straw, Will. "Cultural Scenes." Loisir et société/Society and Leisure 27.2 (2005): n. pag. Print.
Thompson, Margo. American Graffiti. Parkstone International, 2012. Digital file.