banksy art

banksy art

The Impact and Influence of Banksy’s Art on Contemporary Society

1. Introduction to Banksy and his Artistic Style

Thank you. We hope our project is of interest to you, and now, respected guests, we would like to begin our report.

Finally, in collaboration with the technical team, we will show some examples of interventions by street artists with particular attention to Banksy.

The artist in question is a writer on the streets, Banksy, and we will try comparing his works to the artistic movement that made a significant contribution to the history of art of the last century. In our project, we shall explain the roots and development of urban street art and, in particular, internationally research the figure of Banksy, who as an English artist of contemporary art plays a dominant role in the phenomenon in question.

Our forum will attempt to explain and contextualize the works of a famous contemporary artist who has transformed the viewing and interpretation of his art as an occurrence, a happening. The effect is to transform the viewer into a neighbor of the description in a spirit of union and fostering of symbolic value that often crosses the line from display to consideration ahead for the real world.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We would like to start by introducing our Mini Keynote Forum. Our names are Magdalene Konkara and Mathias Onyango, and representing the technical team is Sally Muthieje.

Introduction

2. Exploration of Banksy’s Key Themes and Motivations

The first key theme concerning Banksy’s work is his humor. It is most obvious because the humor is often overt and difficult to ignore. The nature of humor and comedy is challenging to define, but we can use Baudelaire’s characterization “the sudden leap from the reflective to the intuitive mind” as “laughter is involuntary, a sudden burst of imagination at play.” In the case of visual humor, viewers need to notice elements of the familiar and the expected that are not only present but arranged in a certain way. Using parody, the familiar is re-envisioned; twists regard both societal norms and personal expectations, and such comic criticism cannot be ignored. This is Banksy’s positioning: irreverent, humorous, fresh, and unexpected. Additionally, seeing various installments of work is also amusing because the viewer appreciates the recurring styles and themes.

An analysis of Banksy’s subject matter and the way in which it is presented reveals that his art can be categorized into seven, sometimes overlapping themes. These are: humor; politics and social protest; the animal kingdom; sex and attitudes toward the homeless; critique of Banksy as a sell-out and commercialism, of advertising and other artists; and art world attitudes toward Banksy.

The purposes of Banksy’s art and his most frequent themes have been discussed at length, and most commentators emphasize the political, anti-establishment, and populist aspects of his output. His humorous work and his use of irony, parody, or satire, and other comic or amusing themes and devices lead many to contend that Banksy’s primary motivations are to entertain, shake or awaken viewers, and challenge accepted conventions. The suggestion that he “paints like a prankster” is one illustration of those interpretations. By incorporating the unexpected, humor makes viewers think, and Banksy uses it to challenge the status quo.

3. Analysis of Banksy’s Techniques and Mediums

At first glance, the most important thematic or narrative function of a stencil painting is to provide a foundation for content in a given situation. This content can range from parody and condemnation of political institutions to a representation of contemporary social conditions. This feature could be overlooked, as the physical presence of the mural is so relevant to the interpretation of street art, but it does not belong to traditional forms of art. In traditional art, the canvas work is part of the sacred space and has special aesthetic features, peculiarities, and specific decorations due to its sacred character. In street art, however, the sacred nature of the painting is not transferred to the surface on which it is created, but remains strongly linked to it. Starting from the first works of Keith Haring, the surface is irrevocably part of the exhibition of street art. However, the dispersion of art exists only within the narrow perimeter of its sacred space. Spray paint is a tool that makes the painting easily and permanently visible, allowing the surface to be used multiple times as a support for other works. Therefore, while street art opens up space to visitors and allows for the expression of strong community feelings, it deliberately restricts the physical space available for the artist’s intervention.

Banksy’s art can be considered as street art since it is created on walls and intended for a specific audience. Recent works by other artists have also shown that street art can be exhibited. Banksy’s creative portfolio primarily consists of stenciled paintings, which exploit the pure form of the image. Many of Banksy’s canvas works are the result of converting previously designed murals into a standard medium. The pure shape of a Banksy painting represents a precise image, as seen in earlier stenciled graffiti. This typological identification is important as it explains some inherent connotations of street art. The thematic variations adopted in reproductions made with different techniques do not affect the identification.

4. Banksy’s Role in Contemporary Art and Activism

Furthermore, Banksy found that the public was drowning in the single voice of the mainstream media and decided to use their voice to make himself seen, thus emulating Warhol. But even Warhol had arrived at the conclusion that there was safety in numbers: “He realized that all wealth, power, and success could not keep you warm, and that it would be better to have a crowd’s worth of enthusiasm than a single critic’s worth of it. ‘Everyone should be a popular artist,’ he said. ‘Until then, I don’t think I’m too much happier than anybody else.’” This is pure Machiavelli: “A prince’s strength lies in the love and strength and not in the fear of the people, provided that he has no other object of fear: the ability to win requires the capacity to be loved. This same Machiavellian approach is at the heart of Banksy’s early political/activist work, which, as with Warhol, is probably his most important work to date.

Banksy, like all artists, is an individual with a unique set of circumstances, qualities, habits, skills, anxieties, advantages, and opportunities. It is fairly unusual for the makers of visual art to hold the power provided to Banksy by the city of Bristol – the home of Banksy’s fans and patrons who cherish his individuality, controversial subject matter, and anti-establishment philosophy – and without a community that accepts, needs, or appreciates him, such a figure could not exist, or at least would be an entirely different kind of image-maker to the one before us. And the fact that Banksy has played and learned in the public domain is a significant factor in his work. His early play spaces have fostered the risk-taking essential to all visual artists. Banksy was in the right place at the right time.

5. Conclusion: Banksy’s Enduring Legacy and Cultural Significance

Banksy’s graffiti and prompts are ceramics resistant and by no means put him in the face of the law or suggest that the courts are on one side while the people are on the other. As it used to create this illusion, it opposes it today. Its meeting point with French footballer Zinedine Zidane and the Crown Prince of Dubai, with their viewing of his work in comfort, is a fairly definition of non-confrontational. The slogan “That’s a fairly definition of non-confrontational” is printed on one of the walls. Banksy assumes it is with its energy spent on endangered species such as tigers, pandas, zebras, and rhinoceroses, rather than gorillas. For instance, it is against the National Museum instead of the British Museum. Today, without regarding the clandestine origin of graffiti, artwork has been given enough legitimacy. Its sound aesthetics and provocative content attract art lovers, economists, publicists, and photographers. They know the value of the assignment that Banksy’s name provides to their production.

Banksy’s work is non-confrontational, accessible, witty, and obdurate. It is supported by a narrative that depicts him as an outsider, responsible for misbehaving and defying the status quo. Throughout his career, he has consistently mentioned that he does not want to be mainstream and commercial, and has avoided becoming a part of the art establishment. However, while Banksy is still focused on external enemies, he is essentially a superstar today. As demonstrated in various ways through his artwork, contrary to earlier generations, the new heroes are not those who shatter the image of the domineering and oppressive system, but those who develop cooperative attitudes and embrace their superiority. They are the new Warhols who participate in making it spin and twirl and change its aspect.