Thursday, May 5, 2011

Since street art is so diverse and spans almost every continent in the world, I figure that I have to find a way to focus my research so that I don't go dancing off into too many directions...

I am starting my research by checking out some major works by famous street artists around the world. I purchased Nicholas Ganz's book Graffiti World Street Art from Five Continents to learn a little bit about a bunch of artists. From here I will choose 4-5 artists and delve deeper into their work. I already know I want to study Banksy and perhaps, Shepard Fairey. The other slots are currently up for grabs.

The book is a compilation of street art from all over the world. Rather than delve deeply into each artist presented, the book provides a brief overview of style and showcases a handful of pieces from the artist. There are many artists that I find to be intriguing. Narrowing my search down to a handful may prove difficult.

On the other hand, the large amount of artists presented in Ganz's book is a reminder of the huge number of artists out there that have much to say, much to share, but still lack the forum to do so. Instead of presenting their work in galleries they have chosen to use a far more public forum like a wall or building. It must be cathartic, to just create something that you know at least one other person will see. Illegal, yes, but cathartic nonetheless.

Off to continue reading through Ganz's book...

Ganz, Nicholas. (2009). Graffitti World: Street Art From Five Continents. Abrams.