The two final quarters of my Bachelor studies were done on contract in Europe. No classes, teachers or classmates; just me exploring a dream, soaking in all I possibly could. I wrote many papers, one of my finals being a 16-pager on “European Happiness: An Eastern Perspective on a Western World” where I focused on certain aspects of European culture that I observed contributing to their expression of identity and search for happiness. Some areas of studies were public art, graffiti and architecture. I have included pieces from my paper below on street art (don’t mind the citations) and pictures of pieces that I love from around the world.
In an age of such complex political systems governing over so many people, many are left feeling oppressed, unheard and hopeless in their individual voices. Although a crime in almost all areas of the world, graffiti is gaining serious respect as an art form and popularity as a powerful means of self-expression. It can be careless defacement, but at its heart exists as public expressions using pictures and words carrying artistic or political messages.
Painting on our surrounding environments has been fulfilling our need of expression for thousands of years. Graffiti comes from the Italian word “graffiato” which means “scratched” (Bingham, 2010). Forms of graffiti can be traced all the way back to ancient cave paintings, hieroglyphs, and even sayings, names and drawings of politicians found on building sides in the remains of Pompeii (Barbieri, 2008). It has since become one of the largest artistic movements of the 20th century.
3D street painting:
Many artists say it is not out of boredom or personal vendetta, rather a way for an individual or group of oppressed people to get their message to the masses in a way that cannot be ignored. Often intelligent, shocking, powerful and/or humorous pictures and slogans are used to gain attention and make people think. A famous example of this is the Berlin Wall in Germany. After its construction separating the West from communist East Berlin, the people of the West protested the Wall by defacing it in some of the most powerful, political and emotional graffiti of modern times (Bingham, 2010). The messages and styles within graffiti speak of the cultures they reflect at the time of creation.
This is Banksy… An unidentified British graffiti artist who has traveled the world leaving his famous marks behind, including on the Israeli West Bank barrier. Banksy is very popular and controversial. I recommend watching his film called, “Exit Through the Gift Shop”.
Do the times shape the artist, or does the artist shape the times?
When we take an art history course, or buy an art history book from a store, we are told about the same artists over and over and are directed to what is “good art” and what is worth our time and energy to focus on. I am not sure who made these determinations, but some may argue it is an opinion of a few that is being shoved down the throats of many (Howells, 2003). Regardless of their medium, graffiti artists are able to reach a certain depth of human emotion and experience, which is exactly what art at its best does. It makes you think and feel in real, powerful ways. It opens doors to release emotion and lets others know they are not alone in their human or political frustrations.
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Definitely future posts to come on technique, artists and other pieces…
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Amazing..why u can do that ??
Just struck: in the novel, “Tuck Everlasting”, the jail described very much resembles your first photo here. Love the caged bird sings allusion as well.
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So beautiful! I love the reverse graffiti one, such a great message. And Banksy is always great
Awesome. These are amazing.
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That’s great, keep it up
These are fantastic. It’s so strange being both inspired and shattered at the same time. Shattered mainly because I know I’ll never be that artistic!
The 3D street painting is such a trip.
Bansky ♥
I wish I can do street art too.
Awesome to its finest!
so cool
Simply amazing!
I love this kind of street art. I can appreciate this whereas graffiti which dogs our suburb and public transport ruins property. This art enhances. The waterfall was just stunning.
very impressive !
Great creativity, amazing art!
wonderful collection! I love street art! I wish we had more projects to give some neighborhoods a bit of zest!
I love how thought provoking Banksy’s art is. He has painted on many locations in San Francisco. As soon as I get a chance, I play to drive up there and hop around town to see them in person.
I absolutely love this one in particular :)
awesome!
SO COOOOL! :D
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fantastic collection of images, are they all ones you’ve been lucky enought to capture in person or just that you’ve seen online etc? I always snap street art when I see it, it’s one good reason for carrying a camera everyday, but I think I’ll spend a bit more time online as well! I also really want to see exit through the gift shop, thank you for the reminder
those are absolutely works of art. very beautiful.
