Banksy Canvas Art – Why Banksy is the World's Favorite Graffiti Artist

Graffiti is something that can be seen in every part of the world be it the eastern belt or the western belt, graffiti exists everywhere. It mars and defaces walls, poles, trains and sometimes even pavements and walking tracks. It is regarded as an objectionable defacement of property by the poor fellows who endure it as they then have to spend much time and money to clear it off their property. It is a social menace and causes much annoyance to people.

However, an artist named Banksy from the streets of United Kingdom near London has garnered international eminence and appreciation for his graffiti work. Banksy’s street art has acquired the stature of cult art and is becoming increasingly popular with both the pedestrians and art collectors. Banksy has showcased his work through a number of exhibitions which has led to an increase in his popularity.

The immense popularity of his art work can be gauged from the fact that one of his painting titled, “Space Girl and Bird” was sold for a whopping $575, 000 in an auction event last year. Banksy art is now available at many private art collections all over the world. He has amassed for himself international recognition and fame. He has come out with books and leaflets as art and has his own website as well. So far he has published three books, “Existencilism”, “Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall” and “Cut it Out”.

His most recent book, “Wall and Piece”, was published by Random House and has sold more than two hundred and fifty thousand copies already. Nonetheless, Banksy remains a mystery to many as he hides his real identity to avoid arrest. This desire to remain anonymous stems from the passion to be a “quality vandal” and evade the police. He has a philosophical side to him as well, he once said, “Imagine a city where graffiti wasn’t illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked, where the street was awash with a million colors and little phrases.  “A city that felt like a party where everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business.” He has his own perception about the world and tends to look at it from his own prism. He has said, “The art world is the biggest joke going. It’s a rest home for the over-privileged, the pretentious, and the weak.”

Banksy’s graffiti first came to notice on the trains and walls around Bristol, England in 1993. By 2001, he was all over United Kingdom. His unique style made him stand out and easily recognizable. He pays a lot of attention to detail and uses layered stenciling and spray paints. His graffiti art comprises of common images but it has a dark humorous feel to it and is often deemed controversial. His art usually carries a message and centers around anti-war, anti-establishment and anti-capitalistic themes. There are some images which also carry a pro-freedom message.

One of the most common used images in his artwork is rats. One of the most famous street paintings is a series of black and white stenciled rats. Many of these rats are fashioned to create a larger than life image. This has become very popular with the London pedestrians. A “gangster rat,” painted on a wall near the Smithfield market, wears a peace-sign medallion and carries a sign that says “Welcome to Hell.” Another rat holds a sign that reads, “Please love me.”

There is another famous artwork that illustrates two policemen kissing on a public wall. In another picture a military helicopter has been ornamented with a pink bow. There are some which are amusing and controversial at the same time for instance the one depicting Winston Churchill sporting a Mohawk haircut. He has not even spared Mona Lisa whom he has given a yellow smiley face.

Banksy often makes use of walls as a background to depict his art. Of late he has been doing his artwork on canvas as well. He has even added his work to Museums and galleries as well. In the last several years, he has become a celebrity with his art gaining international recognition and applause. From the Middle East to Spain, Germany and United States, Banksy’s unique artistic abilities have shown like no other. He painted a security fence at Bethlehem with a scene that showed a hole in the concrete barricade. The hole showed a sparkling beach on the other side.

Banksy is looked upon as a person in many different ways. There is a segment that thinks of him as the idealistic anti-hero evoking the public conscience. To others he is an anti-social scoundrel who is ruining and defacing public property. People who engage in business deals with him think of him as a genius while some think he is a madman but then aren’t all genius men like that? Whatever it is, it is a unanimous agreement that he is indeed unique and different.

Banksy’s website says that he has purchased a taller ladder that he would use in his work. There is no reservation in saying that his graffiti would continue while the authorities in the UK strive to catch the most wanted graffiti artist.

Many canvas art shops are selling Banksy canvas prints at affordable prices. You can give life to the walls of your home by hanging banksy canvas art on them.