Over the years, there have been many different forms of art around the world, some of

which are considered national treasures of the world, but over the years, there are still issues

about what artwork should be considered as a form of art, and just an example of it is graffiti art.

For me, I define graffiti as a free form of art because artists of this type of art can express their

creativity freely without getting criticized by art critics. In the past few years, however, graffiti

has been getting the attention of a lot of people. Debates are going on about whether graffiti

should be considered an art form or just a nuisance in the art world. Graffiti, which was

originally deemed vandalism, is now widely acknowledged as a kind of art. However, it is not

always perceived positively or universally as art by the general population (Eden Gallery, 2021).

The reputation of graffiti art has become dull because of the artists who create it, but if we look

carefully and analyze its meaning, or maybe just be creative in how we see things around us, we

can see that graffiti is a piece of art and realize its significance in the world.

Based on the video, Francis Joven stands that graffiti is a form of art, and many people

always misinterpret the meaning behind the art. According to Eden Gallery (2021). Graffiti Art

takes the techniques and approaches of street graffiti and applies them to different mediums. At

the same time, all graffiti can be classified as art. When graffiti leaves city surfaces and moves to

a more traditional art surface, such as a canvas, the distinction between graffiti and graffiti art is

frequently employed. Graffiti Art removes graffiti from the streets and allows it to be sold,

exhibited, and displayed in a variety of settings. If we analyze it, graffiti can be considered an art

form too, and even artists of this type of art sell it to people and make a profit out of it just like

every other form of art that is sold. We just need to have better creativity and imaginative

thinking.
 Therefore, Graffiti can be considered to be a form of art. It is without a doubt that graffiti

is controversial, as it is always on the line between vandalism and art. There are 2 sides to this,

the people who argue that the graffiti made on the wall is art, and the other side considered it

vandalism. It is both; therefore, I consider Graffiti in relation to Panday Sining vandalism and a

form of art. To expound as to why graffiti is considered art, it is because it still is considered a

contemporary art form; moreover, it originated thousands of years ago such as that of cave

paintings and inscriptions on ancient buildings of Egypt. I also would like to clarify as this case

of Graffiti made in Manila to be a lower form of art as it seems that it doesn't require that much

work. In an article by ArtLife (2020), graffiti is complex and requires a form of technical skill,

there even exists impressive works that bring in tourists. I also considered in the case of this

specific Graffiti to be vandalism, you can argue it is for freedom; however, it is sprayed on a

public area that no citizen owes. therefore, graffiti is always a form of art; however, it can also be

considered vandalism regardless of feelings.

Have you ever seen a piece of street art and wondered why some people consider it

vandalism while others consider it beautiful? Because everyone has its own perception about art,

for those who considered it beautiful they often think that Graffiti, is the act of writing or

painting on a wall or other public surface in broad daylight without authorization, generally as a

form of artistic expression. Diego Gonzalez, for example, describes a study conducted by two

researchers on how people might respond to an abandoned automobile in the middle of a

metropolis in his Ted Talk. The researchers parked a car on the side of the road with nothing

wrong with it and returned a few weeks later to check if anything had been messed with it, but

there was nothing wrong with it. They then smashed a glass and scratched the automobile to

observe how others would respond to the abandoned vehicle. A few weeks later, the researchers
returned to find additional scratches, damaged glass, and a few paints on the car. Because it had

not been broken into, many were unconcerned about the abandoned car. People began to

replicate it after something happened to it, breaking windows and pulling it apart. Graffiti may

have a positive effect on people, but it can also be destructive. In any way, let us know the

difference between art and vandalism. Because the first image that comes up when you Google

vandalism is of a graffiti piece, it may be difficult to understand each person's point of view.

Moreover, according to our professor, art is anything created by people who express

themselves through art. According to (Evans, 2020), street art will always be an influential form

of art, but its legacy will always raise questions of vandalism and crime. However, regarding the

video, I disagree with Panday Sining's response because, while graffiti is an art, and it allows

people to express themselves, as well as spread influential and educational messages, we cannot

ignore the fact that we all have different points of view when it comes to art. Vandalism,

according to (Oxford Lexico, n.d.), is an action involving the intentional destruction or damage

of public or private property. Yes, it is a form of art, but it is not in the right place and must not

destroy anything.

