GRAFFITI: ART OR VANDALISM?

Yesterday in class we were discussing graffiti. Perhaps it is something we are fed up with seeing at streets, but we had never had the opportunity to give an opinion knowing more about it.

Graffiti comes from the Italian word 'graffito'. It refers to writing or drawings written, scribbled or scratched on a wall. 

Its origins are in the late 60s in New York and they were started by political activists to get their messages across or by street gangs to mark their territory. Nowadays tags or signatures of graffiti artists are the most common. 

There are several and opposing opinions about grafitti. Some people believe that it is an expression meant for youngsters, whereas some others recognize that they make cities look dangerous, ugly or run-down. 

What do you feel about this? Maybe this video will help you to make up your mind. Or not...

In the following link you can see some of the awesome graffiti made by the artist Bansky. We talked about him in class and, to my mind, there are some outstanding creations.  There you go!

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/106-coolest-banksy-graffiti-drawings

More about Bansky HERE.  

I have found some other videos related to this topic: