Graffiti the illegal art - Essay Example

The typically subversive nature of this art thus becomes a tool for the anti-hegemonic resistance, speaking on an individual level with those who live at the street level and perceive that they are being asked to adapt to a world-view that is outside of or in opposition to their own sphere of experience. The excitement of moving outside of the circles of the officially sanctioned, government approved and corporately supported dominant viewpoint of the fabulously wealthy is captured in the graffiti artist’s ability to capture a sense of the observations and triumphs of the common man, beginning to re-establish connections and re-enforcing personal observations that strike against the claims of the powers that be.

This ability to speak to the concerns of the common man has re-asserted their impression that their voices are important, too. It is commonly accepted that the graffiti artist is saying something that most of his contemporaries on the street have been prevented from saying for any number of reasons – lack of confidence, fear of reprisal, etc. Again, this is accomplished not just through the subject of the art, but also in the way in which the art is practiced. Their message cannot be separated from the art form because of the nature of placing the art upon the unsanctioned spaces of the city.

This felonious act screams defiance at the establishment even as do many of the images presented. Graffiti has similarly been demonstrated in case after case to have the kind of individual element.