riannan
Art is limitless.It can be created with almost any type of medium, if you know how to. It can also be found in unusual places! Street art began with scratching names in public. Due to art being subjective, there as an ongoing debate whether or not street art is vandalism. Here are seventy instances of art found on the streets.
Face of City
Brilliant artist, Dan Bergeron, created this piece. This artist explores issues such as social relationships and personal identity. The face of the city could be a vessel to portray how beneath every face and expression is something more.
Between the Lines
The scissors symbol is often found on packages to guide a person when it comes to cutting said package. In this piece, the scissors could be a metaphor for how cutting below the surface reveals something more beautiful.
The Zebra
Banksy, an anonymous street artist who’s England based has visited Africa in 2009. He makes street art that sometimes gives ominous meanings. In this piece, a woman is shown hanging up a zebra’s stripes. Banksy may have used the zebra as an allegorical portrayal of how viewing art as vandalism is stripping artists of their right to demonstrate their creativity and individuality.
Colored Pencils
This artist decided to be creative and paint each individual pole to resemble pencils instead of the average fence. The coloring pencils may define art setting up barriers that protect an individual’s creativity.
Lend a Hand
This is an art piece to encapsulate how just because someone goes up the ranks, it does not mean they are settled. This demonstrates how people in need of help will get it, and those who already climbed up the social ladder find themselves clouded and confused.
Glasses
This work of art showcases a pair of glasses. This could represent how people view the world through their own personal glasses.
Bird
A bird is glancing down on a pile of bones, perhaps he ate them. This piece might represent the feeling of regret and reform.
Mario
Mario, a popular game that was released on July 14, 1983. It features two brothers who are plumbers. The objective of the game is to guide mario on top of pipes and to defeat the in game enemies.
Blue Cloud
The use of blue here could bring many types of meaning. It could resemble the outpouring of emotions and feelings, often connoting despair. However, it could also resemble rain, perhaps a removal of worries and purification.
Pixel Water
Water is an important source for all living things. Human beings are known to be quite wasteful, whether it’s throwing out good food in restaurants or running the tap while brushing teeth. This piece could be a representation of water running out, or becoming scarce.
Spongebob Squarepants
Spongebob Squarepants is a popular kid’s show that airs on Nickelodeon. He is often shown as a bright, happy go lucky character. This graffiti piece suggests Spongebob jumped off a roof. This could be interpreted in many different ways, perhaps spongebob hid his true feelings behind a smile.
Rats
The rat dates back to the grievous experiences of many people who contracted diseases. It often relates to dirt or disgust. The ban on rats could be an affliction to remove such daunting experiences.
Lego
Lego is a favorite pastime among many children around the world. The artist may be keeping in touch with his or her inner child by incorporating lego in their artwork. Many people use legos to demonstrate ideas and building structures.
Superheros
There are well known figures here such as Santa Clause and Superman. The superheroes, an emblem of support and hope for many young adolescents, also connotes freedom, power, strength, and wisdom.
Pac-man
Pac-Man is a video game that was first released in Japan on May 2, 1980. It was released in the United States in October of that year. The object of the game is to eat everything you can, avoiding the ghosts. The artist probably is showing that Pac-man is being selfish by eating everything he sees.
Stickmen
The stickman on top of the box is causing mischief. It looks like he is trying to drop a box on the other guy. This may teach the lesson of not trusting people too easily, as they can easily backstab you at any given moment.
Blue Girl
A little girl is shown painting the color blue. Perhaps she is attempting to cover something up, like a mistake. Or she may be dreaming of the ocean, when under the ocean it is most likely quiet. She may be attempting to block out the noises normally encountered when living on the surface world.
Woman
At this day in age, women are still struggling to talk about their bodies openly in public. Movements such as the body positive movement is starting to empower women to embrace their bodies instead of attempting to conform to society’s expectations.
Rainbow Cats
A rainbow symbolizes peace and serenity. Ancient Egyptians highly valued cats. If someone were to injure a cat during that time, severe consequences would follow. They worshipped a cat goddess named Bastet.
