99.9% of the time yes. The vast majority of it is mindless shit in my opinion. What's wrong with Granite buildings anyway? Something doesn't have to be colourful and brash to be beautiful.
My main complaint with graffitti, like that which you have in the pictures is that it can no longer be considered art. It was art in the 80's when it was new and contemporary, but even then most of it was talentless. Sure it takes some skill, (in the same sense that airbrushing is a skill), but the vast majority of it is devoid of any creative talent. Graffitti has become like pop music, no worse, it's like RnB or Urban music. It's generic, there is nothing of interest in its content, it's devoid of creativity. The "form" has been done to death and now it's all just repetitive crap.
So yes 99.9% of the time it's nothing more than vandalism that does nothing to improve the look of an area and worse actually makes the area even more oppressive. It's perceived as threatening by the vast majority of people in society, and that's because it is. It's a symptom of youth who don't respect rules and boundries, which is never a good thing. Do a study on the amount of graffitti and the level of crime, (particularly those committed on the street), in an area and I guarantee you'll find a strong correlation.
In response I would say.. maybe you should learn some social responsibility and learn to live inside some borders
QED
Then seek couselling like a responsible person would, rather than forcing the rest of society to suffer your issues. Form a self help group of "writers", rent an empty warehouse where the landlord doesn't mind you painting up the walls and create your "art" there. Hell maybe even open it to the public to be apreciated by others maybe.
agreed...obviously SamH knows best because he's had time to grow up around 'fine art'...comparing 'fine art' to graffiti is like comparing chalk and cheese. The two are completely different artforms and as such should never be used in a comparison. Frankly, I don't give a toss if SamH spent his life around highly skilled, professional sculptors/artists. What I dislike is the absolutely sweeping generalisations he put in that post on the previous page. What SamH is failing to see is that most, if not all, of the really very artistic and stylish pieces painted, the ones that take the longest amount of time to do, are either in places where it has been legalised (I remember the middle school I went to backed onto a skatepark, and nearly every week there'd be something different painted there) or are comissioned by the council. Take for example that blue building I posted pics of on page 1. That whole building used to be covered in an amazing mural (its now covered with loads of hand prints) and the a section of the whole road has been comissioned for graffiti art, and it looks brilliant
all I get are 503 errors lol
agreed more than 100%. Well said.
edit - to add, I find most of what the 'modern artists' produce nowadays to be absolute tosh. People like Damien Hirst, Anthony Gormley, Tracy Emin that sort of stuff, that is not proper art. It's weird for the sake of weird. Some people like that, and some people like graffiti. I don't spout not only misguided, but offensive stereotypes about the kinds of people who create a messy bed and call it art? I have a messy bed in my room but I don't stick it in an art gallery?
I dont care about graffity as an art, but "painting" ugly things (imho its called tagging) on private buildings sucks and I would like to kick their ass...
I haven't bothered reading his recent ones, I'm so appalled at the sweeping generalisations he made earlier in this thread that his posts on this subject aren't worth reading any more. He has a differing opinion, yes, but I am free to counter that with my own arguments. That generalisation he made in a previous post shocked me, although knowing the sort of stuff I do to entertain me I should be used to the sweeping generalisations levelled at both me and the communities I hang around with.
Do I take this too seriously? Probably. What I don't like seeing though is someone with what seems to be a good knowledge of the finer side of art, sculptures and that lot, coming in and spouting what is an absolute load of crap and expecting to get away with it without someone countering his argument.
Oh wait he can, he's a mod. Lets all obey our mod overlords. Infraction me, I don't care
I quite agree, the likes of the marischal college are impressive buildings and amazingly well built considering all the intricate details. But it never changes, I can go there tomorrow, two weeks time and it will be exactly the same.
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I don't condone the fact that they are defacing other peoples property but at the same time I can't help but be intrigued by it. Those guys have some serious skill to paint at the rate they do and make such a clean, crisp job of it.
The week I spent in Amsterdam, I much preferred looking at the graffiti over going to some of the museums such as the Van Gogh. It just inspired me so much more, espcially out in a rundown part that appeared to be getting taken over by start-up designers. There was lines of brick wall plastered with some amazing graffiti.
As with anything everyone has different views on it, hence why I was intridgued to hear other peoples opinions and it certinally has opened my mind on the subject .
Graffiti is fine with me, as long as it's done on the artist's property. They can go ahead and paint their house, but in my opinion they shouldn't decorate other people's properties. If you don't own it, you have no right to decorate it.
If you do it on your own property or with the consent of the owner, then it's fine. If you do it on someone else's property without permission, it's vandalism. It doesn't even matter whether it looks good or not. It's shoving your views of beauty or "art" on people that might not want it. Like Jehova's witnesses really. They think they're doing good but most people are absolutely sick of them.
To start with yes I'm an old fart, but IMO if it's not yours you don't have the right to decorate it. That’s up to the owner to decide. There was an article in our locale newspaper, there was this couple that had work hard creating their ideal home and after many years renovated their front yard and built a nice sandstone retaining wall to make the front of the house look smart, at great cost to them, within the week someone had tagged it. They were absolutely gutted. It gets down to people having a little respect for other people’s property. I've seen the council spend hundreds or thousands of dollars make some public place look brilliant only to have it look like a shit tip after a couple of weeks because there is spray paint everywhere. If the artists have been commissioned for the work fair enough, then go ahead.
) and the a section of the whole road has been comissioned for graffiti art, and it looks brilliant
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