The Beauty of Graffiti

I will just put it out there: I love graffiti.

I love the colors, the typography, the unique stylistic approach of the artist. I love the way the words and images look in a particular setting, whether it's on the standard wall of an abandoned building or somewhere impossible to reach, like on the side of a bridge. I love that it has gained its respected name of urban, or street, art, and has literally added a splash of technicolor into our grim, gray, industrialized cities.

Granted, not everyone shares my viewpoint. There are plenty of people who criticize graffiti as everything but a work of art. Vandalism is the key word. And although I don't entirely disagree, I personally think that graffiti is under-appreciated when it comes by as no more than a decoration in a formerly lonely space.

I put it like this, in other words: If the graffiti is profane in one way or another, whether by words or images, and is "tagged" in places where vulnerable audiences - children, in particular - can see them, then this graffiti should be removed. The greatest acts of vandalism occur when sketchy subject material and inappropriate words appear on public buildings, and this not only exposes younger audiences to such images or words but also destroys government establishments that hold a professional, serious position in society, such a courthouses, jails, large companies, and schools.

As for me, I enjoy when I get to stumble upon a beautiful image or a verse from a poem carefully tagged on a wall. I can sometimes see all the full details, and respect the artist's patience to make the best impression with his or her art.

I have encountered many urban art pieces in my travels around the U.S. and the world. I have some memories from as far as quiet Italian streets and as close as the vibrant alleyways of San Francisco. 

Here I have for you a few photos of the art I've found in some cities of Italy, New York City, San Francisco, and San Jose. It's interesting to see how artists have discovered canvases for their pieces in all forms, including trains and garage doors in Italy and sides of trucks in the Big Apple.

What is your viewpoint on graffiti: art that should be treated as art, or vandalism that should be continuously removed?