Street-Art (Semiotics 2)

           This image is in the public street in England. On the surface, it is a depiction of cave art that has (presumably) been there for hundreds and hundreds of years. Along the side of it there is a man in uniform, some kind of public servant, who has been commissioned to pressure wash the wall back to its original blank canvas.

            I love this image because of what it connotes. The situation is obviously absurd. If these were real cave paintings that were done by our original ancestors, the government would no doubt take all kinds of precautions to preserve the images as well as they could. The reality is, the paintings themselves are nothing more than people drawing on walls. The artist tries to draw a parallel between what the original artists do and what he does as a graffiti artist. They both paint images on walls. The difference being, one is considered to be priceless art and the other a nuisance to society. How horrified would the public be if they were to ever encounter a public servant washing off hundred-year-old cave paintings from existence? Yet that is what happens to graffiti artists everyday.  

            Notice the contrast in colors the artist chooses to use when comparing the wall to the man. The wall uses the most vibrant of earthly colors; colors that can be found easily in nature. Now contrast those with the plain gray and black colors of the man and his pressure washer. The only vibrant color on the man is the artificially created orange vest. The contrast in colors I believe helps to signify the difference between creativity and conformity.

            The direction of the hose, the hat and gaze of the worker and the placement of the animals point to one point on the canvas: the water shooting out of the hose. That is the horror of the image. Even the animals and people drawn in the canvas seem to be going crazy over this horror. The people, holding bows and spears seem to be jumping up and down in protest as the animals run about wildly.

            Altogether, the image is really a cry for acceptance. It asks for graffiti art to be held in the same weight and same breath as any other fine art in existence. It seeks to expose the double standard we hold in society for what is vandalism and what is art. It tries to make you think.