Nature
The artist portrays a dark reality. People are focused on building cities, businesses, roads and they often forget about nature. If we keep wiping nature out, we will be met with devastating results such as global warming.
Crying Women
Three girls are shown weeping. The art style has a gothic vibe to it. This could be a symbol of depression, and the artist is fighting their inner demons.
Boulder
A man is shown pushing a boulder up a flight of stairs. The boulder is made up of little people. Perhaps the people are a combination of his friends or family, and he is responsible for them. Or he could be someone who carries people’s problems.
The Giant
This man could be often mistaken as a monster helps a girl play. This demonstrates that people who look weird or creepy are not always evil or have malicious intentions.
Stairs
The stairs show the varying art pieces, perhaps showing how each step entails a new destination. Although traveling may allow one to see these new destinations, so shall the exploration and creativity of showing one’s self.
Face
A face with several broken teeth appears to have a suspicious expression. We are often judgmental of almost everything we encounter, and we are more likely to be harsh in our judgments if we come across something unpleasant.
Cut Here
Scissors can end the thread of life or be interpreted as unity. If one was to cut the buildings as the diagram suggests, the water and the land would be united.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are made up of four teenage turtles who are named after four famous Italian Renaissance artists: Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Leonardo. The street art is a reference to the character Michelangelo who is obsessed with pizza.
Graffiti
A man is shown worshipping what he made. This could be a representation of how humans worship what they create in hopes of finding peace and serenity.
Camel
The camel is a powerful representation of admirable qualities such as strength, endurance, and persistence. It’s also a symbol of sacrifice when it comes to advancing in life.
Rainbow tree
Trees are a sign of the cycle of life. Trees take many years to grow (some take 15 years, others take 30.) They are associated with healing and protection due to being ancient.
Police tape
A man is shown to be running a marathon, and he is about to cross the police tape. Perhaps this is the artist’s jab at police due to many of them exploiting their power over people.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a popular comic book character that was released on August 1962. He symbolizes strength, self-control, and willpower. He is popular amongst adolescents because he is relatable due to being a nerdy teenager. He has to also deal with realistic problems that many teenagers could go through.
Pacmans
Tiny Pac-mans are eating the chipped off paint. It seems like they are enjoying the paint without having to worry about those pesky ghosts.
Happiness
Many people aspire to be happy in their lives. Some may try to find it in money and materialistic items, others may find it in family or friends. There’s no true meaning to the word happiness, as it’s subjective.
Child Drawings
Children are very imaginative, especially when it comes to expressing themselves creatively. The artist may be in touch with their inner child and decided to bring him or her out in this piece. It adds joy and peace in this place due to many people associating children with innocence.
Parking Lot
This is another example on how the artist portrays the world’s issues. In order to make a parking lot, it is necessary to clear out nature. This destroys many ecosystems and homes of animals that were previously established.
Beached Whale
This whale seems to be sad. It appears that he is beached and isn’t where he belongs. This could be interpreted as another way that people exploit animals, especially marine animals. We pull them from their homes and force them to learn tricks that are unnatural to them.
Alligator
Alligators symbolize our survival instincts and have an emphasis on how precious life is. They serve as a reminder that we cannot always lead a life being gentle. Alligators are a sign of courage, patience, and fear.
Holes
Holes represent negativity and a feeling of emptiness. Roughly 16 percent of people suffer from Tryphobia, a fear of holes. However, it is not recognized as a mental illness.
Straw
It appears that this head is drinking from a river. Water is almost not drinkable without purifying it. This could be a symbol of someone who is not afraid of embracing nature and all the things that come with it, whether it be toxic or not.
Crucified
Crucifixion involves tying or nailing of the hands to a cross. Death is followed a few days after either via starvation and/or asphyxiation.
Skinny Girl
A girl is celebrating nature and using nature’s resources like grass for pom poms. There is a possibility that this art encourages the use of natural resources rather than producing things like plastic that can harm the Earth. Plastic takes a very long time (1000 years) to decompose. Plastic can also harm animals as it may be mistaken for food.
