Literary Delinquents

Ladies. Gents. My last two posts were a tad verbose... so I'm reining in the voluminous petticoats for now. What can I say-- I get carried away...

But passion for literature is in the air! Just take a look at these photos from a recent Flavorwire article. The photos have been gathered from around the world and feature literary references in graffiti.

 Jean-Paul Sartre's likeness found in Yerevan, Armenia.

Over the past two decades, graffiti has gone from being a rebellious act, carried out by malcontent teenagers, gang members, or adrenaline addicts, to a high form of art, featured in prestigious art galleries near and far. Graffiti writing 20 years ago meant simply stealing public space, not asking permission, and attempting to construct a powerful visual identity from a position of perceived socioeconomic powerlessness. Now, you have graffiti writers developing their art (with permission) in the public sphere, teaching classes, running workshops, selling their work for millions of dollars.

Although more socially accepted, the criminal element of graffiti is still present today. I feel like the content of graffiti pieces has expanded in this new and slightly uncomfortable limbo of acceptance/illegality.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, found in Frankfurt, Germany

Aldous Huxley in Montreal, Canada 

But stealing-- or "reclaiming"-- public space is a major part of what makes graffiti important. Generating a body of visual artwork that is in the public (and not separated by the walls of a museum or gallery) is at the heart of making large mural graffiti pieces like these ones. Furthermore, I think that another element that makes graffiti a particularly beautiful art form is its inherent transient quality. It is here today, eroded by rain or the sun tomorrow, and painted over by another graffiti artist or a city worker tasked with "removing" it.

Pablo Neruda in Santiago, Chile

I love the idea of these eternal denizens of the literary canon now being represented in this way: in stolen/reclaimed space and in a very temporary way-- the public will watch the graffiti fade over time but perhaps will guard the image in their hearts forever, the way the writers depicted are guarded forever in the libraries of the world.... 

A line from Lord Byron's poem "She Walks in Beauty" found in London, England 

See more of these literary graffiti images here and here.

What are your thoughts on the state of graffiti art? Don't you love these images? My favorite is the Lord Byron stencil...

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Until next time, fair petticoat wearers!