Street art

Street art is an artwork that is created in public spaces like buildings, streets
and trains, typically without official permission, however, nowadays it has become
allowed.

The work has moved from graffiti and vandalism to new modes where artists
leaves messages like political, religious or environmental issues, feelings, or just the
simple beauty, to an audience. Urban artists make their art to change our daily life.
Their work serves to amuse us. Street art can be ugly, different, strange, but each work
has its own meaning that touches each person in his own way.

 Origins

This type of artistic expression spread all over the world, appeared in the United States
in the 70's and gained its popularity in the early 80´s. However, some studies say that
urban art emerged in earlier times, since in the Middle Ages the Greeks and Romans
have already transmitted several messages through the walls.

 Impact on society

Street art has an impact on art in the way of it presents itself and explores art in a
different way than the usual art forms.

Street art has also a big impact on society, in the way that it helps to show and express
how people feel about issues. Street art also helps to draw the attention of the
government to act upon issues that affects the society.

It stimulates conversation between communities. People are forced to reflect on what

they see and become conscious of what is around them. In this way, street art is a
powerful device for inspiring, creating morale and raising the spirits of the public.

On the other hand, street art can have its own set of legal and ethical issues, where
may be involved the artist, the city or the government, the intended receiver and the
owner of the structure or the medium used to the work.
  Types of street art

There are many different techniques of street art:

Sculptures: Sculptures are usually made of sand, clay, stone, metal, ceramics or any
other material sculpted in a creative way. This type of art can be considered street art if
they are exposed in public instead of in a museum or something like that.

Mosaic tiling: this technique is based in a group of images done with coloured pieces of
glass. You can find the mosaic in the interior decoration of churches and cathedrals.

Mural: in this technique the artist paints directly on a wall or other permanent surface,
with spray paints. They are usually hired by some business, big sized and well
organized. They are painted with permission, the artists are usually paid to paint the
wall. 
Stencil art (graffiti): Graffiti is usually made by spray paints and markers. Most graffiti
artists work anonymously and leave their initials along with their work.

Sticker art: this technique uses the stickers to transmit messages.

Street installations: It is where the artist can express their feelings or their message by
using different elements combined with painting. Street installations use urban spaces
to artistically recreate them in order to promote some idea.
Wheatpaste: it is made with flower and water. It is a technique that street artists use to
make detailed images quickly. It is used to make posters, drawings and paintings on
paper that can be glued on the streets. This technique is quick, easy and cheap, that's
why many artists use it.

3D Street Art: the three-dimensional street art is not a recent art as people think, in
fact, it emerged many years ago. This technic can be made with chalk or paint and it is
magnificent because it creates an optical illusion in the eyes of the viewers.

 Street art as tourism

Urban art is becoming more and more a tourist attraction. Many tourists are always
looking for a painted wall or a sculpture on the street, which can make them feel
something, because, actually, this is the real definition of art. So, we can say that street
art is increasing tourist population.

I found an app, named by “Street Art Cities”, that gives people a quick overview on all
public artworks in the area, detailed background information of the artist and the story
and the location of it. This app shows how this type of art is becoming an important
subject to people, instead of being only some funny and beautiful things that takes up
the streets.

 Street art in Lisbon

These urban projects take place in many cities all over the world. Many of European
cities are taking the lead, where is included Lisbon. In our capital, the Bairro Alto area
is one of the most popular places full of this type of art.

In Lisbon there is an urban art gallery, where people can expose their works. It was
created in 2008, because at the time it was considered a big deal to create some
alternative space dedicated exclusively to urban art, where artists can do their work in
a legal and structured way.

This gallery provides many walls and panels in different materials in many zones of the
city (some of them nearby Bairro Alto). The artists just need to have a good cause and
motive to do their projects, present it and wait for the permission to do what they like.

The main objective of this gallery is to promote new legal expressions of street art in
Lisbon, against illegal acts of vandalism.

Covilhã is becoming another city marked by urban art in Portugal, due to the WOOL
urban art festival. This festival, with the presence of national and international artists,
that takes place in this city, will happen in June.

WOOL uses the walls of Covilhã as a support to urban art projects. Its goals are
arousing the interest of the community for the culture and contemporary art,
specifically, street art and creates an urban art script through the city.

This festival has a lot of different events and workshops given by the adept artists, in a
way to promote their contact with the viewers.
  Street art around the world

Street art takes place in a huge number of cities around the world. In my opinion that is
based on researches, the ones that stand out are Berlin, New York, Mexico City,
Melbourne and São Paulo, besides Lisbon.

Berlin, Germany Melbourne, Australia

New York, USA São Paulo, Brazil

Mexico City, Mexico Lisbon, Portugal
 Artists

The most important Portuguese street art artists are Arturo Bordalo, known by Bordalo
II; Sérgio Odeith, known by Odeith and Vhils, pseudonym of Alexandre Farto.

Bordalo II has a lot of works over Portugal. He recycles others’ trash and creates art in
the walls, streets and public spaces, causing a big impact.

Vhils is an amazing artist who travels around the world to create his masterpieces,
revolutionizing the traditional technique of stencil.

We can find Odeith’s art, not only in many Portuguese cities, as also in other countries.
His main works are painted in murals.

In a global scale, there are many other artists, such as Banksy, the best of the world
according to several rankings; Above; Roa; Mentalgassi; Hyuro; SpY; Laguna and Blu.
All of them have different styles and use different techniques, but they all share one
thing in common – their art leaves a message.

 Conclusion

With this work I learned a lot of things about street art that I have never heard, like
street art techniques. I also learned about some world known artists, including
portuguese ones.

My favourite technique of this type of art is maybe 3D street art, because it is unique
and unusual, I have only seen one or two. 3D street art usually creates an illusion of
depth, what is very beautiful and interesting.

I can say that many people don’t recognize this artwork like art and sometimes people
relate this art with vandalism, what I on occasion understand. There are many people
who dirty the walls with spray pains, writing words or making stupid drawings, not for
the art itself but only for fun or for the joke of causing damage. .

I also can conclude that common graffiti and street art were created by the same
movement. Every experiences and different styles, that origins what is beautiful and
artistic, grew from graffiti. Graffiti was the precursor of the street art
I found that the majority of street art artists have begun their works on the streets,
something that is considered illegal. These artists, who started in the streets, now
show their works in museums and galleries, what is remarkable. Their art is also
notable, in that it always transmits a word of love, sadness, passion or joy to society. In
fact, this type of art is a powerful way to express thoughts and ideals.

Lastly, Street art become a tourist attraction in many main cities in the world,
Lisbon included, which, in my opinion, brings advantages to the local business
and economy. I think Portugal is betting on street art, because it is something
modern, which appeals to the contemporary generation, and makes the country
better in many subjects.

Bibliografia
(s.d.). Obtido de https://blocs.xtec.cat/streetart/definition-of-street-art/definitionwhat-is-
street-art/

(s.d.). Obtido de https://mymodernmet.com/10-street-artists-you-should/

(s.d.). Obtido de http://mc.adeima.pt/forums/topic/artistas-portugueses-entre-os-melhores-

graffiters-do-mundo/

(s.d.). Obtido de http://www.woolfest.org/

(s.d.). Obtido de https://www.hypeness.com.br/2014/05/as-10-melhores-cidades-do-mundo-

para-quem-gosta-de-street-art/