Salutations, traveler of The Internets! Welcome to William's Bloody Hell, so named after our founder, Sir Bloody William.
He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This
image was rumoured to have been
commissioned after a bout of unpleasantness
in the White Chapel district of London. Do enjoy your stay and peruse our many, varied offerings, much of which cannot be found elsewhere!
::Today's soundtrack: Screaming Dead "Paint it Black" ::
As a person who draws things from time to time, I have an appreciation for other people who like to draw things. Or paint things. Generally create. It's a pretty cool feeling creating something from raw materials into something you think is pretty and that others might enjoy as well. When I look at drawings or paintings, sculptures or even some buildings, I get some degree of a sense of "wow" or "awe" because I know how hard it can be to get something to look that good. I like art. I appreciate it it its many forms. That being said, I do like graffiti art.
I know, I know. It's illegal. It's vandalism. It's marring someone else's property. Yes, yes. I get that. But I also can see the beauty behind some of it, and I know some of you can, too.
Of course, I am not talking about ALL graffiti. Much of graffiti is nothing more than some teenager with a spray can writing "Steve wuz here!" or "Sarah + Mark 4 ever 1994" in simple, drippy letters. This is lame and idiotic. However, some people can take that same message "Steve wuz here" and write it out using an arsenal of cans and in a font of their own design. They'll use angles, light and shadow and make something colourful and jazzy. This can be art. This can be something fantastic.
But again, I do not condone ALL graffiti. I will oppose it if:
1. Someone currently resides in the building being tagged.
2. The building itself is already a beautiful work of art (re: a church or mausoleum)
3. It's poorly done and nothing more than scrawlings (as stated above)
4. It's graffiti on top of graffiti (this just starts to look confusing and messy)
Other than that, I can support it. I mean, why get upset over a spectacular display of colour on a beat up old overpass? If someone paints their signature in a gorgeous, colourful spiral on the back wall of a condemned warehouse, I say enjoy it! An image like that has got to be more pleasant to look at than a crumbling brick wall! Heck, I've seen some graffiti images that I couldn't create at home and under controlled conditions, never mind on such a large "canvas" where it is subject to the elements and probably under time constraints for fear of being caught. Got to admire that.
For some people who do the graffiti, I've heard it's sort of a badge of honour to put it up in a difficult or highly visible spot. It like adds to your street cred or something if you can paint something that takes high effort in a high risk area. I admire that aspect of the work as well. Sometimes you see this complicated tag on the side of a ten story building and you just know he was hanging by his ankles off the roof or something to get it there, but it still looks great.
Why have a plain white wall over looking your parking lot when you could have this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24293932@N00/511403596/in/photostream/
Who would rather look at bricks when someone gives you this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24293932@N00/506054200/in/photostream/
Oh no, my vacant lot is ruined!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24293932@N00/503551382/in/photostream/
Still not convinced? Look upon this bit of graffiti and be AMAZED:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24293932@N00/524519668/in/photostream/
Seriously, there is practically no topping that piece. If you ask me, those guys should be PAID for that. If anyone is to be arrested, it's whoever the jerk was that wrote on top of it on the upper left. See what I mean about graffiti on top of graffiti? Blemished a truly beautiful work with a scribble.
Of course no posting about graffiti would be complete without mentioning the infamous Banksy. This mysterious dude has travelled the world leaving his art in prominent places. He primarily uses stencils, which allow for quicker work and therefore high profile locations such as Alcatraz prison and the Isreali West Bank Barrier. His pieces often offer commentary, such as a ladder going over the Isreali Barrier, or this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Banksy_graffiti_removal.jpg
Which shows just what Banksy thinks of people not believing graffiti can be a work of art. Ironically, that piece has since been painted over by the city. Alas, much of his work has, as well as many other graffiti artists' images. Like I said above, is a plain white wall really better than some of these tags? Some cities even "beautify" certain locations with murals, so how are those murals any different than a complex graffiti work? Oh, right someone has to feel important by "approving the content" and loads of city money gets wasted. Yeah, graffiti artists don't get PAID! A simple "thank you" would be nice rather than painting over their hard work. But no, it's "vandalism."
William the Bloody (no street cred)
