Graffiti: a work of art or vandalism? Graffiti represents an art form that is unrestricted, one that rebels against conventional forms of artwork. Graffiti is intertwined into human history, dating back to the Roman Empire. They made political statements and satirize current events.
Modern graffiti achieves many of the same things – to state a message that doesn’t necessarily fit into the norms of society. Of course, graffiti isn’t new, it has been found in Greek and Roman towns from 2,000 years ago, the people who lived in caves drew on their walls before language existed….
Graffiti also known as Street-Art or Urban-Art has come a long way from the simple cave-paintings of our ancient past, to the amazing diversity of today’s graffiti.
A BRIEF HISTORY The American History of Graffiti: From subway to gallery
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• Keith Haring
Keith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.
Haring achieved his first public attention with chalk drawings in the subways of New York (see public art). These were his first recognized pieces of pop art. His bold lines, vivid colors, and active figures carry strong messages of life and unity.
Pyramid Figures Radiating Baby Spaceship Dog Dolphins Symbolize peace and love Two humans holding a heart means romantic love Three-eyed smiling face means greed Taggers vs. Artist • Taggers scribble • Artists create art Positive aspects of Graffiti art
BANKSY Banksy is a pseudonymous English graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.
Stencils are traditionally hand drawn or printed onto sheets of acetate or card, before being cut out by hand. Because of the secretive nature of Banksy's work and identity, it is uncertain what techniques he uses to generate the images in his stencils, though it is assumed he uses computers for some images due to the photocopy nature of much of his work. Banksy is never seen ,unless in disguise, and does not give interviews at all
Banksy in Chicago Celtic Knotwork
• The history of the Celts goes back for thousands of years. The Celtic people were recognized far and wide for their first-class skills in jewelry, artwork, arms and even metalworking. Celtic knot designs have become a symbol of cultural pride for those with Welsh, Irish or Scottish heritage The bulk of Celtic tattoo designs and artwork come from Ireland where the history of the Celts is still very strong to this day.
Celtic knot tattoos are amongst some of the most favorite and most common designs, sporting loops with no end that symbolize an cycle of death and rebirth. Graffiti and Celtic Knotwork
• What are some similarities you see ?
• What are some differences?
How its Made • The graffitist first does a sketch. • Then he or she plans out characters and selects colors. • Next, the artist selects his or her "canvas" or surface. • Then they create a preliminary outline followed by a filling in of colors and ornamentation. • Finally the graffitist does a final outline. For your next project we will be looking at graffiti art and Celtic Knotwork to inspire us to create our own Work of Art. Your Graffiti Inspired Drawing
Will be a Personal Commentary on… An issue/concept that is important in your life. Can be inspired by an event/personal challenge/events occurring in the world/ a struggle/ music lyrics/poems/ your own writing/ dreams/ books Etc- the possibilities are endless! * If you can’t think of an idea- let’s start by drawing some Celtic knots and graffiti Lines • There are many ways an artist can communicate their ideas, including: • Use a particular style (e.g. abstraction) • Create links with a particular historical art movement (e.g. surrealism) • Use symbolism/signs • Manipulate materials and techniques • Manipulate art elements and principles • Consider the ways the artwork may be interpreted by the audience Symbols
• Symbols may have profound meaning for some, yet no meaning for others. For a symbol to have significance, its meaning must be known to the viewer. Take, for example, the Chinese symbol for yin and yang. To those who understand its origins as a philosophical explanation of the workings of the universe, it is a symbol that represents a concrete idea. To those who know nothing of the symbol's origins in Chinese philosophy, it's merely a circular design with opposing colors and shapes. • For a symbol to have meaning, it's important to understand what it represents. • This principle is that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites, for example female-male, dark-light and old-young Symbols • Symbolism is humankind’s oldest form of visual communication. Artists have incorporated symbols into their work since man first began to delve into the world of visual expression. • To this day, people are still using realistic and abstract symbols to represent countless human thoughts and emotions. Graffiti artists, though often criticized for their defacement of public property, are contemporary examples of this early human need to create a symbol language of visual representation. • In art, a symbol is usually a solid, recognizable thing—an animal, a plant, an object, etc.—that stands for something that would be hard to show in a picture or a sculpture. A force of nature, for example, or an idea. Juxtaposition of objects/symbols to create new meaning
Placement of objects that wouldn’t necessarily belong together to create new meaning/hidden meaning/mystery in order to evoke emotions/feeling. Symbols can represent a group of people Symbols can be personal Your Graffiti Inspired Drawing Create a Personal Commentary/Statement - Brainstorm Ideas (when? NOW) - Find Reference Photos - Create sketches in Sketchbook- There needs to be overlapping lines that help unify the drawing. You should use symbols/create symbols to represent your ideas.
- Trace onto drawing paper - Use Ebony/sharpie to create lines/values/textures on final draft Your Drawing
• NEED Not look as if it is graffiti! nor the Celtic knot work. We are just using the concepts graffiti artists’ use in the creation of an artwork.
Let’s Brainstorm
The purpose of any artwork is to communicate a message: to comment or scream or sing about the world in which we find ourselves in. If there is no emotion behind the work, there is no driving force – nothing to direct and shape your decision making. Write down the things that you care about; that move you. Include topics that are unusual, challenging, controversial, gritty or inspiring: those that fill you with passion. Evaluate your ideas
• Think carefully about the topics that you have written down. • Eliminate those which are ‘cheesy’ (i.e involving pink hearts and Brad Pitt),insincere (i.e. a theme of ‘World Peace’, when really this is something you couldn’t care less about) and overly “pretty” or lacking in substance (i.e. bunches of roses). Imagery
• What Symbols/ text/ images are you going to use to portray the idea you have chosen • How will you Unify these subjects together in a harmonious way? (Overlap, line, repetition) • In your sketchbook, draw out at least 2 thumbnails of what your drawing might look like. Show your ideas to your teacher and discuss. Your Graffiti Inspired Drawing STEPS Brainstorm/ Sketch Ideas in sketchbook (2 thumbnails-small versions of finished piece) Trace Sketch on Drawing Paper Start Drawing- Contour Then add value/texture/contrast Your Graffiti-Inspired Drawing
You will be graded on the use of: Creativity/ Concept Overlap/Connection of imagery Symbols (minimum 2) Variation of Line(s) Value Texture Composition (Elements/Principles)
MEDIA- Pencil, Ebony, Sharpie We call a use of a variety of media MIXED MEDIA Looking for fonts?
• Check out Dafont.com or fontspace.com