Graffiti is called the art that we deserved, and this phrase sounds, of course, from moralitizers who do not approve inscriptions and drawings, adorning (and sometimes incitement) urban environments. But we will be frank: already twenty years old, as artists - graffitiists can be safely ranked to the doubt of real creators, changing this world in a literal sense. Who are they, street singers of freedom, what do they want, why hide their faces, such as, for example, the legendary and elusive Banksi?
It seems that in our country, no one heard with a layer about certain graffitiists - at least it was until the beginning of the nineties of the twentieth century. And, alas, in these dashing years, the pictures and wall messages did not resemble at least some kind of art. Naspech scratched or written by a marker, placed on trains cars, in buses stores, in the backyard of the school, on the door to the clinic, often matery, obscene, inections or illiterate exclamations - Though thinking about graffiti those who grew up and brought up in the eighties and the nineties. However, in the West, the situation developed approximately the same, however, with ahead: to the beginning of zero street arts (from the English word Art - art, drawing, image) were already accepted and appreciated critics and art historians. In general, until some time free urban artists, many of whom did not pull the title, pursued and prohibited, regarding everything that came out from under their hands, as an act of vandalism. In fairness it is worth noting that most of the creations of unknown masters really resembled vandalism, and this fact was very disturbed by truly talented pioneers who wanted to perpetuate their name and handwriting in the space of metropolis. Tabuatiy and danger - of course, such a kind of romance manila become a graffitist almost every teenager. What would be the surprise of young dissenters if they looked back and learned the history of the question!
After all, in fact, any scratched or knocked out on the surface inscription and there are graffiti. Fashionable drawings, primitive graphics, "Correspondence" of the politicians of ancient Greece and Rome on statues and columns, welcoming phrases of the winners who took the Reichstag and the sacramental "here were ..." - yes, all this refers to graffiti.
In the twentieth century, closer to the sixties, humorous, playful or vulgar inscriptions, which young people were blocked, suddenly began to gain political subtext, and now graffiti becomes the tongue of protest and rebounds. Young people, obsessed with thirst to be seen and heard, who wanted to declare their ideas to the whole world, found a good way to do this - because there is nothing better than to write a manifesto, recognition or call in the metro car. Thousands and thousands of passengers heading for affairs, will or unilles see the appeal of unknown artists personally to them.
In the eighties in the Staritort arena, masters appear, which have become legends - Jean-Michel Baska, Stash, Lenny McGurr, known as Futura2000. Today, one of them has already descended from the distance, and someone moved from the category of prosecuted and striking the status of recognized artists.
Mister X
Fame, recognition, money, resonance - yes, all this has a non-unacted caste of street artists. Almost everyone who grew out of criminal streets, when the inscriptions on the walls denoted a gang label, today they live in Ladu with the law. All except the mysterious Mr. Bankci, a real icon of modern art graffiti, the main riddle, which cannot be solved for almost twenty years.
What do we know about the most famous and very secret personality of the world Street Art? The future genius of political and satirical drawing was born in Bristol in 1974. It seems that even graduated from a prestigious college with a rather high price tag for the year of study. This little thing is amazing, because the current bankxi opposes privileged private schools, believing that they are breeding inequality and the bundle of society.
His way began like many: the young man was a street rieter, which for counting seconds caused his inscriptions on the walls of his native Bristol and left the police by the dark alleys. They say, he performed the first work in the team of like-minded people - alone Banksy began to work closer to zero. Already at the very beginning of its creative lift, it is possible to notice the features inherent exclusively to him - simplicity, conciseness, deep meaning, allegory and metaphor, captured on the walls of the city still trembling hand. But his skill grew, and with him grew and the time that was required by Banksi to apply a drawing on the building. How to be that neither the quality of work, nor the reputation of an anonymous graffitist, who did not want to come across the guards of the law at all? The future mysterious legend makes a choice in favor of scholars in the middle of the nineties. It was he who helped complete the formation of a branded handwriting of Bankxi - along with social acute and ancistening.
Thanks to the stencils of the work of Banksy began to appear throughout Bristol, and then around the world. But, despite growing popularity, no one was able to declassify the personality of the artist. About this secret broke not one journalistic feather.
Familiar handwriting
What the theories of conspiracy and conspiramic stories did not come up with fans, desperately thirsty to touch the secret of the real name of the beloved artist. It was believed that Banksy is a group of authors, and not one person. But this version, with all its tempting, did not find universal recognition.
Today there are three main theories about who he is. The first was the connection of Bankxi with the Massive Attack Group Leader Robert Del Naya. That Del Naya may be an elusive artist, indicate indirect evidence. So, Banksy is a famous fan of the Massive Attack team, often mentions musicians in his anonymous interviews. While Del Naya himself is engaged in the art of graffiti, and he achieved considerable success.
