UNUSUAL KIND OF THE COMTEMPORARY ART IN THE UK

Шмакова Юлия

(г.о.Ступино, МБОУ СОШ №9, 8 класс)

И.И. Плигина

UNUSUAL KIND OF THE COMTEMPORARY ART IN THE  UK

You can’t ask for a more colourful lens on the world than to view it through its street art. In any city you’re in, take a longer look at the painted, tagged, stickered or wheat-pasted facades around you, and you’ll get a story about a place — usually, a different story than what the local tourism board wants you to see.

These are the places where urban art helped a city to heal after an earthquake, where it communicates the anger of life under occupation, where it built a non-violent sanctum out of the infrastructure of war, and where it combines with distinctive architecture to create compositions you’ll only see once in a lifetime.

It’s the nature of such artworks are temporary. Whether by weather or human intervention, they’ll eventually be destroyed. If it seems like a work you’ve made the pilgrimage to view is gone, explore the neighbourhood and see what new art you can uncover instead.

Urban art is visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art places. Other terms for this type of art include "independent public art", "post-graffiti", and "neo-graffiti". Common forms and media include spray paint graffiti, stencil graffiti, wheatpasted poster art, sticker art, street installations, and sculpture. 

One of the most famous representatives of the urban art is Banksy.

English graffiti artist and international prankster Banksy has managed to become one of the world's most recognized artists while remaining relatively anonymous. Staying true to the credos of street art, he's built a celebrated body of work, both permanent and impermanent, that utilizes satire, subversion, dark humor, and irony to create resonant social, political, and humanist messages for the masses on a populous and public level. His style is universally familiar, founded on a signature stencil aesthetic.

Banksy has developed an entire art subculture devoted to his works. Banksy’s art can impact any location at any given moment. His identity remains unknown, even after over 20 years of being involved with the graffiti scene. He has worked with many different types of street art media and street art types. His work not only includes many powerful, often controversial images, but they may also be found throughout the Internet as viral images.

Banksy began his graffiti art lifestyle by admiring the works of Blek Le Rat and often recycling his old ideas. He has been very active in the graffiti scene since the early 1990s.

The most common form of street art Banksy uses are stencils. These are often in the form of multi-layered stencils and/or combined with other media sources, such as spray-paint. He also includes anything found in the streets like street signs and other objects to convey his message by crafting beautiful street art installations. His artwork is often satirical and combines dark humor with graffiti and also spread messages across art, philosophy, and politics.

By the early 2000s, Banksy relocated to London, where he began to gain notoriety and even worked on a series of international exhibits. Eventually, he decided to travel to Palestine and the West Bank, where he stenciled nine images on the Bethlehem Wall. These images were an instant hit and virally exploded in the Internet.

Very little is known about Banksy himself, as he refuses to be interviewed and keeps his identity carefully maintained. A world-renowned mystery man, Banksy has risen through the ranks to become one of the world's greatest street artists partly by creating an urgency to understand his character. Street art fanatics are consistently satisfied with every piece of art he delivers, though he often leaves them wanting more. This tactic carries one's curiosity to explore a completely new perspective or idea, leaving his artistic creations to inspire beginning and advanced artists. This inspiration is also known as the “Banksy Effect.”

Banksy’s artwork has been seen across the world. His travels have included Australia, England, the United States, Israel, Jamaica, and even Russia.

The below artworks are the most important by Banksy - that both overview the major creative periods, and highlight the greatest achievements by the artist.

Rage, the Flower Thrower (2005) – Jerusalem

This appeared in Jerusalem in 2003 and is perhaps one of Banksy’s most well-known pieces. To many people it is a symbol of peace and hope in the face of adversity and destruction. The masked rioter is throwing not a “Molotov Cocktail” but a bunch of flowers and the image was featured heavily in Banksy’s 2005 book entitled “Wall and Piece”.

Sweep it Under the Carpet – London

Possibly one of the most recognisable Banksy artworks, Sweep it Under the Carpet appeared on a wall on Chalk Farm Road, North London in around 2006. It shows a woman dressed as a maid who is sweeping dirt under the cover of a brick wall. The piece is said to represent the reluctance of the western world to deal with global issues

No Ball Games – London

“No Ball Games” first appeared in Turnpike Lane, North London, in 2009 but was later removed in July 2013 by a private organisation called “Sincura Group” in order to display it at the “Stealing Bansky” exhibition, a private collection of original Banksy works. Sincura Group have claimed that they have made no profit from the exhibition. The same group were also responsible for removing Banksy’s Slave Labour piece (see next item) which appeared close by in Wood Green in 2012. Banksy himself has made it clear he has no links with either the group or the exhibition

There is Always Hope – London

Arguably Banksy’s most iconic piece, it appeared in South Bank, London in around 2002. The words ‘There Is Always Hope’ are written just behind a young girl, who can be seen reaching for a balloon in the shape of a heart. Intense debate has raged on over the years regarding the true meaning of this stencil, with a variety of ideas involving love, innocence and – obviously – hope.

Yellow Lines Flower Painter – London

Once again Banksy has used existing feature to enhance his work. Here the double yellow lines of the road are extended across the pavement and up the wall where they bloom into a flower. The pavement lines have been removed and the painter’s face is mostly obscured with newer graffiti, but the flower is still clear

Despite Banksy's success, there are many people who see his work as vandalism rather than art. They see ugly graffiti, irresponsible and childish, and say Banksy encourages more people to do it. Many city councils remove Banksy's work from their walls, but they cannot  do anything when it is  on private property. In fact, many people want to keep his work on the walls of their building, as it adds value of the property, because it is considered by many to be a valuable work of art.