Graffiti as Art
Graffiti is one of the most pervasive art forms throughout New York City. Not only is it an original and creative form of self-expression, it decorates walls, buildings and the like, that otherwise would be ordinary looking (at best) or even ugly.
More than simply decorative self-expression, however, graffiti is an art form. The picture taken of a wall with men’s faces on it, made to look like mugshots, is a prime example. The expressions on the men’s faces are varied, and quite communicative; they range from impish smiles to hardcore stares to shameful looks to evil grins of guilty pleasure. The colors are also quite expressive; the entire mural is done in black and white, with red accents throughout that serve to keep the viewer’s eye traveling as well as make each “criminal” stand out. The red also adds to the “badass” look; it is the color of blood in dramatic stark contrast with the bare black and white shades that constitute the rest of the wall.
There is a stamp that reads “The Usual Suspects” along the wall, that gives one the impression that the people pictured in the graffiti mural are perhaps real people, a group of friends (or perhaps more like partners in crime) who choose to represent themselves by artfully putting their faces up in public. Perhaps this is a signature of sorts, or a hidden admission to something. Perhaps it is the work of a collection of artists, who painted themselves the way they look, or wish they looked, up on a wall, or perhaps it is the work of one artist painting the people around him. No one will know, though, because part of the art of graffiti is that people never sign it; a person or group’s “tag” will assuredly be found somewhere in the work, but only those in the know will be able to trace it to its owner(s).
This is the beauty of graffiti; self-expression, beautifying something otherwise plain or ugly, in one’s own personal way. Because it is not legal, it has yet to be commodified, and so there are no boundaries or restrictions on what a person can do to a wall or the side of a building. Graffiti, though usually unappreciated, is everywhere, and hopefully others will agree and see the beauty and true art in it.