Les graffitis: art ou vandalisme? (document en anglais)

Graffiti art is a form of self-expression. It’s another way artists can show their talent and opinions to the public.

Graffiti is street art, often done over a period of time, which characterizes an artist or group. Vandalism is the intentional destruction of property with the sole purpose of doing something illegal and taboo. Though the two are often lumped together in conversation and subject, there is a defining line between them.

Any kid can pick up spray paint and crudely squiggle a line or two of illegible lettering. But it takes an artist with talent and drive to transform the average brick wall into a canvas of creativity and wonder.

It takes skill, practice and a lot of determination to make a brand for the world to see. To some people, graffiti is nothing more than bright splotches on a wall. But to people who appreciate it, graffiti is a skill that is changing the way we look at spray paint.

There is a range of graffiti types varying from subject matter to location. Real graffiti artists seem to have an unspoken code – a level of respect about the rules of tagging.

It’s the ones who run around town with a thick marker, scribbling their “crew name” on anything they see who give graffiti artists’ a bad reputation.

The artist known as Arses or AR has been tagging since he was in high school. He said it’s what he does to relax or work through stress or hard times. He thinks a graffiti wall, like one in Venice Beach, would help clean up the streets and help decrease vandalism.

“The graffiti culture ... people need to start seeing it as a valid art form. The people who just tag their name, no disrespect to them, but that is what I consider vandalism,” AR said. “(Graffiti) is the best way to relieve stress, losing friends, drain some pain instead of doing drugs. It’s my anti-drug.”

Some graffiti artists are against any form of vandalism on private property such as people’s houses, schools or churches. Most respectful artists are against defacing another person’s art by tagging on or over the piece. Most importantly, the majority strive to make their art viewable by everyone, which means no excessive cursing or tags on stores in which you must be 18 or older to enter.

Art history professor Catherine Turrill appreciates graffiti as street art, defines the difference between art and vandalism.

“I think the difference between art and vandalism is the vandal has no respect for another individual. They are focused on his or her concerns only, whatever it might be that concerns an individual or the group to which an individual belongs and is using the graffiti as a way of expressing that,” Turrill said. “Speaking as a historian, I appreciate ancient and medieval graffiti, even though it is no more respectful of the surface on which it is written than the tagging we see in the neighborhoods. You can have graffiti as vandalism that is done well. If it’s technically good, it’s technically good. It’s a design sense, a strong sense of form, colors, a dynamic image. It can have strong artistic qualities. I can see where criminal graffiti can be high quality.”

Some of it may look like nothing more than the bubble letters from the ‘90s, but it is much harder than it looks.

The act of tagging itself

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