How to Decorate with Graffiti Wall Art

Graffiti art, a style that encapsulates street culture and high art, are some of the hottest paintings going into high end homes. It is the hybrid between graffiti and street art, using bold and recognizable imagery in a style that is not only engaging but highly attractive.

Graffiti vs. Street Art : What’s the Difference?

The word graffiti refers to inscriptions and figure drawings, rooting back to the walls of ancient ruins. Modern graffiti started showing up on buildings in America during the 1960s for street gangs to “tag” or mark their territories. Tagging is typically word based text with particular fonts and combinations of colour. As the twentieth century progressed, graffiti was often in the centre of debate, whether it is an art form or destruction.

Graffiti is traditionally regarded as a form of vandalism, hardly even considered art but in very recent years it has taken centre stage and seen in a new light of political self expression with the birth of street art. Street art differs from graffiti as it is image based art rather than word based.

One of the best known street artists is from Bristol, England. Banksy developed a distinctive stencil styled street art, partially born out of the need to create quickly without being caught by authorities. He developed himself in the UK scene throughout the 1990s and soon became internationally known into the 2000s. His style caught the attention of well known artists and art dealers due to its politically charged commentary on the world today.

The voice the art had and the distinctive style it was done in quickly made Banksy an internationally known name. Although most of his art is free to look at, it can be difficult to find on the streets, that is if it is even still there. Banksy himself made limited edition prints, gallery exhibits and even a documentary. This sparked art stores to preserve the compositions onto canvas so that everyone could experience a Banksy from the comfort of their living room.

In 2015 Banksy opened Dismaland, a group show which included very well known artists such as Jenny Holzer and Damien Hirst. Banksy opened the door for graffiti and street art to be shown next to some of the richest living artists in the world and to be seen in a completely different notion than what graffiti stood for in the past.

Why is Graffiti Art Hot Right Now?

Today graffiti art is one of the hottest styles of painting to decorate homes with. The style plays with modern splashes and strokes that replicate abstract painting while drawing the viewer in with bold splashes of colour. It is the perfect colourful moment to add into a neutral or colourful room.

Even more so, graffiti art often calls for a recognizable figure in the image, making the paintings more relatable and unmistakable to the untrained eye. Iconic subjects such as Mickey Mouse, Super Mario Brothers, animals, movie stars, biblical references and military personnel create compelling central focuses on both the canvas and the room. This creates conversation and tells the story you want your guests to hear.

Graffiti art isn’t only about images but also about text. Text is deeply rooted in graffiti, it was used to do the original tagging from the 1960s and onwards. Text sends the viewer a clear message, and artists such as Mr. Brainwash use this to their advantage in creating artwork that is easily palatable for any room and any collector.

Mr. Brainwash is an artist at the forefront of the graffiti art movement, with a distinguishing style that truly marries classical graffiti themes with striking images found in both street art and popular culture. Depending on the artwork, Mr. Brainwash uses either entirely text or a blend of both iconic imagery and text.

Backgrounds are often busy with actual spray paint, brushstrokes and a kaleidoscope of eye-catching colour that is sure to pop on any wall it is hung on. Two striking examples of Mr. Brainwashes style which ties together iconic imagery and text are Life is Beautiful and Follow Your Dreams.

Get The Right Piece of Art For You

Purchasing a piece of graffiti style art not only creates conversation in your home, but the engaging colour palette and recognizable style are powerful both intellectually and visually. Decide on the story you want to tell, the colour palette that goes best with the room you want to decorate and the size of artwork you want for the chosen walls in your space.

Magna Canvas has a large selection of graffiti art prints ideal to brighten and modernise any room in your house below. Click hereto view the collection.