Here are some links to check out & refresh your memory (we should have looked at them all in class) for tonight's post:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protest_art
http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/horizontal_1.htm
http://www.guerrillagirls.com/posters/index.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_Orange
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=C4&Date=20060305&Category=NEWS06&ArtNo=305001&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1
Questions I'd like you to consider, for one of these artists or all of them, are:
1) What is this artist trying to get people to think about and/or persuade them of?
2) Who is, or might be, their target audience? A larger, unintentional audience?
3) What rhetorical strategies are they using? Are they successful, or at least interesting or thought-provoking?
Then, go ahead and make a post...it doesn't have to be super long---say, at least 10 lines---but should be some aspect of your thinking/insights on these questions, and your response to one or all of the artists we've looked at. The goal here is for a dialogue to emerge, so be sure to consider your classmates' posts as well....
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When looking at Banksy's street art I noticed several messages he is trying to get across to the public. The first picture that got my attention was the rat in the suit with blood on his hand. This picture is trying to show how the corporations of America do not care about the effects of their products, but only the income made from them. An example of this would be the cigarette companies that sell cancerous products to the public. Their products kill millions each year, and yet they do not reduce production. I like how a lot of Banksy's street art focuses on showing that most graffiti is art and it should not be destroyed. By creating a picture of a man covering up hieroglyphics with a white wash he is showing that his art work is to be valued and should not be erased. Banksy uses the rhetorical strategy of ethos to connect with his public viewer.
ReplyDeleteI Really like Banksy's graffiti art. It is all well thought out and placed just the way he intended. Each picture with its own meaning. This artist effectively gets peoples attention with his work and then makes them think more about what it could all mean. For example Banksy always seems to use rats in his work, i think he is probably trying to say something with all of this. Some of his graffiti has a clear meaning wail others do not. But he is still successful in gaining an audience and making people think.
ReplyDeleteIn class when Object Orange came up I wanted to know more about it so I began google’ing it. I found a very interesting documentary made by the artist on this website: http://www.woostercollective.com/2006/12/detroits_object_orange.html. In it, the artist talked about what inspired them to do this project. They saw the Detroit has some of the richest people in America and next door has some of the poorest people in America. By painting these houses they said that the crime in neighborhoods goes down and the moral goes up. A reason behind this is the rhetorical strategy of pathos. When people see these run down houses there is an emotion of being depressed and the outlook of life is not strong. But when they see a house that has color on it, it in turn brings “color” out on them and they feel a sense of joy and that if a house that’s about to be demolished can live on for a couple more years, so can they.
ReplyDeleteI found the images of the houses painted orange extremely moving. In these images, it seems that the "artists" are trying to get people to think about the sheer number of empty houses and homeless people. I think that they are imediately referring to the housing crash recently and the amount of abandoned houses. They are trying to reach out to the general public. I think that the politicians are aware of the severity of the situation but arent doing too much about it. The public may not be as aware as the politicians. These houses painted orange gives a number to the scale of the problem that the people can relate to. This kind of art is using logos and pathos. Logos comes is because of the scale of the issue. Making the houses stand out, people can actually count the amount of empty houses. Pathos is the poeple's feelings that come from seeing the large amount of empty houses. These two are extremely effective in making the public aware of the problem. They may even make the poeple take action on their own.
ReplyDeleteI really like the graffiti that Banksy makes of the man power cleaning the wall with the cave drawings. It really makes you think about what separates different kinds of art and what makes certain art more important than others. He makes a strong point how we wouldn't erase old cave drawings, so why do we erase current artwork. In the future current artwork could have a major impact on people but if we remove it all there's no way we will ever find out. It's ironic how in Banksy's art there is a man erasing artwork. How can you power clean a wall that is a picture of a man already doing it? I just think it would be funny if anyone attempted to do that because he makes such a strong, evident point against it. I'm not really sure what audience he is targeting in this piece. I guess it could be mostly directed towards those in charge of keeping the city looking clean and not graffitied.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed looking through Banksy's art. I think that he is an extremely creative and outspoken man. There was no specific one that I liked the best, so I will speak about his work in general. One thing that I really like about him and his work is that there is no specific spot where he shows his work off. To him, there may be a significance, but it really is a mystery to the audience. Also, I like that he has a trade mark to his work; the rat. In my opinion, I think that the rat is a very rebellious animal and it shows who Banksy is. His work is very powerful and feel that what he is doing is great because he is not scared to stand up for his beliefs regarding politics, and current events!
