FILM 21: BANKSY

What do you think about Banksy’s anonymity?
While it would be interesting to know more about Banksy’s identity, I believe that his anonymity is what is truly intriguing about him. When a new Banksy shows up somewhere, it is funny to think that nobody saw him create it. His hidden identity is what makes Banksy and his art all the more fun. If we knew who he was and people could reach him, his work would probably suffer. People would know when he was painting. It just would not be the same if Banksy’s true identity was known.

In the film, street art is auctioned off. Should street art be left in the street or is it okay to remove?
I feel like it really defeats the purpose of the art when it is sold. Banksy’s art is literally cut off walls sometimes. If it is created in the street, that is where it should be. Nobody is going to remove the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling to put on the auction block at Sotheby’s, so why is it any different for street art? Art is art, and it should be left where it is if it is not on a canvas. Some street artists still make art that is put in galleries and is meant to be sold. The art they create in the street should be left alone.It is called street art for a reason.

Why were artists like Shepard Fairey, Banksy, and Invader sort of bitter sounding about Thierry’s show and overnight success? Were they jealous or justified?
I understand why Fairey, Banksy and Invader are all slightly upset over Thierry’s success. They had all worked very diligently to gain their recognition and all Thierry did was tell a bunch of artists what to make. It was also almost like Thierry used Banksy’s “endorsement” to create hype for his show. Without that quote, I feel like Thierry would have been far less popular. Same goes for Shepard Fairey’s quote. I do not feel like the other artists were jealous though, because they knew how Thierry’s work was created and how much he actually did himself.


Question: Was Thierry/Mr. Brain Wash really a true artist all along or did he get lucky?

FILM 20: HARING

How do you think Haring’s appreciation for graffiti contributed to his own work?
I think that the biggest ways that graffiti contributed to Haring’s work was in the ways that he wanted many people to see his work and in the way that he painted in public places. Both of these qualities complimented each other and achieved Haring’s goal of people seeing his work. In the film, Haring is shown doing chalk drawings in the subway stations of New York so that many people can see his work. Even an elderly woman was intrigued. This is something that graffiti artists tend to do. They’d paint in very public places for recognition. This is still true today when we see subway cars, abandoned trucks, walls, fences, and street posts covered in graffiti.

Why do you think Haring’s work appealed to so many people?
In my eyes, the bold lines, bright colors and simplicity of Haring’s work appeal to many different groups of people. Kids are drawn in by the colors and the interesting figures. Adults may be drawn in by the same thing, but keep looking so that they understand Haring’s overall message. The bold, black lines that Haring used are perfect and make you wonder whether a machine or a person did the outlines. All of these qualities combined draw in viewers and have made Haring’s work very popular worldwide.

What do you find most interesting about Haring’s methods of spreading his work all over the world?
The method I found most interesting was Haring’s Pop Shop. He did not create all these products to generate money, he simply wanted his work to be spread all over the world. People would buy these t-shirts and buttons and wear them so that the world could see. This method probably wasn’t popular to many people in the art world because they mistook this idea as a money-hungry method, but I think it is clever. Looking back on this idea, I think it really worked. I have seen Keith Haring t-shirts and posters before, which means he is still popular and people still want to wear these shirts.

Question: After Haring found out he had AIDS, he worked at a more rapid speed, saying he had so much to do. What do you think this says about him as an artist?

FILM 19 : BASQUIAT

What is it about Basquait’s work that draws you in?
In my eyes, Basquait’s work is unlike anything I have ever seen. It is extraordinarily interesting. There is so much for a viewer to look at and try to understand.  The kind of lines Basquait uses are almost childlike but at the same time extremely skillful. I love that he incorporated words into his art as well.

Basquait says that he can’t really explain his art. Why do you think this is?
I think that Basquait can’t explain his art because there are so many individual ideas within each painting. It is stated that his apartment floor was littered with unfinished or partially finished work all the time and that he would randomly add things to each page. He would even walk all over it. I feel like for Basquait, sometimes the art was an outlet more than a statement.

Basquait said that minimalism and conceptualism alienated people from art. Do you agree? Why?
Yes, I agree with Basquait when he said that this kind of art alienated people from art. Minimalist and conceptualist artists did not give people enough to work with when creating their art. A blank canvas or a single line does not leave much for interpretation. People like looking and things and piecing them together to understand what the artist is saying. When it is too simple, it breaks the connection between some people and the art.


Question: Why do you think Basquait is considered a “radiant child”?