Another theory, which is not yet ready to refuse neither journalists, no fans - the connection of Bankxi and Jamie Hewletta, the artist of comic and the creator of the Gorillaz group. The reason for suspicion was the study of a certain judicial expert who wished to remain unknown. He assures that the handwriting and the style in which the musicians are filled with the same hand that causes the legendary "kissing constables" to Bristol buildings.
The theory of some Robert Hunningham is considered the most popular and verified. Researchers are repelled from the facts: So, Banksy confirmed that Bristol is his hometown in which he began his way. Robert, whose name can be cut to Banksy, also from Bristol. Recently, a shot of Hunningham, dated 2004, was hit by journalists, dated 2004, - it shows a man of middle-aged with spray pots. A possible witness who lived near the Hunningham family identified Robert in the picture and assured the press that he had drawn perfectly and created many professional illustrations. The neighbor told the fact that the young man studied in a private college where our anonymous hero could learn. He also told that because of the strange hobby of the young man, graffiti relations in the family were smoldered, and the young man left his home. The next trail of Robert Bankxi is lost: there is not a single protocol in the police, which is strange, considering how often street artists were arrested, there is not a single record about fines, shopping, rental housing, education - in Word, Mr. Hunningham, who began his way as a graffitist, was dissolved . Many have been trying to associate two Roberts together. So, in 2011, an unknown seller put an unusual lot on the Internet auction - a piece of paper with the "real name of Banksy". The established price is three thousand dollars - the day took off to one million (!). After that, the seller, and the lot disappeared, and there are all suspicions to believe that this performance was initiated by the artist himself.
Invaluable painting
But the identity of Banksy, or rather, his anonymity is only a spicy detail, a raisin, cherry on the cake in all this story. The essence of it, the core and the foundation - in the works themselves, as well as the share witness and beliefs of the artist who brought to fans with the help of a spray with paint. They are raised by current witness, and sad, heartfelt, full satire and irony street-levels are imbued with an amazing understanding of modern urban space. They cause the whole range of emotions: someone (more often - representatives of the ruling elites) angry and angry, trying to ban and destroy the paintings of an unknown Creator, who is on their own life in them. From the very beginning, from the moment they appear on the walls of Bristol, the townspeople protect the graffiti of Banksy, often literally shielding them from a gray paint spray. There is a legend: when urban services arrived at the "scene of a crime" with mop and brushes, to clean the wall of the store, on which there was a picture of Banksy with the image of the royal family, the unknown owner of the institution was crying and requested to stop, grabbed representatives of the arms for arms and offered All your day revenue. Today, such victims are not required: the artist's creation was among the specially protected objects of world art.
The artist himself seems to be much more comfortable outside the law, in a state of undervaluation, without hype and rising around. He frankly mocking his rich fans (including Brad Pitt, and Christina Aguilera). For example, after in 2007 Sothebis announced the start of sales of works by the artist for fabulous money, Banksy published on his website a drawing from auction with an unequivocal signature: "Did you really have idiots, buy it." Noteworthy and a recent case on the same Sotheby is a loud destruction of his most famous work "Girl with a balloon", which has shocked the public in shock. True, they thirsty to touch the creations of Banksy did not even stop the fact that the picture immediately after the sale (for one million pounds!) It was cut into a scrapper for paper built into the frame. The fans renamed the "Girl", calling it "love in the trash can", which was sold ... for two and a half million! The Creator will definitely negle this monetary tinsel, about which his exhibitions in subways and anonymous sale of paintings in the New York Central Park, when passersby acquired work, not guessing who is their author, for a symbolic fee. True, after the promotion was declassified, several earliest buyers resell masterpieces, denoting much more impressive than the initial, amount. After that, the graffitist stated that there would be no more such experiments and it seems even more disappointed in modern society. No matter how hard Banksi tries to confront the society of consumption, so far his efforts turn against him.
And nevertheless, having achieved everything, he does not stop, demonstrating neglecting to modern values - earnings, fame and recognition. He does not plan to collect money, selling tickets for gallery exhibitions, opposing them to their project "better outside than inside", during which he leaves his creations on the walls of megacols, which everyone may admire. "I know that Street Art is increasingly like a major direction in art aimed at sale, so I wanted to create art that does not have and cannot be a price tag," said Banksy an anonymous interview. He does, what believes, dedicates work to colleagues (for example, the famous graffiti "P183 R. I. P.", dedicated to the Russian "Banksy", the artist Pasha 183). He is still not going to open a face, assuring that his activities are incompatible with publicity, and calmly refers to the fact that many still consider it to be vandal and the criminal, because, in his words, "when graffiti ceases to be a crime, it loses All your essence. " However, even the critics of Banksy cannot not recognize: what this free street artist does, - undoubtedly, modern art. The one we deserved.