Graffiti isn’t Graffiti Art
The problem with graffiti art is the question of whether it’s really art, or just plain vandalism. This isn’t always an easy question to answer, simply because there are so many different types of graffiti. Some is simply a monochrome collection of letters, with little artistic merit. Since it’s quick to produce and small, it is one of the most widespread and prevalent forms of graffiti.
Although tagging is the most common type of graffiti, there are bigger, more accomplished examples that appear on larger spaces, such as walls. These are often multicolored and complex in design, and so start to push the boundary of whether they should really be defined as graffiti art.
What’s Graffiti Art?
Laurence Merling, a graffiti artist, said a more pressing problem is that people do not differentiate between graffiti and graffiti art. This controversy is understandable, Merling said, because of the many misconceptions that exist about graffiti.
"People don't see the whole picture," Merling said. "People just see one aspect of it and group it all as one negative thing. If people saw more of it, their attitudes would change towards it."
One can find many examples of graffiti -- scribbles on walls with little artistic talent -- but not of graffiti art.
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