Art-Sci: vandalism

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Smurfs Graffiti: BLUEhahaha!

The Smurfs first appeared in 1958 in a series of illustrated comic strips by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo (Pierre Culliford). The characters then went on to stardom in the Hanna-Barbera children's television cartoon, The Smurfs.

Smurfs appear regularly in graffiti murals around the world, and no wonder - these blue skinned fictional characters have been around for more than half a century. IGN dubbed The Smurfs "kiddie coacaine" for people growing up in the 80s. Though considered antiques in the comic world, The Smurfs are still gaining popularity with cartoon consumers and artists.

Smurfs are named according to their emotional traits or professions, for example; Brainy Smurf or Painter Smurf. I suppose this one could be called Ghetto Smurf:

Above: The Smurf language replaces most verbs and nouns with the word "Smurf".

Above: Tattoo Smurf depicted in a popular graffiti style.

Above: These blue fictional characters are very adventurous, finding their way into a variety of street art shapes and styles.

Even when depicted in a stylized fashion, Smurfs are recognizable. So recognizable, in fact, that even as a silhouette graffiti piece, there's no doubt that this is a smurf:

For many years, Smurfette was the only girl Smurf in the village - that is, until Sassette came along.

Above: Smurfette wasn't one of the original Smurfs as she was created by Gargamel to be an evil Smurf. Originally, Smurfette's hair was black, but after she became a good smurf, her hair turned blonde.

Above: Gargamel the wizard is the antagonist of the series. This somewhat dim-witted baddie creates diabolical plots to capture Smurfs to fulfill one of his dastardly schemes.

Smurf: In true Smurf language, this would have been "I Smurf trucks!"

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Graffiti: Art or Vandalism?

A look at the different forms of graffiti, and what constitutes as art, or mere vandalism.

Modern Graffiti comes in many different forms, from the scrawled message in a public bathroom stall to the spray-painted murals boasted on subway walls. The simplest form of graffiti is scrawled message; “Sally loves Peter” or “James woz here.” Many regard these impromptu writings as vandalism, as they lack artistic merit, yet the point of graffiti is to send an expressive message to the reader, whether it is a political, social or personal view.
Some graffiti is used as a territory marker, called “tagging”. These can often be seen on street corners, street signs and suburban walls. It is simply a signature of the person who is laying claim to that area as being in their territory.

Stenciling is a popular form of modern graffiti, and is often used to convey political and social messages to the viewer in a pictorial form. A famous stenciling artist is Banksy, with his provocative and thought-provoking work that can be appreciated as more than just mere vandalism, as seen below.

Graffitti artists commonly utilize spray paint as their medium, using different size nozzles to achieve broader or more precise lines. However, some graffiti artists choose to use brushes or sponges, sometimes combining all three in their artwork.

Modern graffitti does not require that a certain style is used. Cartoons, caricatures and portraits are often used to convey a message, with decorative text styles and interesting uses of perspective.
Modern graffiti is true street art, appearing overnight on walls, in subways and on buildings. Graffitti artists often paint their murals illegally, working under cover of darkness with a team of sentries to watch for law enforcers or pedestrians. Because of the controversial material contained in many murals, graffiti is now considered to be a form of resistance art, in rebellion against common public beliefs and government laws. This example is of a statement made by Barack Obama, as expressed by the graffiti artist.

The ultimate achievement for many graffiti artists is to create their work in places that are dangerous to get to, or difficult to paint on. Spraying a piece on the side of a train, for example, is quite an achievement, as trains are often under close guard, and have a slick surface which causes the paint to run.

As with all genres of art, there are amazing graffiti artists, and those who attempt to be amazing, but fall far short of their goal, and end up being mere vandals.

However, there is a lot of amazing graffiti out there, and many graffiti artists are now being commissioned to decorate buildings and offices. As an art form, it requires not only technical ability, to use the tools required, but creativity and personal opinion.

Mona Lisa Graffiti Art

The first picture shown here, a stenciled work depicting Mona in red, with a star on a necklace and a bottle in her hand, appeared in Russia. As with all graffiti, the interpretation of the piece is left up to the viewer. However, the red coloring and the star may be linked to the artist’s views on communism, as these are well-known symbols for the political system.

Mona has also appeared on a wall in Portugal, in another stencilled piece. Although the artwork carries no symbolic content, it may have been produced out of appreciation for Da Vinci’s work.

The whereabouts of the following piece is unsure. This graffiti displays two separate styles, and it is thought that the eyes, nose and mouth were painted by a different artist to the one who painted the ears, hair, shoulders and wings.

In a controversial piece by Banksy, appearing in England; Mona is depicted bending over and lifting up her skirt. This piece has been considered offensive by some, but as with a lot of graffiti art the artist challenges common public beliefs, in this case, the belief that the Mona Lisa figure is chaste and pure.

This artwork, in Porto, Portugal, shows Mona in a baseball cap and related attire. Perhaps a symbol of national pride?

This stencilled piece appeared overnight, in Cardiff, England, before being painted over the next day. The art work takes on several dimensions, as we are presented with a stencilled graffiti art work, depicting a graffiti artist at work, creating a fan art work of the famous painting, the Mona Lisa.

This street art painting of the Mona Lisa, in New York, USA, may not be in existence anymore, as it was created at a construction site, and the area was in the process of being demolished when the photo was taken.

A stenciled artwork, in Bergen, Norway, shows Mona holding a brush and painting over herself. The artist, Dolk, called this piece “The Last Mona”. The motives of this piece are questionable. Is the artist stating that the Mona Lisa as a subject in modern art is no longer creative? Or perhaps that if Mona were alive today, she would not wish to be the focus of so much public scrutiny. The viewer must interpret the work for themselves.

