Mary Rannells
Background info…
• Street artists are anonymous, because their art can
be considered “vandalism,” and illegal.
• This artist goes by “Banksy.” (it is his signature)
• In May of 2010, this graffiti image appeared in the
area of Chinatown in Boston, Massachusetts. It was
painted on the wall of a poor town.
• His art is on walls in London, Brighton, Bristol and
even on the West Bank barrier separating Israelis and
Palestinians.
Who is the intended Audience?
Ethos?
This picture isn’t really
credible, because
nobody outside of the
town would know who
did this piece. There is
no signature or
designing that says this
was done by a certain
artist.
At the same time, this picture is
credible because based on the
stencil-style, and message given,
Banksy fans knew it was Banksy.
Pathos
Banksy tugs the
audience’s emotions by
making the man older,
scrawny, tired and worn
to make them feel bad for
him. He looks helpless
without any of the
writing, let alone with
someone there to “crush
his dreams.”
It is logical that
spray-painting the
sides of buildings
and walls of towns is
illegal, and there are
people who want to
put a harsh stop to
it, just like the
“CANCELLED” sign is
on the old man’s
dreams.
-The discriminator, or the person
who left the “cancelled” stamp on the
old man’s dreams is missing. Banksy
doesn’t show who the person is or
why they did what they did. This sort
of sets up the reality of a streetartist’s
life, because they, too hide behind
their actions.
-This also makes the audience more
angry at whoever acted the mean way
they did, because they aren’t there to
be punished.
Fun Facts
• His stuff has sold for LOTS of $$$ at art shows and
events. He has celebrity collectors including Brad
Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera.
• He has done things such as leaving an inflatable
doll dressed as a Guantanamo prisoner in
Disneyland, California, and hanging a version of
the Mona Lisa - but with a smiley face - in the
Louvre, Paris, and most recently he has left a
secret exhibition in the Bristol Museum
• Some people believe they have found “Banksy,”
and believe his real name is Robin Gunningham,
but the clues don’t really match up… They
continue to investigate.
Learn More:
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article1034538/Graffiti-artist-Banksy-unmasked--public-schoolboy-middle-classsuburbia.html#ixzz2fej9pTGP
• http://news.fitzrovia.org.uk/2011/04/25/bank
sy-graffiti-fitzrovia/
Cites
• Lovely, Angela. Fitzrovia News. Blog at
WordPress.com. 25, April, 2011. Web. 22 Sept.
2013.
• Joseph, Claudia. Femail. Glam
Entertainment. 12, July, 2008. Web. 22 Sept.
2013.