Sweet, super cool, awesomeness! Love it. thanks for sharing it.
It’s amazing how people have their own way to express their inner voice. Wonderful blog :)
Awesome post! I love the shot of “Adam” Thanks!
You got me thinking about street art and I’ve linked to you on a recent post.
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I love these photos! I was so excited to see someone who appreciated these things as well. I just started a blog which is this same sort of idea! Things i find in the streets that inspire! check it out…i just started but more to come soon! I
They’re all very nice. Artistic indeed
“A picture speaks a thousand words”, how true. I really enjoyed your post, the pictures are breath taking, what a wonderful selection! I live in Detroit and street art is a common sight. Southwest Detroit is known for it’s brightly colored murals. I love the surprise of finding beautiful things in the most unexpected places. Great Post.
that’s a really nice post. very true about the ‘streets’ being the galleries of the new century. no wonder as much of the ‘institutionalised’ art has become so self-indulgingly boring these days.
it’s also funny what really means ‘underground’, isn’t it? what’s actually ‘below the surface’ and not (yet) ‘publicly’ acknowledged and ‘visible’? what’s actually lying underneath the actual underground?
and that leads to the key question of who’s still able to discern pearls from fisheyes in the midst of all the expensive, dazzling packages these days, and despite the robotic marketing machines churning out brainless hype day after day?
thanks :)
reinhard
Great pictures; they are amazing.
I like your picture of banksy; the balloongirl
Greetings from belgium
Suzan
Those are awesome photos, and the street art is remarkable. I’d have to say it’s my favorite art form these days… just incredible, powerful stuff.
HAD to add this to tumblr… these are such great images!
http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/laurarivera
Oh, these are incredible!
There are some wonderful complex pieces of work here. Slowly, I think, true artists are coming out in the grafitti world and showing this medium is as valuable as one on canvas or paper.
What a great way to spend your last two years of college.
Thank you.
This is a great compilation of photos. It’s an excellent example that a picture, or in this case an image on a wall, can say a thousand words. Thanks.
Amazing !!!!
great post
This is a lovely post with an intriguing question – does the artist shape the times or vice versa? I love it. Thank you for sharing this awesome art. SG
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You would love the documentary of Banksy: Exit through the giftshop. I have seen it last year on a festival, I was totally flabbergasted! I like your post a lot :)
Also to everyone who likes this post: Exit through the giftshop!
Wow! These photos are very impressive..the 3D piece is blowing my mind!
it’s unreal what people can create with a little paint :)
These are really great graffiti’s! Nice post!
Amazing work!!!! My boyfriend is an artist with raw natural talent so I really appericate and love street art….
Lovely. I admire many of these artists as well :)
how creative people can be. amazing :)
these are incredible. thank you for sharing. scribbling your name on a perfectly painted building is defacing… grafitti done in this matter is art, even masterpieces.
I’m a huge fan of Banksy…but the first pic of Billie Holiday is stunning!
Love street art and Banksy :) great post!
This is such a great post. Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed! So happy you had time to “explore your dream” and share it with all of us!
nice post!
ya it is :)
nice post
Awesome collection. Congrats!
amazing man…
Each item here is awesome..liked it so much..
feeling great to look it.
Like everyone else who commented, I am very moved by your selection of street art. I do wonder, though, about the moral implications, not a popular subject, I know. Did these works have permission or did they just surreptitiously pop up over night? Is that part of the definition of street art? You have got me thinking, and that’s a very good thing. Thanks.
These photos and works of art are amazing!
Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed this post. Congratulations on being freshly pressed!
:)
These are all just incredible, but I find the one called “Adam” by Fintan Switzer in Killarney, Ireland just stunning – it is so well done and yet so sad at the same time.
Did you get a chance to travel to Derry, Northern Ireland? If so, I’m surprised that you didn’t include one or more of the famous murals from there.
