Graffiti

Art has always been a way to express the views and opinions of the expressive. Many who hope to reach out and expose their feelings use art as a vehicle best fit to do so. In the case of graffiti, seen along many streets across many corners of the globe, normal people can also use it as a way of expressing themselves. It is also an opportunity for the less fortunate, yet no less talented population of the world to have a voice and speak their hearts. The only issue is that its existence is a debatable topic.

As stated in the CBS report, graffiti in most areas is an illegal act. The artists do not have the right to express themselves on property that is not theirs. This has raised many debates as to whether graffiti, in most cases, is ethically correct. With this in mind, curators of recognised the freedom of expression that graffiti artist so desire, and have started exhibitions to lure them from out of the streets, and give them an opportunity to express themselves as a potential career, instead of an illegal action.

I do believe that people deserve to have a voice through art. For the less fortunate especially, this is the only way they are heard in many situations. As for the ethical aspects of graffiti, I do agree that it should be done only to the extent that it is still legal. This shouldn't, however, limit the artists from being able to do what they love. Opportunities, such as exhibitions for graffiti alone, should be guaranteed for ALL people to be able to express themselves. Ethics should not limit them to less that most already have. Graffiti is no less of an art than any other.

Is art the language of emotions?

Art is the language of emotion. It is the only Area of Knowledge that humans can use to express themselves to the fullest. This is not limited to just visual arts, but inclusive of music, literature, theatre, among others. They all contain the inner joys and struggles of the artists themselves, in many different words, colours, notes, and lines. This could imply that art is the language we use to express emotion...but how do we know?

Sense and Perception as a Way of Knowing. This is the first that should be considered. How can we sense the emotion evoked through anything if we can't hear or see it. In the case of visual arts, sight is of most value. The artists most often speak to the viewer through colour, tone, and whatever is in the painting for that matter. We need to see the joy expressed by the actors on stage. We need to hear the pain in the depths of the orchestra and the lines of a poem. Once we perceive it all, then our emotion kicks in.

Emotion as a Way of Knowing. This is the most obvious of them all. We automatically use our emotion to sense the emotion in art. Us as humans can connect to the emotional message that is being brought across through the artwork. It is something that all artists are aware of. If no one else could emotionally connect to what the artist feels when the artwork is seen or heard, then what is the point of most art being created and shared in the first place. Just from what we can infer through our emotion, it is clear that it is a common language used for expression. Artists, authors, and composers alike have a lot to share with the public, and if anything, art chose them, and they used art to have voice.