Mona has appeared in London, in what seems to be a politically motivated artwork by the stencil artist Banksy. She is shown wielding a deadly weapon, yet still has her notably mysterious smile.

Many paintings gain popularity and then fall from the public eye. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has been an inspirational force for many artists, and it seems that she lives on, gaining immortality through the works of others, and always with her mysterious smile. The popularity of her image outlives the lifespan of the artworks in which she is depicted, as they are often destroyed during renovations or painted over.

Peeta Sculptural Graffiti

These stunning artworks by the artist Peeta are made from a variety of materials. Some are made from polyurethane and then spray-painted. Other materials that the artist uses include cardboard, wood, fabrics, graphite and cellulose actetate.

"Poly" 2005 by Peeta. Even in the 2-dimensional medium of photography, this graffiti art work has a distinct 3-D effect. This is created by the presence of highlights and shadows in the sculpture.

"Untitled" 2008 by Peeta. Some 3D graffiti pieces use cardboard as the basic structure for the design, with colorful fabrics stitched over the framework. The abstract appearance of graffiti tagging alphabets convert well into 3D art installations.

"S" 2003 by Peeta. This piece was created using hand-made cellulose acetate which lends the sculpture a slick, shiny feel.

"Rock" 2005 by Peeta

Traditional graffiti artists often gambled with unlikely and unusual perspectives. These pieces are based on the visual depth created by graffiti artists, bringing the perspective of classic graffiti art to life in beautiful twisting sculptures. Check out Peeta’s site

German Artist DAIM 3-D Graffiti

DAIM, a German artist, dabbles in many forms of art, but has received global recognition for his 3-Dimensional graffiti art style. Using a well-known graffiti look, DAIM takes his art one step further, pushing a traditionally 2-Dimensional art form into the third dimension. This artist has been producing graffiti works since 1989, expressing his graffiti talents in many mediums, including etching, spray-painting and 3D sculptural graffiti. His urban artworks appear in built-up areas across Germany and in art galleries. Visit DAIM Gallery for more info on DAIM.

Truth 3D Cubist Graffiti

Using colored Polystyrene blocks, artist Krystian "truth" Czaplicki creates 3-Dimensional artworks that are inspired by the cubist movement. Standing in stark contrast to the building, these pieces create an attractive and colorful diversion from the dull brickwork of modern architecture. Visit Truth’s website.

Delta Sculptural Graffiti

Considered one of the pioneers of the European graffiti art movement, Delta creates complex 3D graffiti pieces that hang suspended above the viewer on wires, or which fit snugly against a wall. See more of Delta’s work here

3D Graffiti as a New Artistic Style

Art based on the classic graffiti style is growing in popularity and graffiti style innovations are appearing with more regularity. As pioneers for a new dimension of graffiti, these artists are often commissioned to create 3D sculptural pieces for business and shop owners. Graffiti needn’t be an illegal art form anymore, and it is refreshing to see these talented artists making money from their work.

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How the Streets View Google

Graffiti artists generally have an alternative view on current affairs, a view that they express through street art. This article shows the opinions held internationally by graffiti artists, on internet giant, Google.com

Dolores, San Francisco, USA

In an interesting post about anti-gentrification of urban areas, writer Chris Carlsson gives an example of anti-google, anti-gentrification graffiti, which states “Trendy Google professionals help raise housing costs”. Urban gentrification occurs when the cost of living in an area is raised by the influx of residents who can afford to pay higher rents and amenities. For residents who have lived in the area for many years, this often means that they suddenly find themselves unable to afford living in their own homes.

The stenciled graffiti was found in San Francisco’s Mission District, placed in such a way that it couldn’t be missed by Google drones. The search term in the graffiti art piece states, “Mission + Exploitation”. Over the last decade, this district has become home to a number of Google’s and other internet company’s employees, who earn more than their neighbors. This contrast in lifestyles has led to a number of protests by street artists and vandals, such as the “Mission Yuppie Eradication Project“, which in 1999 encouraged impoverished residents to vandalize the luxury cars of their wealthy neighbors. Although it is the natural order of things for an urban area to change with time, these changes often result in class conflicts such as this one.

Dunedin, New Zealand
A spoof on the common phrase, “Google it”, showing an image of Jesus Christ claiming, “I don’t have all the answers. Try Google.”

Unknown Locations – Stencils

Stencil street art has gained popularity over the last few years. These street artists have chosen to stencil the phrase “Google it” or simply “Google” in various locations around the world. Perhaps something in the area gives a pedestrian cause to use Google’s search engine. These could also just be attention-seeking designs.

Cairo, Egypt

An internet cafe in an impoverished area of Cairo, Egypt, painted Google’s logo above his shop entrance, to attract potential customers.

I Can Be Googled, Therefore I Am

For the creator of this simple scrawl, the phrase I think, therefore I am, is not enough. The statement of this piece is that by having search results of the creator’s name online, their existence has been proved.

Digital Graffiti

French graffiti artist, Zevs, has created a website, gzzglz.com, based on the layout of Google.com. He displays pictures of his art in a similar format to that of Google images, and has designed his home page to look pretty much exactly the same as Google’s home page.

Royal3lue has designed a graffiti user style for Google users called Google Graffiti Style which displays the Google logo in classic graffiti text.

Antony Martinez entered the May 2009 Google Doodle contest with this entry called Google Graffiti, shown below.

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