ReplyDeleteBanksy's art is created solely to make people think. Though some of his graffiti may be looked down upon, and some people see him as nothing more than a vandal, one cannot help but wonder why he painted what he did and why he placed it where he did. The large paintings on the side of the buildings were my favorite. The rat that was holding scissors to the man trying to wash away his art was both comical and still had a message that sort of was asking for authorities to just try and cover up these images. Banksy covers a lot of controversial topics, which gives his art a purpose. To reach our classes unreachable audience: the general public. The pieces aren't so much persuasive, but more realization. He shows us things we may not want to see. By targeting out logical sides and emotional sides it makes the art moving for those who get to see it. He also never quits, which is always a good strategy. No matter how many of his pieces get washed away, he continues to share his opinions and his talent with the rest of us. Persistence is a great rhetorical strategy.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, if anyone can figure out how Bansky paints these giant pictures on multi-story buildings, then let me know. The fact that his pieces of street art are by far the biggest around is the first thing that stood out to me. It definitely makes people notice and possibly cause them to think more critically about the message the art portrays. At the least, most that see his art will wonder how he did it and just getting poeple to take a second to ponder his work is probably what Banksy intended. Using the rat as a common symbol in his work seems like a way for Banksy to express how he feels about some people in society, and his art in New York is a perfect example of Banksy attacking those who he believes are detrimental to society. The rhetorical strategies used seem very effective since their message is relatively clear (rat in a suit, rat painting over FOX ad) and the size of the art makes the paintings very noticeable.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBanksy was definitely my favorite street artist that we looked at in class. The first piece, of the cave drawings and the public worker, really showcased his personal ideologies. By putting his point of view into his art, he is able to persuade people to think like him as well. He also looks at things in a new light, especially with this first piece. I would have never thought to compare ancient cave drawings to graffiti, but it is definitely a logical analogy. Because he uses art as his rhetoric, he does not clearly state his point of view. This means that the viewers of his work need to search for the meaning. There are several different perspectives that one can come up with, but each idea that comes to mind when examining his art agrees with the stance of a street artist. His work is very thought provoking because in order to uncover the message, the viewer needs to look deeper into the artwork and come up with their own perception.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Object Orange before Monday and it really caught my interest. I think it is an extremely witty way to force attention to the abandoned and dilapidated buildings of Detroit. This may not be art on a canvas but it still stems from the rebellious and controversial motives that art is typically best produced under. According to Wikipedia, the mayor of Detroit was not happy with the project. The mayor felt it was a criminal act of vandalism. He even went so far to say that any demolitions that took place following the project’s painting expeditions have been coincidental. I take that to mean that this was his way of trying to detour Object Orange by letting them know it isn’t working. But in reality it is working. The fact that I am reading about it across the country means it is working.
ReplyDeleteWow, so far the comments, dialogue, and insights in this comment thread have been fantastic---thanks to all of you---I've really enjoyed reading them. Thanks especially to Matt for doing a little bit of extra sleuth-work!
ReplyDeleteFrom Jami W:
ReplyDeleteBanksy clearly is a very unique, talented artist, and out to catch the attention
of the public with his large, bold artwork. Along with being wonderful,
eye-catching, and very life like, his paintings are also extremely thought
provoking. I think that Banksy is trying to get his viewers to think about
whatever they interpret his art to be. As we were discussing his work in class,
it was very aparent that the meaning behind his art could branch in many
different directions (like the painting of Abe Lincoln pushing the cart in New
Orleans). I believe his audience to be anyone who is passing by on the street
or driving through the city he marks the buildings of. Also, his audience
reaches throughout the world because of photos and the internet. The rhetorical
strategies used by Banksy are bold messages and confidence in his ideas and
pieces, making people want to believe in his cause of creating interesting and
thoughtful work. He also uses effectively uses Ethos and Pathos in his work,
pulling at the minds and hearts of the people who view his paintings.
I believe its often difficult for people to get the drastic nature of an argument out, into the public, without seeming brash or over-board. That's one of the most difficult things to tackle when making an argument because coming off as overly passionate is often a turnoff for those you are trying to persuade.
ReplyDeleteEnter Banksey.
His subtle ability to not only play to the emotions and logic of his audience, but also reach a truly international audience, is astounding. He is able to make relevant political and humanitarian statements without seeming over the top. This,ability is one of his greatest assets in his humanitarian and political arguments.
