If you’re travelling to Newcastle by train from the south, you might well pass this, just before you cross the Tyne to enter Newcastle. I thought it would be interesting to post this after the recent debates about art/vandalism.
Where do you think it falls?
Sorry about the reflection. It’s difficult to get a perfect shot through a train window.
visits
since April 2006.
Artists don’t have to sneak off in the night and paint illegally on other people’s property.
I am not against a modern mural on such a blank piece of concrete but that work is just ugly and there is nothing artistic about it.
I couldn’t have painted that, so I tend to think there’s something skilfull, artistic in it. It’s hard to draw a line. A family home’s facade? Vandalism, full stop. Railway trains, all across the window? Remove it, and have the “author” pay for it. But regarding motorway bridges, underpasses and so on, I don’t take any offence. Some citys do designate certain areas for painting graffiti legally. Not a bad idea, in my view.
Well i like it, definitely brightens up a dull train journey. It’s art in my opinion, but i do draw the line on mindless ‘tagging’ on peoples houses or shops etc…
Jacob - Banksy is widely accepted to be an artist in the UK (although there isn’t 100% agreement on this), but he does sneak around and paint in the middle of the night.
Is it damaging this brick structure to paint on it? I would argue not.
Andrew - can you say what it is about it that makes it seem ugly to you? I’m not saying that I think it isn’t - but there’s nothing offensive about it to me. It’s a lot brighter and more cheerful that a plain brick structure. Its perspective on the lettering is consistent and good; the colours go together. What’s ugly about it?
Daniel - some great points. I would add that if you have areas where graffiti can be painted legally, I would ask them not to draw anything terribly offensive - but I would be reluctant to say where that line was.
Katie H - yes, tagging houses and the like is completely different in my opinion.
I also thought that this article was worth a read.
I am not sure even what it is - but it is better than the brick wall.
Perhaps if it should what the structure it is painted on is for - would be useful - but then who wants everything to be useful. I don’t.
Now Beth - out with the camera and off to what used to be the bottom of Westgate Road and a blank wall facing South had lovely artwork (graffitti) - huge, accurate and I just loved it. If I have the place wrong, the next person who comes to take me out in their car to Newcastle (I don’t drive in town anymore). I will take my new digital camera and have a go.
Not my fave piece of graffiti but then seeing ugly abandoned neglected structures in urban areas or along railroad tracks isn’t exactly visually attractive or appealing either, so I would prefer a bit colour ro brighten up the view.
Mrs K - I thought you might say something like that :)
Next time I’m down that end of town I’ll see what I can do!
Jafabrit, I’d say I deliberately picked something that deliberately wasn’t extremely beautiful, just to make the debate more interesting, but really this is just the picture I had :)
I found an article on the Nexus website about graffiti on the Metro system and what they’re doing to encourage youngsters to create ‘art’ graffiti and discourage ‘tagging’ while spreading the message of fare evasion and the dangers of drug use:
http://www.nexus.org.uk/wps/wcm/connect/Nexus/Nexus/News/News+archive/2009/Metro+art+promotes+antidrugs+fare+evasion
i’ve met this writer, nothing wrong in painting this, at the end of the day its some sort of brick building to house some equiptment for network rail, look at it this way, places get buffed gives the buffers a job, and money, it gives people somthing to look at, and commuters somthing different to look at, i dont see the big hoohar about graffiti, i spose on buildings like churches, peoples houses, cars, blahde blah, shops and that, simplyfying it all down, street art tags( not charv ones like vanessa lovin jake in that stupid way chavs do) but actual tags which look good, pieces as like this one showen here, to full blockbusters, and dubs, i find all good, at the end of the day, <3 Graffiti.
And if nothing else it gave everyone on here something to argue about! :)
I do quite like it. Better than dull bricks. But yes on churches, people’s houses, stuff like that - it’s wrong.
I dont think its vandalism just like rocking like a b-boy said theres nothing worng in painting this its simply art. Marc Ecko he was a “tagger” and look where he is now he has a huge company all because of what? graffitti he started to paint like this and then decided to put tags on shirts and people started to buy them
people just dont understand taggers and there way of life sometimes when thay paint it sybolizes sumthing to them,
GRAFF IS DOPE!