Re: Art as a Political Statement

Art and political statements is is an interesting topic, Tracy. I think there is one determining factor that stands between art for art's sake and art as a political statement--the artist's intent. If Huseyin Cetinel painted his stairs to simply brighten up the neighborhood, no political statement is being made. If he painted them to show his support of the LGBT community, then he is making a political statement through art. It sounds like his intent was just aethetics. It is actually a shame if his photograph was taken and used without his permission to represent his support of the LGBT community without knowing his stance on the issue. The government's involvement in repainting the stairs reminds me of the Columbia Association--if you do not paint your house an approved color, they have the right to make you change it (while I don't like the policy, someone who buys a house under the association is committing to comply with the bylaws, etc.) 

This brings up a second issue--public or private property. One of the issues with graffiti is that it is done by defacing public property. The word graffiti denotes that something is drawn/scribbled/sprayed illicitly. I think some artists are trying to move graffiti away from its illicit beginnings to be recognized as an honest art form. There has been success, which is why cities commission artists to make murals on city walls. Of course the same elements of art must apply to graffiti as they do with all other art forms--if there is good composition, line, form, etc, then I think you can consider it good art. But above all, it must be done legally. :)

Check out this recent NPR article about painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, who "was deeply shaken after he heard the story of a black graffiti artist who was beaten to death by New York City police. Seeing his own life reflected in the death of a fellow artist, Basquiat went on to create Defacement (The Death of Michael Stewart), not only to commemorate the young man's death, but also to challenge the state-sanctioned brutality that men of color could face for pursuing their art in public spaces."