Regardless of that, though, your photos are beautiful! Thanks for sharing them and congratulations on being Freshly Pressed! :)
WOW. Wow, wow, wow. Very amazing bits of art.
The details are amazing.
way cool!
Love it how you manage to find beauty in unexpected places…Follow me back :)
Simply amazing artistic expression! Those 3D ones on the sidewalk would freak me out though…they look so real!!!
wow that is spectacular. great. keep posting. :)
Nice photos! Great job on this collection. :)
I love this piece! I grew up in San Diego, the daughter of a career Navy father, so my life was pretty much mainstream. However, in the sixties and seventies there was a strong Chicano movement and one of my favorite places to hang out at was Chicano Park in East San Diego. The murals under the Coronado Bridge were facinating and spoke to a history that some of us were just discovering through Chicano Studies and the movement. I recently was in rural Northern California and took a picture of a mural on the side of a panaderia (bakery). Talent in the streets is unparalleled. Bravo!
That was great – I loved all the street art – seems they are quite liberated editorially when they do it.
~jac
Congrats! Very good post and pictures!
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Amazing talent! great post!
What a great collection of examples on street art. Lovely photos. I really like the one with the ladder.
extra ordinary art !!!!!!!
glad to see that,, and also get a lesson
some inspiring work and for all to see
Beautiful =))
Absolutely fantastic. The talent and meaning that these artists bring into our minds is what gives us a new perspective on life.
Love this post!
Valentine deFrancis
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awesome pictures and selection of the finest street-art
Awesome pictures, I really enjoyed this as a coffee break read! I love street art, its one of my favourite things. In our city (Durban South Africa), we have this Indie/Accoustic Club called Unit11, and the street art in the alley behind is amazing. I will try post some! Sometimes, it’s just graffiti and Tags, but sometimes it is art that changes a mindset! P.S. (Long time Banksy fan)
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It’s nice to see street art on the way to the city from the train – Melbourne represent here!
Great images, saw the Banksy film recently and loved it, shame the council where I live in Camden painted over one of his pieces, there are a few around the borough but they had a moment of painting over a lot of street art much to the annoyance of residents for the most part.
A wonderful display of creativity :)
Beautiful and inspiring…
beautiful! did you observe anybody actually paint those 3D street paintings?
Wow, you’ve found some magnificent graffiti! I especially love “Adam” in Ireland. Will you be venturing out to Asia in search of street art? If so, let me know!
This is absolutely gorgeous, I am most definitely envious of some peoples talents. You picked some amazing ones for sure, thank you for posting! :)
nice paintings…
This is a fantastic selection of images. I find that when I travel these days I spend more time photographing graffiti art than anything else. Would love to see more.
You have inspired me this morning! Thank you for posting these!
Okay… excellent post. Powerful photos. Hauntingly beautiful art. Nice job.
very abstract image!
beautiful
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They are so cool ! hmm .. :)
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super duper
unbelievable.
Wow! These are amazing, thanks for sharing? Could I have your permission to link to this page on my Blogroll?
Amazing piece of art…….like the one with little girl and heart balloon the most
I love art. Although I’m from the photography side of it. I consider my camera a tool. It won’t work without my mind.
kiss Lady Day
from the other side
– confession grille
__________
Thank you for fascinating photography of fascinating art.
Kind regards,
M
_________
Marie Marshall
writer/poet/editor/blogger
http://kvennarad.wordpress.com
Ummm… I think I love you. Fabulous choices, finds, shots. Alladat. Stoked to follow.
love it
I think time shapes the artist, but there are some things that artists express which are timeless, like prosperity, hope, peace, etc. Beautiful post. I love street art, and I agree with you that it does share a message with the viewers; it’s not merely vain defacement.
The reverse grafitti is so clever. Almost like it’s not there, and you have to look at it twice to make sure it is.
Sometimes art requires no words…it simply asks you to think, to feel and to be moved. Your compilation of pieces definately left me speechless. Thank you for sharing :)
Great street
“Imagination…………”
I have never seen those street art. nice work. thanks for sharing. i am planning to have some snaps of street arts around me…..
