Graffiti - Art or Vandalism?

We Need To Bring Back Graffiti!!

There are places in the towns around here where they sponsor subways and walls to graffiti artists, and they look great! Graffiti is art basically, but only in its place. Some people just spray slogans, and not good ones at that, all over the place, illegally. That, I regard as vandalism and illegal toboot. I think it would benefit some places to just let the real artists loose on their bare, drab walls, because they certainly can brighten things up, and at no, or little cost to the sponsor. They do it because they love to, and in a legal environment, have the time and skills to make it a real work of art. Brightest Blessings.

I agree - some of the graffiti is more like art work- but they shouldn't be doing it on private property. Sometimes they spray paint on the side of my church, it's expensive and takes time to get off. I know that there are some towns that put up dividers especially for that particular reason to keep them from doing it elsewere.

I think Graffiti can be a form of art.I have seen some that were really cool and just wonderfully done.If it's just something sprayed on the side of a building or even someones home than no....I would not consider that art.In Germany they have trains that they allow to be painted and it's really fun watching the different pictures as the train goes by.

It pretty much depends on the facts. If it's not done as a tag but to ligten a place up and the person or persons have permission it's art. those who do it illegaly then it's graffiti and vandalism. Really these kids who do it for the wrong reason should be fined a small but fair ammount and made to do work to clean the place up. older people should be fined alot and forced again to clean public toilets and stuff. Harsh but it's the only way people will learn. ~Joey Kudos!

I really love it! I grew up thinking grafitti looks ugly but in reality most of the time it livens up ugly concrete slabs and unused walls. I hope to never see it anywhere where it's designed to actually deface and destroy. I lived in Lisbon and saw many amazing examples of what I can only call Art, especially in the poorer parts of town. I lived in the beautiful old town and I never saw it there. Also I see it around Korea sometimes and I always stop to appreciate the time and effort made by people.

It depends on whether it looks good and is not a crappy signature, that is vandalism, if it is full on art with graphics and logo's sprayed here and there, then it is art and should be respected as such. There are many talented graffitti artists out there, but they are limited in the space and the chances to do their work as it is often regarded and associated with crime and vandalism and this is wrong!!

My idea of graffiti I have seen a lot of different graffiti, all over the place, some are of it is wonderful while others are dreadful, when I lived in Government housing it was shocking the graffiti there with swear words and everything it cost our tax payers a lot of money to clean it all the time it is just a pity that these vandales where never caught so they could of spent their own money cleaning it off. But if it is done in the right places and it looks great that is wonderful

I think it can be a bit of both or one of the other. I think if someone goes out and tags a building that's in regular use and writes nothing but profanity all over the place, that's vandalism. No doubt about it. If they tag a building that's really not used and instead of doing nothing but write horrible things, they draw something and don't actually destroy anything, that can be art. I guess it really depends on a person's perspective.

i agree with you..in an appropriate setting it could create a lively and vivd pic ..and if local artists were encouraged to get together and were given this avenue for their creativity it could do a lot for fostering local community and understanding..and giving all the young kids something constructive to do in their lives..often so many of them are bored and lost..in the concrete maze jungles..

I think that is a an art. Someone can express their true feeling through graffiti.

Graffiti i think is art, people wouldn't do it otherwise because they would just use normal letters. It does look amazing some times, i don't think i would be able to do it, so its obviously another talent. Kids do this because they're bored, if we had more things for kids to do i don't think they would do it as much!

Im a Graffiti writer, i write dokta2 or wen i do it short i do dr.2. graffiti pieces are nice to look at because they have lots of effects & bright colours in the letters, but "tags" & "bombins" make the place look dirty. Graffiti is a whole culture, a life style that is now violent! if you go over a person, you can get marked T.O.S.(Terminate on sight), Then if the person u went over is in a graffiti crew, they will try to find you so they can: most commonly beat the hell out of you and make you go to hospital, stab you or shoot you: Mostly in America. Graffiti is dying, not as many people do it any more, and over the years it has lost the respect.

I don't class the messy stuff as graffiti... real graffiti is an amazing artform! I love it... I have a dabble at it but I'm just amateur, there's some amazing artists out there. I wish people would recognise the good side of graffiti. Plus it can be used in society to prevent crime, even though some people class it as annoyance. Done right, its an artform that can be utilised for good things :)

Difficult to say. I don't like when they are on monumements or historical buldings. I like graffiti very much when they are in the sad wall of some city. They give to the sad wall of part of city: light, colour and brightness. Some of them are real art and we have to be happy to see.

While my son was at school the whole area was covered with quite offensive graffiti. We found one solution was to get the walls cleaned properly and then treated so that future graffiti would be easily cleaned off. Then we all got together and set aside some desinated areas for graffiti and within a few short weeks we had some wonderful artwork on those walls. This idea has extended to some inner city areas, where bright and colourful graffiti artwork has recognised as an artform and has been encouraged.

Anything can be at just two places. One is the right place. Which is something OK. The other would be the wrong place. Now if something is at the wrong place it could either be creative or destructive; strange and beautiful or ugly and horrible. The former would deserve praise and applaud, the latter anger and abuses. Imagine a sentence "It is raining" nicely calligraphed. If you see it in the weather report its OK. If it is on your umbrella or raincoat its probably creative. If its on the wall of your house that you recently painted its annoying. Am I correct??

graffiti is an excellent art form, i dont agree with " jack was ere 2k7 luvin sarah" crap but like proper pieces that take hours shows dedication similiar to something like van Gogh. Writers are willing to stay up all night and risk being arrested to express themselves and to me thats what art stands for.

for me it is an art of vandalism.. lol.. no... if you do it in a good way.. well thats an art and if you abuse on what you are doin.. there it goes.. vandalism.. just always remember that everything has limitations...