I guess it's how you look at it.

It's both a crime and an art.
If you took out the vandalism part, it could be a very beautiful form of art, creating messages with vivid colors and fonts you can't find on a computer.

While it is considered art, it's also a form of vandalism.
If they weren't spray-painting other people's properties, causing them to spend money to repaint over and over, than it could be appreciated to be finer; if it was refrained to certain walls, say, ( though I doubt this may happen ) the city build a wall for graffiti, with a few restrictions ( under PG-13; PG, G, etc, whatever ), it would be considered to be art, since it's okay to put graffiti onto it, but considering it's vandalism onto other's properties, I'm kind of siding with it as a way for them to express themselves by rebelling; vandalism; so I'm kind of against it, though I do see how it could be considered art.

I feel that Grafitti is alittle of both really. It has artistic qualities in its own sence but this does not mean that anyone should continue to do such things. After all its still a crime to destroy something of someone elses is a crime.

I feel the graffiti can be both. It could be a beautiful work of art, I've seen a lot of graffiti in the city I'm currently living in that people have paid the artist to put onto their buildings. But if it's not wanted, no matter how lovely it would be considered vandalism, though in my eyes it's still art, even then, just unwanted and illegal.

I heard of one city whose vandalism problems got so bad that the mayor had them put up a 'graffiti wall' and that resolved the entire issue. For that particular area it was just about expression not about breaking rules.

graffiti, like said before is not really a crime, only when it is done on public building walls and trains and buses and ushc.
Not all graffiti is done on those things and yes, i do think its an art from and when it is done on the metioned places its a rogue form of artform

But i will say that graffiti has been adopted as the sign to publicize gang territory, but most of that graffiti is badly done and with out an artisitc essence
But when it is done in an artistic form, it is still art...just a art for a bad cause
But graffiti in general(the ones that people actually try at) is an artform all in its own

I think it's a crime if you do it on walls, stores, but if you do it on paper, then it's art. :3

I think its an art AND a crime. Some of the graffiti I've sen is absolutely amazing, yet the location in which it was, was not so good...


It depends on where the image is located whether or not its a crime, as for the image its always art..


It makes me laugh though....



if you graffiti the ground you can still get in trouble yet the worlds all abut freedom of speech and such Dx;

I live close to LA i see it all the time yes it can be beautiful at times but It's a crime regardless..

i think grafitti is really good art.
its so hard to do to.

but it shouldnt be put on buildings without permision,cause then that is a crime?

but if they do it on like something that THEY own,i think its some of the coolest art there is.

It's a crime of course. Not even a drop of debate here.

If you want to express art, then do it on your own house or property. Once you invade in someone else's space... you are committing a crime.

Its a crime... either way you look at it. Unless they where hired by the person owning what they are putting their "art" on then its a crime. Every piece that i have ever seen has been on the side of a train or on a bridge as I'm passing under it on the high way. I have never seen a nice piece that actually looked like art and was placed on like a nice place that people could admire it. I've only ever seen it again on places that fly past you so fast you don't have time to even look at it. How is that art?! Isn't Art supposed to be admired? I dunno I do not see it as art. I think its just a crime

Well, it all depends. I think it is a legitimate form of art, and some of it has a powerful message. Of course, it is still illegal and you shouldn't spraypaint on someone's house, I think that's a point we all agree on. I saw some graffiti in Florida that spanned an entire wall, and it was absolutely awesome. I'd be sad if that got covered up. O__o

But the kind that just says AMY & JEREMY 4EVA... yeah, that's not expression, that's you being an idiot. We don't need that.

Yes it's a crime because it's vandalism. But that doesn't mean people need to go against the fact that it IS art and people DO spend time and effort into making their 'tag' or whatever creative and original.
I think that graffiti should only be done when someone wants to express themselves, not to be like 'oh I made my mark and this is mine.' That's just lame.

I'm going to side with both options. But with slight differences as to the whereabouts of said graffiti.

Imaging walking down your street and reaching your home. You find random lines of spraypaint and/or pictures. **Graffiti**

Imagine driving under a bridge and before you reach the next one, you see words and pictures on the side. **Graffiti**

Imagine going to a place where someone was told to draw logos on a building to add some urban-ness to the look. **Art**

So if they are told to do it by the owner or are doing it on their own property, it's not graffiti, but simply art. Graffiti would have to be on others property without them being okay with it.

