Introduction: Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the 21st century. It differs from modern art, which is the art of a style characterized by a significant departure from traditional styles and values. The contemporary came after modern art. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse and technologically advanced world. Their art is a dynamic combination of materials, methods, concepts and subjects that continue the challenging of boundaries already well underway in the 20th century. Diverse and eclectic, contemporary art as a whole is distinguished precisely by the lack of an organizing principle, an ideology or a uniform "ism". Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Context: On the other hand, graffiti has been present since the 1st century BC and has gradually evolved over time. Graffiti is still everywhere. You can't walk the streets of New York without finding some graffiti on buildings or building walls. You can't walk the streets of most cities in the world without finding graffiti anywhere. In modern times, spray paints and markers have become commonly used graffiti materials, and there are many different types and styles of graffiti. It is a rapidly developing art form. In most countries graffiti is a controversial topic. Painting and marking property without authorization is considered by property owners and civil authorities to be defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime, citing the use of graffiti by street gangs to mark territories or as an indicator of gang-related activity . Graffiti artists have resisted this view to display their art or political views in public places. Thesis Statement: Contemporary art has somehow changed notions about graffiti. In recent times it has gained popularity to the point of being adopted by some companies. Topic sentence: Young people used graffiti to creatively express their sociopolitical discontent and satisfactions. For example, street performers in the East End often mock political figures and societies. Evidence and Citations: Shepard Fairey also used graffiti and street art to send messages regarding politics, human rights, war issues, and ecology. His popular art, the "Obama Hope" poster, brought him a lot of attention as the message created promise in people's minds during the 2008 US election. Years later he also created another poster titled Demagogue which had a different meaning than the first poster. This image created by Fairey clearly depicts everything he wants to say with one simple word and a vague nod to Trump. Topic sentence: Graffiti is a tool that artists have used for communication over the years. Evidence and Quotes: The Infamous Street Banksy reminds us how graffiti is simply another communication tool saying, “Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have next to nothing. And even if you don't find an idea to cure world poverty, you can make someone smile while they're taking a piss.” Banksy's quote highlights the positive side of graffiti and why graffiti art should be validated. Topic sentence: Graffiti has the potential to encourage diversity, bring color to sad places, and allow people to express themselves artistically and make political statements. Evidence and Citations: Graffiti and street art have always been influenced by political and social issues; many people who couldhaving felt powerless they took this art form and transformed it into a form of anonymous political protest. Comment: Having this ability is extremely powerful, as it can make the artist feel heard and allow them to challenge society's thought patterns, which could lead to change. Topic sentence: Graffiti artists have also taken advantage of cheap and decadent spaces as a platform to showcase their creativity and earn a living. Evidence and quotes: For example, in the East End, street artists can simply ask building owners if they can paint on their buildings. Most owners usually agree as it adds a unique sight to their buildings thus attracting customers. Some street artists are also hired to set up works to make the street attractive. According to Carron, some artists are moving away from illegal work. Comment: Artists are looking for creative ways to express themselves on the right side of the law. They do this by requesting permission from the property owner or by accepting commissions. Topic sentence: Graffiti art has been an underground activity, and graffiti artists are usually not popular when painting the streets. Comment: Cities like Portland, Chicago, among others, have spent a lot of time, money and effort to eliminate anything considered graffiti on their streets. Evidence and citations: For example, Chicago blasters destroyed both commissioned and historic murals, including a JC Rivera mural that was obliterated just two weeks after completion. Some cities have also restricted access to spray paint citywide. In Chicago the sale of spray paint is prohibited within city limits, while in Portland all sellers of graffiti materials are required to keep a register of buyers and are subject to inspection by the city's police department. New