por We explain what urban art or street art is, its characteristics, the types that exist, and we give several examples of works and their authors.
What is urban art or street art?
He urban artalso known as street art, is a fairly new form of artistic expression which basically consists of creating works of art on public roads.
In general, the content of these works has a political and social message of protest and they are carried out on walls, streets and train cars, among other places in the cities.
Being a type of art that can still be considered an act of vandalism, artists are always looking for new ways to leave the message they want very quickly, which is why they use different types of techniques to achieve it.
While many of the artists who perform this type of work are often unknown or choose to remain anonymous, there are others who have achieved worldwide fame for their work.
Urban art history
Urban art was born in the 90s after what was the graffiti boom in the 70s and 80s, mainly in the big western cities.
Many of the artists who painted graffiti began to include new techniques in their creation using stencils, stickers, posters, 3D graffiti and sculptures, among others. In addition, their contents also varied, going from simple phrases or names to deeper themes and protests.
Urban art emphasizes the political and social issues of the moment, making them visible to the whole of society and exposing them on public roads for the whole world to see.
Although in its beginnings it was frowned upon and not entirely accepted, being classified as acts of vandalism, with the passage of time it began to be recognized much more, achieving that some of the great art museums exhibit works of urban art.
Characteristics of urban art
Generally, urban art has some of the following characteristics:
Public space
Almost for the most part, urban art is created in the public spaces of cities.
Legality
Being done on public spaces, urban art is usually seen as an illegal act or vandalism.
Message
One of the main characteristics of urban art is that it mostly expresses a message with political and social overtones, trying to make visible some bad situations that are not, seeking to create awareness in people.
They are created quickly
Being often considered a criminal act, artists must do their work very quickly to avoid being caught, which is why they often use stencils and sprays to speed up their execution.
Fleeting
This type of art usually does not last long on display, since it can be erased by the authorities or the owners of the places where they are created.
anonymous
Although there are some artists who sign their works with their pseudonyms, many of them do not contain any signature or clarification of who did it.
types of urban art
Some of the most common types of urban art that can be found in the world are the following:
Graffiti
This is one of the most common types of urban art and it differs from traditional graffiti in that they are generally drawings or phrases that have some kind of protest message or try to make a particular situation visible.
sculptures
These are a type of street intervention that is carried out by modifying an existing object on the public highway, such as billboards or telephone booths, or by creating a new one and placing it there.
posters
They are prints on paper that are attached to the wall with glue. Images are drawn or printed on the posters before they are placed in place.
3D graffiti
These graffiti create the sensation of a three-dimensional image on the wall where they are made, making the painting appear to be raised. The artists who make them must master this technique very well to make the painting look real, and when they do, the results are astounding.
stickers
It consists of having a large number of stickers, or stickers, with images on a wall with the intention of forming a larger work. Generally their intention is to carry a message of social conscience.
stencil
Stencils are a type of graffiti or painting that is done on a wall, and it is basically a stencil. It has the particularity that said stencil is previously prepared by the artist, a fact that allows him to carry out many interventions, all the same, in a very short time.
Examples of works of urban art
Some of the best-known works of urban art are the following:
Love is in the air (Flower Shooter
This work, created by the artist Banksy, was painted for the first time in 2003 in the city of Jerusalem, making reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The painting depicts a protester about to throw a bouquet of flowers instead of a Molotov cocktail.
obey
Shepard Fairey created this work trying to arouse people’s reaction and make them reflect on what is the meaning behind the image that is presented.
john hamon
This work by the artist, who apparently bears the same name, is the only creation by him in his entire career. It has been seen since 2001 on the streets of Paris and then in various cities around the world.
It is a poster with the passport photo of the artist’s face and his name below, which is still on many walls in Paris and the world, and that image has even been projected on historical monuments such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arch of the Triumph or the Tower of Pisa.
The emperor has no balls
This work is about a statue that shows former US President Donald Trump naked and was carried out by the collective of urban artists called Indecline.
koi-fish
Jeremy Novy has been carrying out this work in the city of San Francisco and other cities in the United States for more than 14 years. This is a stencil painting of Koi fish using the colors white, black and orange.
References
Clark, J.D. (2020). 7 Different Types of Street Art. Retrieved from taurangastreetartfestival.nz
Fluid Acrylic Editors. (2021). Urban art. Retrieved from acrilicofluido.com
Publishers of The Art Story Foundation. (2021). Beginnings of Street and Graffiti Art. Retrieved from theartstory.org
Indrisek, S. (2019). The 6 Most Iconic Works by Banksy. Retrieved from artsy.net
McQueen, J. (2018). The Birth of Street Art. Retrieved from canvas.saatchiart.com