Thanks for sharing. I loved looking at these!
Beautiful and stimulating selection of street art–thanks for sharing!
Great street art ideas.
Life IS beautiful. My favorite one is of the woman with the owl atop her head. I love good street art.
Great Street Art!
Great Street Art! I love it!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen such amazing street art…evidently, I need to get out more, sigh.
Fantastic post, I’ll enjoy viewing vicariously through your blog…praises for Freshly Pressed for bringing such great blogs to the forefront.
These murals are so amazing! what an awesome time that must have been!
Awesome pictures, would have been amazing to see them in person!
Those are so cool.
The only time I wished I had a camera the entire time I was in Europe was when I walked by a callbox (the one with the buttons you ring to get in an apartment) on the way to my program headquarters: it was a little tin multicolored box in a doorway, and someone had written on it in sharpie. The translation is roughly “existing isn’t living.”
Also those 3D murals are trippy, even when I know the holes aren’t real I’m absolutely sure I’m going to fall down them.
The caged bird… does it sing and no one has ears to hear?
Wow! Impressive!
This is awesome!!!
I love the ones that make the steet look like it’s turning into a waterfall or collapsing into nothing but a giant pit.
My boyfriend introduced me to Bansky, and I’ve actually been meaning to catch his documentary on Netflix and I absolutely love his work.
Congrats on being freshly pressed!
Mariajose
http://www.abitofeverythingnow.wordpress.com
awesome!…you did a wonderful work. thanks for sharing it.
street art alone is already amazing, but politicalally/emotionally based street art is so much more powerful and it is an extremely powerful expression of ‘speech’. I love the post, it’s so freaking amazing. I look forward to more.
:)
uponatlas.
Dang, THis is Freshly Pressed FOR REAL! I never really saw who was on freshly pressed! But today had to be thAT day bCUZ I saw your “FRESHLY PRESSED” BLog…FOre Reall,!!! AMAZING! I love Graff.. I Love ART So much….I love how these paintings were from out of city, state, etc. etc. LOVE PEACE!!!!!!! AND ART!!!!!!!
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Oooooh things worth watching out for in Europe! I’m studying in London for a year and was wondering about the local street art scene. Suggestions on what I should check out? :)
Nice compilation and comments
Absolutely stunning. Great job!
Love it!
This was an interesting read, accompanied by some beautiful pictures. Unfortunately, not all ‘graffiti’ is street art, which is quite despicable. However, when people really take their time and actually make art, not just scrawl an illegible mark on a surface, amazing things can be made.
I really like this dude, I have family in Bristol, UK. Which is where Banksy is originally from, and all the graffiti artist’s there despise him, because he’s made such a limelight that the others don’t get recognised.
Another huge graff artist coming out these days is TOX
All the way from Birmingham to Brighton on the train there is TOX 09, TOX 10, TOX 11. Appropriate to the year of the tag. Very basic but nation famous now!
Again, Love the blog.
great blog and awesome images!! Check out these street artists from Ecuador in our blog: http://wp.me/p1rgzN-4Y
greetings
El Pezcuezo
Superb.
Awesome images – thanks for sharing. So many great ones….
Fantastic post! Did you take the photos for some of these?
Those are amazing pictures!
I love Banksy, definitely the best Freshly Pressed today.
Congrats
:)
What an awesome collection of artwork! Thank you for passing them along!
amazing collection of art in this post.
There is a lot of talent out there. Thanks for sharing these. Connie
http://7thandvine.wordpress.com/
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hey nice post! you might find my blog of use if you’e looking for more street artists/work!
keep it up!
UKB
thanks a million for sharing these photos! street art should be everywhere but if it was everywhere it would probably lose its power!
Good point!
Excellent!
Sorry, missed the last photo. Do you have more stuff from there?
Did you have a chance to go to Madrid? There you can really see the frustration of people filling whole neighborhoods with pieces criticizing everything from local politics to global warming.