^ Agreed. When we talk about graffiti, I think that we have to be very careful with how we define it. Is graffiti the act of vandalism, or the painting style itself? Is graffiti the intent, or the obstruction?

^ Agreed on needing to clarify terms.

To my mind, graffiti is the act of vandalism, the obstruction. Graffiti is the unwanted marking of private property. Just because some people are amazingly creative with it doesn't mean that the act can be condonable.

However, a piece of graffiti, say on a subway wall, could then become a peice of art by being transfered to an appropriate location. I think at that point though, it stops being graffiti. It becomes spray art, or pop art, or something like that; I'm not aware if we have a term for that art style yet, other than graffiti.

Graffiti is art ... but I dont appreciate it being sprayed all over the city and making it all look rundown. If you are good enough, start doing real art and displaying it in the proper way. I dont think grafitti gets enough appreciation soley because of the way it is done <3

• I know of places that have set up area's for people to go and spray there.
  
  I don't want to call it Graffiti because some of the art i've seen has been beautiful, and graffiti just seems to be a negative word.
  
  However, when it is purposely done to be vandalising and is just a 'signature' then i don't like it. Especially when they do it all over the town in bus shelters, on signs .. i just don't see the point of it.
  
  So basically, i think if it's done for a purpose like what i mentioned before where they deliberately set up places for them to go (like skate parks) then that's fine, because it's confined and under control.
  But if it's all over my town just to let people know who's been there then i dislike it.
  
  

It's important to separate random "tagging" from graffiti, which is something you can get a master degree in o.O (we have one person with that degree in Norway, and it's a girl ^^)

I think graffiti is art, tagging a crime... we have some special areas where graffiti artists are invited to do their thing on their designated spot of wall, and there was a graffitied wall featured in a display at an Art Museum...

Random tagging = no-no/crime

Graffiti = Art, when done legally

^^

I believe that most graffiti is a crime, however I have seen some wonderful graffiti art that I enjoy looking at every time I ride the trolley to downtown. However, those are rare cases. Most of the graffiti I see is ugly.


I'm surprised no one has mentioned Jean Michel Basquiat. He was a graffiti artist, and was highly involved in the graffiti movement in the late Seventies.

Seriously.

I don't know much more than that, but he worked with Andy Warhol, and was eventually considered a 'fine serious artist' for his graffiti art. There is a film titled "Basquiat" about his life. I remember watching it when I was a child (my mother is an artist, and art teacher) and liking it. I'm thinking about renting it, or even buying it to watch now that I am older, and will understand much more of it.

Here's a link to some of his art, if you would like a reference:
http://www.basquiat.com/art.php



Edit:: I agree with Dearest, in that there is a huge difference between tagging, and graffiti.

I've heard of spots where people are welcomed to spray-paint it. Then it's legal, and I'm okay with it.

But it's criminal to do so if you don't receive permission to start doodling on my wall.

I actually thought about that once.

In San Francisco, I saw graphitti which was really beautiful, not someone's name or something inappropiate.
Then I said:
"I think graphitti is good if it's meant to be good." :3
Unless that is, the person who's property is being graphittied doesn't like it. . .

It depends, are they spray painting on public buildings etc. without permission or are they given permission? If some one asks them to do it for whatever reason, it can be considered art but if it's just a bunch of kids or gang members, it vandalism because they are defacing someone else's property.

I dont know wether i can call it either or


All I know is that the people who do a good job at it could use there art skills for much better things. Because it is actually really good artwork. I meen why put your amazing artwork on a dirty rusty ol' train? No use in that is there? they should paint on walls for people i heard people make good money doing that actually because it takes time just to do it! :D


so why use such amazing arts skills in crime Qoute ON qoute Ways?

Thanks,

KuroNeko

Well actually I do like some grafitti and if they do have permission and are allowed to do it then that's okay of course. But what I don't like are the ones that aren't very suitable for everyone to see. I also do see it as a sort of unique and interesting art.

Actually, the way I see it, it's both art AND crime at the same time.

When you get down to it, the biggest part of what determines whether something is really art or not is the intention of the artist and how much effort they put into making it look "artistic."
However, if someone is doing graffiti just for the purpose of vandalism, I don't think there's any artistic quality in that.

Though either way, it's still criminal unless they get permission from whoever owns the property that they're painting on.