1. Art or Vandalism?
Street art by Banksy
“A challenge to graffiti art is that it is forced on the public because people
have no say in its production . . . Billboards, campaign ads, and flyers are
also forced on the public.” George Stowers 2008
2. W B
H A
An Anonymous artist O N
K
Active since 1990
I S
Started working out of Bristol, UK S Y
3. Art works? By Banksy
“We can’t do anything to change the world until
capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should
all go shopping to console ourselves.” Banksy
5. Tools and Techniques
Tools used spray paint, stencils, airbrush
Works have to be done quickly
Copies or steals from known artists and other
street artists
6. Satire
“I have been assured by a very knowing American of
my acquaintance. . .that a young healthy child
nursed, is at a year the most delicious, nourishing,
and wholesome food. . . “
Jonathan Swift ‘A Modest Proposal’ 1729
“Sometimes I feel so sick at the state of the world, that
I can’t even finish my second apple pie”
Banksy 2007
7. Using Satire in art works
Using humor or irony as a constructive social criticism.
Napalm Girl photo Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald
Nick Ut 1972 paint on Concrete
Banksy
8. Questions to discuss
• Does the fact that something is illegal or
temporary mean that it can’t be seen as art?
• How would you feel if someone destroyed
your artwork?
• How is color and line used in graffiti art?
• How or why do graffiti artists use satire or
humor in their work?
• How are the two quotes in the presentation
similar and different?
9. Project
Make a poster that uses an iconic
image, a historical event and/or a
current event to create a satirical
advertisement.
The People’s Restaurant
Use computers, photos,
paint and and found
images.
Banksy is a Bristol based graffiti artist who has been working since the 1990’s. Because his work is illegal and because he is know to borrow from other artists and work over their work, he works anonymously. The movie “Exit through the gift shop” in 2010, was his first experiment in film. It brought a tremendous amount of publicity to him. Subsequently many of his pieces have been sold for thousands of dollars.
Here are three pieces attributed to Banksy. Banksy doesn’t show his work in a traditional gallery or museum. Many of his works appear overnight and are often gone in a matter of days. Because of the transitory nature of his works most are not formally named. They usually go by descriptive names given by the public.
Here are some examples of artist who started out as graffiti artists before being accepted into the mainstream art world. Jean-Michel Basquiat was a famous artist in the 1980’s before he died. He was homeless for a while as a teen before participating in gallery shows in NYC. Barry McGee is a contemporary artist in San Francisco who went to art school but also had many experiences with the homeless population in SF. Does being accepted by galleries and museums mean that you are an artist?
Often the environment an artist works in, determines the tools and techniques that are used. Graffiti artists often work in the night, in hard to reach places. They have to be able to work quickly and efficiently. Banksy uses stencils in his work to create overlapping blocks of colors that create the forms. Stenciling has a long tradition in printmaking.
England has a long tradition of satire in both literature and visual arts. Jonathan Swift’s essay A Modest Proposal was meet with shock and outrage when it was first published. The artist William Hogarth was known for his biting portraits of middle class life in British society.
Here is an example of satire in Banksy’s work. He takes an iconic image from our history and tranforms it into a pop culture commentary on our current culture. What do you think he is trying to say with this piece? Is it offensive? Do you think it is ok to use images from our past like this?
Answer 2 or three of these questions.
This is a project that can be done in school on the computer or using painting, drawing or printmaking techniques.