York and Los Angeles also have special laws regulating the sale of spray paint. There are also fines, volunteer work and sometimes jail time as punishment for graffiti. Death was also a consequence of graffiti. Michael Stewart was a graffiti artist who met his death following an arrest by the New York Transit Police for writing graffiti on a New York City subway wall at the First Avenue station. His treatment while in police custody and the subsequent trials of the officers who arrested him sparked debate about police brutality and the responsibilities of arresting officers in handling suspects. Legal graffiti and squatting has become big business, appearing with the owners' permission on everything from walls to railroad tracks. freight wagons. Comment: Many young graffiti artists want to use their talent and aspire to achieve entrepreneurial success. Local businesses that employ well-known graffiti artists are also said to improve their credibility and company-customer relationship, as well as reduce crime through employment. A prominent group in New York City is the "Mural King," who runs a commercial graffiti business and has been employed to promote global brands such as Coca-Cola and M&M's in advertising campaigns and even hired by schools, hospitals and other groups sanitary fixtures to create works of art. However there was some resistance from the authorities over the use of graffiti for commercial marketing. Los Angeles issued a moratorium on wall murals in 2002 to curb the growing problem of outdoor advertising in the form of street art. Although the ban ended later in 2013, strict rules were put in place to ban commercial messages in street murals. Today, iCommunity murals continue to be displayed in ghettos, barrios, favelas and slums in urban centers around the world. This is a result of inspiration from previous movements and watershed works. Although graffiti is considered vandalism, there are those with a creative eye who will always find a message or meaning in it. Graffiti is an art. Art is expressed and shown in many forms such as singing, dancing, drawing and writing. We all see art differently. My creativity makes me see a simple line as a work of art, while someone who is not creatively inclined might see the line simply as property damage. Just because graffiti is often vandalism because the artist didn't get permission doesn't mean it isn't art. The location of graffiti often influences our opinion about it. If you see a wall that says "Art is not a crime" in the middle of nowhere, you might think it's horrible and a sign of disrespectsince it might be written illegally. Yet when we see the same graffiti at the Young Circle in Hollywood, the first thing many people think is, "Wow." It's so simple, but beautiful,' and takes photos. The location of the graffiti shouldn't change your opinion. We judge what we see based on what we assume rather than the truth. Just because we might think someone painted illegally on a wall doesn't mean they didn't get permission. Topic sentence: Graffiti is beautiful because it is someone's way of expressing their story or dreams. Evidence and quotes: A word or figure can mean a lot to someone. People have their own personalities, thoughts and experiences, and sometimes a piece of graffiti can be their way of showing it to the world. Comment: Artists can be vandals, but that doesn't mean vandals can't be artists. Art doesn't have to be legal to be art. I wouldn't mind waking up one day with graffiti on the wall. Concluding paragraph: While pasting graffiti on private property may be illegal, I believe this is an appropriate art form. Some artists make quite a statement in their community. While distinguishing between art and gang symbols can be difficult, this graffiti adds culture to a bland industrial landscape. There are all kinds of canvases and materials to use for art. Why not an empty cityscape? There is a difference between graffiti and vandalism. Unwarranted damage to property should not be encouraged, but I have seen some great examples that could be photographed and placed in a museum. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Graffiti has been around for so long now. And let's face it, most of it is tasteful. Graffiti doesn't really harm anyone, and there are more serious crimes that we should be chasing people for, not bothering people for writing on the sides of buildings. Graffiti is not a crime! Works Cited Shoenberger, Elisa “Despite Graffiti's Global Popularity, Cities Continue to Criminalize It” Artsy, July 18, 2019, https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-despite-graffitis-global-popularity-città -criminalizeMacDonald, Christine “Street art was the voice of the people. Now it is the voice of advertisers." In These Times, March 11, 2019, https://inthesetimes.com/article/21732/street-art-murals-corporations-advertising-los-angeles-muralism-graffitiLucero, Sage “Shepard Fairey and the phenomenon of Street Art” Medium, August 12, 2018. Green, Madeleynn “A Beautiful Mess: The Evolution of Political Graffiti in the Contemporary City” Journal Quest, August 11, 2019,.