Why Graffiti Is Art

• To some, graffiti represents the most enticing form of art: one with an unending canvas that can speak immediately and directly to the people near it. Certainly, graffiti can require incredible amounts of talent and dedication, and some graffiti artists have even found their works on display in world-famous art galleries. Some art instructors have embraced the spontaneity and freedom inherent in graffiti art to encourage their students to take a greater interest in the subject.
  
  

Why Graffiti Isn't Art

• Despite the talent often poured into graffiti, it is nonetheless generally considered vandalism and perpetrators can be punished with fines or even imprisonment. Past instances of widespread graffiti have cost cities millions of dollars to clean and are often associated with increased crime rates. In addition, some newer forms of graffiti use acid, which can cause irreparable damage to the surfaces they touch -- further encouraging many to denounce graffiti as a crime, not an art form.
  
  

Graffiti as Representational Art

• Typically, representational art is considered art that is clearly recognizable as what it is depicting, for example, a tree that can be clearly seen as a tree or a house that can be clearly recognized as a house. Although graffiti is usually associated with abstract art, it is often representational. Various art websites show images of graffiti that include realistic depictions of children, animals and places.
  
  

Graffiti as Abstract Art

• Certainly, not all graffiti could be considered representational art. Much of it is very abstract and provides the opportunity for multiple interpretations. Some of the most abstract art is designed to make political or philosophical statements, while some of it is simply there to add the artist's unique mark on the city. Today, even some established abstract artists have begun taking up graffiti for the freedom it provides them.