I think that Banksy is trying to force people to think about and persuade the public of freedom of speech in a lot of his graffiti. It seems this way because a lot of this art work is of people/things painting over his artwork, meaning that everyone has freedom to draw wherever they want as well as everyone has the freedom to erase it. I also believe that some of his art work shows political problems in this country - sending the message that everyone is capable of doing bad things and not being looked at prestigiously. The artist is good at making a scene therefore I think he draws people in.
ReplyDeleteChad Olgin
ReplyDeleteI Think that he is trying to make a statement that people will be able to follow without too much complication. the graffiti on the walls is one thing, but doing it in a public place, and in a large setting, he is clearly trying to tell people what they are missing. I believe that Banksy is filling the people of America in on what hey are not understanding. I think he is showing them the stuff we are missing in between the lines.
The audience that he is trying to tell a story to are the people who just dont pick up the news paper or read news websites. it think that its a good thing he is telling people whats up, and he is doing a good job of doing it because it is in their back yard.
Banksy's art was created to make people think about the message he is trying to portray on the wall. Whatever he is trying to say from his art, be it a naked man hanging out a window or an rat sweeping with a broom, his art is very imaginative and causes the viewer to study his piece and draw their own conclusion. The target audience for Banksy's art is anyone passing by. He usually creates large images so they catch the eye of any bystander very easily. I would say Banksy uses pathos because his art has emotional appeal, he wants the audience to analyze and understand what he is painting.
ReplyDeleteJamie Ensell
ReplyDeleteI agree that Banksy's art is very moving and interesting, because in all honesty, it does show that vision of the heartache and neglect for some parts of the world. This is seen especially in the New Orleans segment, as numerous paintings are painted in such a large scale detailing this idea. For example, the painting of Abe Lincoln describes this neglect in such a blunt way that somewhat ridicules the American government and their neglect of the situation.
On the contrary, I believe the Object Orange was actually kind of stupid. I still cannot understand the point that the artists (if you can even call them that) are trying to get across. I mean yes, they are painting old dilapidated buildings, but who cares if extremely old buildings are run down. This fact that the government or city legislatures aren't doing anything to fix this problem is honestly a positive thing. If they were to fix up theses buildings it would cost more money than it would just to demolish them.
Overall, I believe that public outcries by way of art can definitely be a strong moral idea; however, when it is done in a way that makes no sense like Object Orange, I think it is just a cry for fame.
Banksy's art was made to get his message about different issues across. His audience is clearly anyone who is walking by and happens to see it. But I think that he has a greater message to deliver to the world. I think that his art work shows problems that are wrong with the government or just the public in general. His large artwork and random scenes that he paints helps him drawer viewers in.
ReplyDeleteBanksy's art I thought was pretty inspirational as well as entertaining. He not only included political issues, but art that was there simply for fun. This art is obviously there to start people thinking about multiple issues in the world that not everyone may realize. The target audience is, I think anyone from young adults, to older citizens. Every mural is different and has a different target so the audience changes throughout every picture. The pictures have a subtle yet great effect on the audience. Instead of reciting words that people may not chose to listen to, Banksy paints murals to show and prove that these problems to exist.
ReplyDeleteBanksy is my favorite street artist that we reviewed in class. The colors, the characters and the location of his art all contribute to his audiences' interpretations. I find his art to be so interesting because I feel like each piece has its own meaning but different people can find different meanings within it. The picture where the man is washing away the cave drawings was my favorite piece. It really makes you wonder what people consider beautiful and what people consider ugly and distasteful. I think in the cave painting picture Banksy's target audience was people who are against graffiti and street art. I think he was trying to prove that anything can be seen as beautiful. I think that he will be successful in changing some people's opinions.
ReplyDeleteThe diversity in Banksy’s art and in the subject that he covers is really interesting to watch. Many of his pieces are cute and satirical, while other pieces spin your head around and insult the hell out of you. To me he really pushes the social boundaries with his street art since it is placed in public areas where people inadvertently notice his work or are forced to notice his work since some of his pieces are so large.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece is the where the traffic lines jump onto the sidewalk and create a flower on the nearby wall. At first the painting seems incredibly witty and just overall fun and I enjoyed this very much, but when I saw the man sitting down next to the flower I saw a small story and a message. The guy sitting next to the flower is the construction worker who paints the lines on the streets. He is not the happiest looking man despite just drawing a flower. To me he looks like a man who wanted to be an artist, tried, and ended up a construction worker to pay the bills. This story depicted on the wall is the moment after the artist-construction worker could no longer hold back his artistic impulsive and had to paint something. Now, forced to return to his world of routine he is somber once again.
I honestly feel inspired.