Also as stated by Латышёнок (2021), " Graffiti is very personal to the young person that

produces it and it is an expression of his or her feeling." It depends on how you do your art on

the wall and how you make your creative skill to express your thoughts and feelings. It gives you

time and hard work to do this art, but they criticize this form of art because some people say it is

vandalism. Learn to think what's the inside of the artwork in the form of this art and appreciate

the meaning of art in the wall that you see. Therefore, graffiti is aesthetically pleasing and

playful adventurous that every wall has graffiti art. It looks like a happy place where you want to

live a colorful life. Also, it is interesting and eye-catching for those people who appreciate art.
With the addition of graffiti, a bare building wall or a quiet alleyway becomes something entirely

new.

Additionally, Graffiti could be in a form of art and a form of visual communication.

Sometimes, it is considered vandalism and usually illegal, but I consider it as a form of art

because it gives meaning to the message that is put into their writings or drawings on the wall. In

relation to the graffiti works of Panday Sining, they were nabbed for vandalizing the walls in

train stations but if we would look into their works, there’s a deep meaning to what they put on

the walls, it’s usually about the government and their stand as citizens of this country. According

to an article by San Juan (2019) that the late art critic and UP professor Alice Guillermo wrote

that protest art—also termed revolutionary or progressive art—breaks down the academic and

elitist notions associated with traditional forms that rely on inaccessible media like oil on canvas.

Protest art may take the form of posters, illustrations, comic books, graffiti, street murals, and

other popular media that are less likely to alienate the audience. The important thing is that they

are "infused with meaningful political content” (San Juan, 2019). As long as the writings or the

graffiti contains good message or meaning, it shouldn’t hurt anyone because it is a form of art.

According to Braaten (2019), when people in our society see any form of graffiti, they

shut it down. We have told ourselves that spray painted art is vandalism. But in reality, a spray-

paint can is just a tool that artists use to create an art piece. Like painting tools, graffiti is a tool

for the mass communications of the world. It can get a person’s opinions and voices heard in an

anonymous way, and get people talking. Indeed, graffiti was introduced to the world as a reply to

modernism and social division, artists often use graffiti to invoice what are their thoughts and

opinions with how the government works just like what Panday Sining did. And the government

considers this as vandalism and against the law because they do not want to be questioned about
their governance. Furthermore, the government may see artists as a threat, because they have the

courage to invoice their opinions through art. Moreover, according to Vats (n.d.), graffiti is

usually considered a way to make the public see both the good and the ugly aspects of society. It

represents freedom and an uprising of people who want to protest the wrong practices that still

prevail in society.  So, for me, yes, I do agree that graffiti is a form of art because it allows us to

express our thoughts and opinions, we are using it for us to be heard about our concerns in the

political system and social issues that exist in our country.

To conclude, graffiti is a form of an art. Graffiti is an art as well but it was just only done

with a different canvas, which is the wall. Art brings light and color as well as graffiti, graffiti

artists don’t get the chance to show that graffiti is art because people think of it as vandalism.

According to Russo (2020), Graffiti is art but on a different canvas. All art is unique and artists

should be allowed to show their art on whatever canvas they want. Drawers show their art on

paper, painters show their art on a canvas, sculptures show their art on clay and pottery. Graffiti

artists show their art on the sides and backs of walls. Arist and non-artist all have their way of

showing their own art. Furthermore, graffiti is an art that is the passion of many, because it can

be very inspiring and is a way for people to express themselves and get their opinions out there

in the world. Graffiti should not be illegal or not allowed unless it crosses limits and is

considered vandalism.
 References

ArtLife. (2020, December 18). Graffiti Art: Why Graffiti is Art and Not vandalism. ArtLife.

https://www.artlife.com/graffiti-art-why-graffiti-is-art-and-not-vandalism/

Braaten, M. (2019, December 2). Journal Writing Project: Is graffiti art or vandalism?

FILLMORE COUNTRY JOURNAL. https://fillmorecountyjournal.com/journal-writing-

project-is-graffiti-art-or-vandalism/
Graffiti: Art or Vandalism? Street Art in School & Communities | Diego Gonzalez |

TEDxCountyLineRoad. (2015, November 21). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=y4GpSEyJZjE

Russo, A. (2020, December 17). Can Graffiti Ever be Considered Art? Forest Hills Public

Schools. https://www.fhps.net/2020/12/can-graffiti-ever-be-considered-art/

Vats, S. (n.d.). The Art Debate: Is Graffiti Art or Vandalism? Indian Art Ideas.

https://indianartideas.in/blog/contemporary-art/the-art-debate-is-graffiti-art-or-vandalism

Evans, K. (2020, July 29). Graffiti: Street Art or Vandalism? The Edge.

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Латышёнок, Е. А. (2021). Graffiti: Art or Vandalism.

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San Juan, R. (November 13, 2019). There is more to graffiti than ‘making a mess,’ activists say.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/11/13/1968544/there-more-graffiti-making-

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