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graffiti

Your Building, Our Canvas

August 7, 2013 by EDISON SIBRI

   

Graffiti is around the world, and can be dated back to Before the Christian Era, when writings of the Safaitic language, a form of proto-Arabic, were scratched into the rocks and boulders of what is now named the Basalt desert in northern Saudi Arabia.

In Greek cities such as Ephesus, though, graffiti was mainly advertising prostitution, but it was graffiti nonetheless. Even in Ancient Rome, graffiti could be found on the walls and the monuments. Their graffiti was more of messages with the political views and social aspects that we see today. They wrote about love, poetic quotes and even magic spells.

In today’s world, graffiti is a form of art and expression with different aspects and uses–unique, pure imagination and out-spoken. Graffiti art is seen as a sign of rebellion and an insult to the community. It’s very sad that something so colorful and wonderful is looked at negatively and frowned upon by so many people.</p?

The reason why the artists make such “sad excuses of art” is to add a little color to the world full of darkness and dread we live in now. They light up the world on building walls and bridges. Is it such a terrible thing?

In views of the law it is the mark of crime growing. To know that graffiti is seen as crime is sickening. That the law tries to cover up the loud voices they scream through their creations on the street is like the government keeping quiet about the NSA program. At one point, someone will notice and someone will speak up about it. Just because graffiti isn’t a canvas on display or a piece of paper frame doesn’t make it anything less than what Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O’Keeffe or even Michelangelo did. It’s amazing and new, in its own way, to this world.

But then there are the negatives. The fact it is seen as public vandalism instead of public hope is one. The other major one is that people use it in their negative ways for instance, gang affiliations. This is the main reason why graffiti art is frowned upon. The gangs had taken this art form to represent them and their group, to show who is “in charge” of a specific area. Those are the people that should be incarcerated for vandalism. They are not artists and they do not deserve the title or respect for it. They are the reason why it’s viewed as crime. The people who create such dreadful things on walls misuse colors and creation to take out the darkness they have in their soul and use spray cans to unleash it to the world.

Graffiti shouldn’t cause darkness to this world; it’s filled enough with it as is. It should contradict it. Graffiti art shouldn’t be used to hurt society , but to bring the streets the color and happiness they need, to keep the world spinning, to keep the world from plunging into total darkness.

Filed Under: Commentary and reviews, Culture and Entertainment Tagged With: graffiti

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