Living in the big city of Pittsburgh, it’s not hard to notice the amount of graffiti around me. From the “Dazed!” on a pole by my sister’s house to the four dinosaurs on the 10^th street bridge, graffiti is everywhere. People tend to look down upon graffiti, and see only disrespect to man-made objects. I, personally, see some beauty in this unique form of art.

I am not the only one who feels this way towards graffiti. Banksy is a British graffiti artist whose works are clever, engaging, and often political works. He doesn’t simply just write words or his name everywhere. He creates beautiful images for people to see. He doesn’t just want you to see his artwork, he wants you to look at your surroundings differently. He uses this more modern technique of art to target people of my generation and younger. I think using this to target the younger generations is a smart idea, because not all young adults look forward to walking around an art museum.

Many people wonder whether his artwork should be in a museum or stay in the streets where they’ll be open to weather damage or other problems. To this he simply says, “I’ve learnt from experience that a painting isn’t finished when you put down your brush — that’s when it starts. The public reaction is what supplies meaning and value. Art comes alive in the arguments you have about it.”

Regardless of whether you think this is disrespectful, artists like Banksy turn this illegal act into a way to show others the beauty of things around them. It causes us to look at every day things differently, and it also gives beauty to objects or buildings that aren’t looked at for their beauty. I think more people should look at their surroundings the same way Banksy does, with purpose and beauty. I definitely recommend those who love art and graffiti to check out the documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop”. It helps show what these artists think when they do this act, and how they see the world differently.