Graffiti: Variations in Intent

The first time I ever thought about graffiti was when listening to Simon and Garfunkel's musical album ""Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme". One of the songs is a short bit, " Poem on an Underground Wall" that describes a lone person nervously waiting until no one is around to scrawl an obscene word on a subway wall. Yes, there is that kind of graffiti, as well as the almost universal plague of street gang symbols that can be found in almost any town or city in the world. Still, there is more to graffiti than that as I have briefly commented in a couple other posts.

In the past I've written about graffiti as street art through which an unknown person can share his or her visions with a public. While its impact is not as lasting as art carefully hanging in a museum or gallery, at least for a brief time it is seen and maybe even admired. I have previously mentioned that I am often compelled to photograph graffiti in order to preserve it from the ravages of the elements or the city clean-up crew.

There are also a variety of other reasons for producing graffiti. The riverfront wall of Seville "Creatures from the Deep" seems to tell a saga in cartoon form. The monument in Southern Spain with the word "Revolution" slashed across it in black is a political statement. The riverside image of Michael Jackson's head that appeared in Sheboygan, WI right after his death is a kind of "in memorium" statement. The "Hummingbirds" found on a New Mexican wall and the "Fire Breathing Dragon" found on the entry to a Welsh castle and cultural statements.

One more thing that intrigues me about graffiti-the situation in which the piece is produced. It is not usually evident if the graffiti is done with the blessing of the community or in the dark of night with others acting as lookouts for authority figures who will capture the artist and force an end to the art in progress. Sometimes because of the location and the message, it is very obvious that the work is not expected to be appreciated or the message condoned. At other times, the graffiti is a celebration of colorful beautification of what is a city part that has seen better days. Regardless of the intent, graffiti is one of those universal traits of all cultures and all times. Is there a reader who thinks otherwise? What about the strict laws of Singapore??

Thank you for visiting, please stop by again. Until then, may your travels be interesting and enjoyable.

Kerry