Graffiti as Art

We all know the definition of graffiti but to those that don’t know what graffiti is, basically it’s writing or drawings scratched or sprayed illegally on a wall or surface in a public area.

This means that people are going out of their way to get their “art” seen and to make a statement or announcement. Sometimes these messages are super creative and other times its pure vandalism.

But can we truly say that graffiti is art? Can we look at it and find inspiration?

A short answer will be YES

Graffiti is a true form of expressive art. It allows the individual to express their feelings and emotions to the public in a creative and visual way.

Other cases are where the expressions are rather an anger towards authority so it’s purely done for the purpose of telling them “You don’t own me”.

Above is a picture of a graffiti of a Knysna Turaco. A rare bird found in the rainforests of Knysna on the Southern Coast of South Africa.

Personally, this type of graffiti I adore. It’s creative, expressive and unique. It shows character and also a real talent.

Also, this picture I took under a bridge near the coast showed me that the people living there are proud of their area that they live in.

If you look at the picture you can see a lot of effort and detail is put into this graffiti. Effort only a true individual can master. And each artist has their own style. Whether it’s rough edges or paint gradience, each artist finds their style and sticks with it.