Titanic
This ship closely resembles the infamous Titanic that sank in 1912 due to striking an iceberg. A movie was made also titled Titanic, that follows a rich young woman who falls in love with an artistic poor young man.
Stop War
This is a political piece. The artist is fed up and tired of the constant wars that people get into. War brings destruction, destroys homes, and separates families. War is expensive as well. It costs a lot to train soldiers and to make weapons.
Jail
A miniature jail shows that people from all walks of life are bound to be jailed. It isn’t necessarily for crimes, but it could be jailed through other means such as marriage or debt.
Hell
Hell is thought to be the destination of where evil souls are subjected to torture and punishment. The artist may have been feeling edgy.
Begging
People are shown desperately trying to get out of the hole. Perhaps they are trying to grab someone to drag them down in the hole?
Lady
A woman with a longing, sad expression stares off into space. Perhaps she is thinking of her past or someone she cares about.
Tiny people
These tiny people are having a grand time in a pool. They seem like they don’t have a care in the world. Or they are unaware of the world’s harshness.
Mr. Clean
Mr. Clean is the face of cleanliness. It is a multi purpose cleaner and abrasive sponge that was developed by Linwood Burton. Mr. Clean debut in 1958 and since then became a popular choice for a household cleaner.
Dead Man
A dead man is portrayed. It appears that someone has pierced his body. Since blue represents depression, it may be a representation of how negative thoughts can pierce/kill an individual.
Cleaning Lady
This is another piece made by Banksy. It shows a cleaning lady who is trying to dump dirt that she swept up under the curtains or rugs. This could have many meanings such as her attempting to cover her tracks from a crime she committed.
Cop
A cop is shown snorting drugs. This is hypocritical of an authority. How could a person follow orders of an authority if the authority figure is breaking rules or laws that they are being paid to enforce? We should not trust those who make themselves look good.
Flower
This is another example of an artist showing people what they are doing when it comes to building buildings and forming streets. We are wiping out nature and it is only a matter of time before Mother nature strikes back.
Pink Skeleton
If an individual loves the color pink, then they are most likely a loving, kind, generous, and sensitive person. This skeleton may have belonged to a generous person.
Smoker
It appears that this is a person smoking a cigarette. This is an example of where ingredients in cigarettes might originate from. Usually chemicals and rat poison is found in cigarettes, and rats are normally found in sewers.
Park(ing)
A girl is swinging. This is probably a reminder of our inner child. As adults, we are often met with tough decisions to make, work, stress, and taking care of other children. It is quite easy to forget our childhood and what simple things sparked our imagination and/or happiness.
Umbrella Tree
Umbrellas are a symbol of protection and shelter. Trees represent life and strength. By combining both, one can assume that the artist is trying to portray the importance of being safe in order to live a long and fulfilling life.
Tiny People
A tiny couple is looking at information on cigarettes. They might represent how many people actually care about the effects of cigarettes, which is a tiny amount.
Overdose
It appears that a can is spilling flowers. White flowers are often connected with innocence and purity. Perhaps they spawned despite coming from a dark, rusty environment.
Bikes
Bikes are a symbol of the circle of life and progress. It is also often an indicator that you will reach your desired destination.
Blue screaming Man
A blue man is screaming. As blue is a color associated with depression, it could be a possibility that his demons have tried to fight him and opened a portal.
Genie Woman
A beautiful woman is shown on a sidewalk. She could be a genie because a bottle titled Rosa is next to her. Her hair looks almost like a cloud. Genies are trapped in their bottles until someone summons them by opening their bottles.
Grass
The color green is a symbol of life, freshness, and money. This could be an example of how mother nature found a way to break through modernization.
Even if some believe street art may be vandalism, it’s worth analyzing it from many different types of perspectives. It’s worth noting that like math, art can be seen everywhere. It’s in nature, in clouds, on the sidewalk. It just requires a little bit of imagination.
Silvia
