Graffiti Is Art Essay

Art is defined as the expression or application of human creativity and imagination. And graffiti is a synonym of art; it is a form of painting with walls as the canvas. It is an expression of every feeling in every moment and place. Graffiti can be understood in many different ways. But no matter the canvas walls, trains, or buildings, graffiti is art.
The artists use graffiti as a way of expression to society. They want to show the world reality and they want people “to acknowledge the absurdities of closely held preconceptions” (Kakutani) of what can and can’t be art. People deserve the freedom to show their beliefs in any perspective they choose. It’s the loss of the stuck up art critics of the street “who see graffiti solely as vandalism and urban decay” (Davich) when it is much more than mere child’s play and mischief. The transition from “gang related origins and a vandalism-pock marketed reputation” (Davich) to something’s that can be viewed as a form of restoration and new beginning is a
Society considers graffiti as vandalism because “for many people they don’t understand it. It’s like a foreign language”(Davich). Graffiti is a strong form of expression, an artist should be allowed to make their thoughts and beliefs public. “Graffiti art has served as a social identity for generations of youth” (Davich) serving as a way for them to avoid violence and drugs. Making street art illegal and labeling it as vandalism limits the freedom of young artists to escape their struggles and instead represent their accomplishments through art. For the majority of people graffiti is nothing more than colorful splashes of paint on the wall. But it takes skill, determination and the sleight-of-hand to make a canvas for the whole world to see. Graffiti is a skill that is changing the world and criticism is a “part of what street art is”(Kakutani) and just accelerates its popularity and