Graffiti - Street Art Goes Mainstream

Just like tattooing has done over the past decade, graffiti is going mainstream. It is still regarded as a rebellious act of vandalism of property whether it is a simplistic scrawl of letters and images or an elaborate wall painting. I hate it when I see it used by gangs to leave their mark, or on the no longer blank walls in a park. But I have to tell you, when it's done well, I LOVE it as an art form. It is expressive and bold, dramatic and colorful. And I don't know if you've noticed but graffiti is no longer limited to an inner city wall. Crate And Barrel, cb2, offers "Tag" dishes (bottom, left). Sephora's spring beauty catalog shows 'Beauty As Art' and features their makeup as art inspirations. From Pop Art to Impressionism, to (gulp!) gorgeous graffiti. Prada is running advertisements in March VOGUE that places their couture clad models in the midst of a graffiti artist's dream. On the television show, America's Next Top Model, the first challenge for the models was to pose in front of a wall of graffiti (top, left). It looks like a modern masterpiece. Maybe it is. While I still don't appreciate taggers defacing property, I can definitely appreciate the art form that graffiti is becoming.