Graffiti: A Form Of Art Vandalism

Art is everywhere, not just hung up on a wall inside of a museum. Art is a universal language, it is a part of everyday life, artists allow their imaginations to run wild and use everything around them as inspiration and the canvas for their art. Many artists work in a field called “street art” also known as graffiti. While many critics would argue that this a form of art vandalism, it is a recognized part of contemporary art (Marić, 2014). Graffiti is art because it is just one of many products of human creativeness and the imagination, it is a reflection of the artist’s passions, life experiences, and emotions, and lastly, graffiti is aesthetically pleasing. Imagination is defined as “a creative faculty of the mind or a vehicle of active

For something to be considered art it must meet those criteria, but for something to be considered street art or graffiti it must meet some additional criteria. They are, 1. Older street art must have a strong devotion to social activism, 2. It must help transform the reality of what is considered contemporary art, and 3. It must help shape and construct new cultural discussions (Marić, 2014). There are also four main Biblical criteria that Francis Schaeffer describes that something needs to meet to be considered art, they are: the technical excellence of the piece, the validity of the artist’s work, the content of the art work, and if the artist can accurately express what they are trying to convey in the art medium that they chose (Schaeffer’s four key criteria, n.d.). Street art or graffiti is now considered part of contemporary art because the graffiti artists make sure that their pieces of art meet all of the criteria that describe a contemporary art

Street art is just one of countless ways that people use their imagination to create beautiful, aesthetically pleasing works of art. For many artists, painting graffiti is the only way they feel that they can accurately express what they have lived through, what they are passionate about, and their emotions. Most street artists’ motives for creating there works of art are not so that they participate in deviant or criminal behavior. Therefore, graffiti or street art should not be considered criminal, but rather it should become a recognized art form. More cities should also begin setting aside designated buildings and walls, etc. and allow local street artists to freely produce their art, rather than condemning the people and their