Nice post. Banksy rules.
Perfect love!
Wow, really amazing!
Great. Exuberant art.
There used to be a Banksy that I passed every day on my way to work. Every day it made me smile. You’ve found some awesome artworks that have had the same effect.
Those are some fantastic shots. Looking forward to more.
Check out Banksy. He’s a very popular and talented graffiti artist in Los Angeles, California.
great post! thank you for sharing this!
-grace
This is great… I LOVE Edgar Mueller’s art. Thank you so much for sharing!
-Jacob Ryan Paul
Really enjoyed viewing/reading this.There’s so much beautiful art and design in the world that many won’t ever get to see….Thank you for sharing!
I love the owl tree head. love, love, love. and the girl holding the mermaid/fish girl.
Amazing!
I really like the images you have captures.
I meant captured.
thanx for sharing those jolly pics… nice article. ;p
http://travellersdiningdepot.wordpress.com/
Great examples of street art
Beautiful street art. I like the image with the little girl and the red balloon it reminds me of some of the famous graffiti in Chernobyl. Did you know that Keith Haring also did some amazing graffiti art?
Excellent range of art displayed here. I really enjoyed seeing the diversity of styles.
Banksy is pretty amazing, but I also love that head with the owl. Marvellous.
I Love the Billie Holiday street art. Thanks for posting this, these works of art are amazingly beautiful. Great post
Amazing street art, really awesome post
The real artists are the ones who pass the boundaries and make art available to the whole world. This is a very cool article and thanks for sharing! :)
Fabulous! I have been a Banksy fan for a while now. I watched Exit Through The Gift Shop, eagerly awaiting the piece on banksy, but alas never made it. I did watch another great documentary on Graffiti artists called “Bomb It’ which I found fabulously interesting. I will have to take another shot at Exit Through The Gift Shop. Great post! Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
I absolutely loved this post! Interesting, intriging, and very powerful. In fact, your entire blog site is just fascinating. The graffiti that you’ve captured speaks volumes about the stories the artists were trying to portray. You’re an excellent photographer with a beautiful, beautiful spirit. I have signed up to follow your blog because I can’t wait to see what you discover in the future. Bravo!
From, a storyteller that recognizes another storyteller when I encounter them.
http://www.howthehelldidienduphere.wordpress.com
Stunning!
Thus far I have always been too scared to make any street art. What city is the first piece from?
wow really amazing ones, well picked as well!!!
really love these photographs
love your post. street art is nice because it is free and it speaks really big volumes. if you like street art i have a bunch of posts on my blog from art in the streets LA MOCA exhibit that took place in august. A lot of banksy, krink, obey, etc. Nice post and congrats on freshly pressed
We would love to post the third photo down at toemail if you do not mind?
http://toemail.wordpress.com
I loved the street art in Germany.
So did I
way cool
Those are some fantastic works of art. Thanks for posting and congrats on being freshly pressed!
I find Banksy’s art on the Israeli West Bank barrier particularly relevant considering the current Palestinian bid for full membership at the UN!
Some of these are absolutely haunting — gorgeous photos and pieces!
:)
I really like this post, and I’m thankful for it. I recently blogged with some pictures I took in Oklahoma City, and one was a picture of some graffiti done by Xvala. I commented that I didn’t really understand this famous graffiti artist thing, but since then I’ve educated myself a little more on it, and have come to appreciate it more. And not to think of it as just vandalism. Taggers give graffiti artists a really bad name, and where I live there is tagging everywhere, which makes the cities look trashy. But true graffiti artists can make even the ugliest cities look beautiful. Thanks for posting such wonderful pictures. I wish there was more of this sort of art where I lived.
Melbourne is also replete with “street art” and has given me a new appreciation for the difference between destructive tagging and constructive art. I too wish that street art was more encouraged as a positive outlet for graffitist…
What a gorgeous selection of fabulous street art, by some great artists! I’m a huge fan of street art, and this post has just transported me to heaven! Thanks!
what a dream!