Ron English: The Famous Graffiti Artist

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Abstract
Ron English and His Works
Analysis of a Painting as a Work of Art
The History of Graffiti in New York
References

Abstract

Mastering art, a person expresses, explores the world, its past, present, and future, and learns to comprehend the emotional and intellectual world. The need for art never leaves a person; even in the most difficult historical moments, they experience it. The most crucial feature of fine art is its ability to convey all the diversity and complexity of life, all its dynamism through the image of one event or moment. Disregarding high culture and its values can lead to a decline in morality and, as a result, rampant crime and drug addiction. This paper explores and analyses the aspects of graffiti – a form of painting and the work of one of the most famous and talented graffiti artists. A special place in this study is occupied by considering one of the artist’s works, the emotions that it evokes, and its value as an art object.

One of the most entertaining types of fine art is graffiti, which now belongs to street art and serves as a means of self-expression. This paper focuses on the work of artist Ron English and the analysis of one of his pictures as a work of art. The author of this work will give the features of English’s works, the views that he illustrates in his drawings; describe their feelings about the artist’s work, its main features; finally, this paper will provide a brief history of the development of graffiti in New York.

Ron English and His Works

This paper will highlight one of the works of Ron English, who is a modern American artist who uses popular images of advertising in his work. His signature style uses a mixture of “high” and “low” cultural traditions, for example, comic images of superheroes and, at the same time, drawing skills worked out over the years (English, n.d.). English is also considered one of the actual figures in the development of street art, far from the inscriptions of the traditional wild style and “smart” statements. The artist created illegal murals and murals, mixing stunning visuals with satirical political and consumer ideas.

English experiments with images of mass culture, whether it’s Mickey Mouse or Marilyn Monroe, thus continuing the main ideas of its founders and, above all, Andy Warhol. The artist often speaks with extremely harsh sarcasm towards the human culture of consumption (English, n.d.). English has joined the Billboard Liberation Front several times, silencing culture by changing advertising media content to create an anti-corporate message. Thus, through his work, the artist fights against the culture of consumption, the aggressive military policy of the United States, and the lies spread by the media (English, n.d.). The author himself says that in this way, he visualizes modern culture, where everything is mixed up, and people no longer have concepts of beauty.

Analysis of a Painting as a Work of Art

In this picture, it is possible to see a child of six or eight years old, depicted in close-up and looking directly into the audience’s eyes. Their face is covered with clown makeup, clothes are also clown outfits, and on their head, there is a military helmet with symbols of peace (Appendix A). The colors of the painting are very bright, combining shades of yellow, pink, and green (Appendix A). This garishness of the overall picture contrasts strongly with the child’s heavy and intent gaze and the expression of their face. The painting is a portrait so that the audience can focus entirely on the front, look at the child and try to understand their thoughts and feelings.

This work is based on specific cultural determinants, among which one can distinguish the culture of consumption, human indifference, and the aggressive military policy pursued by the United States. Thus, the author says that people completely forget what is essential in pursuing material benefits. In addition, children often suffer in senseless and brutal adult wars. That fact does not bother governments since they do not think about the lives in danger. Clown makeup symbolizes an abstract brand that has become more important for modern humanity than the fate of a child (Appendix A). This aspect is also a symbol of the indifference of people who prefer to live in a cozy world of consumption and ignore the horrors of war and cruelty occurring in other distant countries.

This work of art belongs to the ancient tradition of hip-hop, one of the crucial parts of urban culture. The pictures of this artist can be found on collectible T-shirts, toys, fake cereal boxes, various posters, graffiti balloons, and on Internet sites (English, n.d.). The current picture is demonstrated on street walls, among paintings by other artists, and on English’s publicly accessible website. The availability of works of art is essential because art forms taste, develops imagination, makes a person more complex and profound. Art allows experiencing and thinking; it gives rise to internal conflicts and questions that people have been looking for answers to for a long time (English, n.d.). The opportunity to get acquainted with works that raise acute social issues and problems develops critical thinking.

This work is a real art since, being a form of aesthetic cognition of the surrounding world and the artist’s self-expression, it has certain features. It affects the audience’s perception of reality: their emotions, imagination, and thoughts. Looking at this picture, most people will probably experience a feeling of discomfort and anxiety. The child’s gaze, as if accusing, causes inexplicable stress and a desire to hide somewhere from their eyes (Appendix A). This work forces the audience’s imagination to ask questions: who is this child? Where did they come from? Why do they look like this, and do they need help?

In addition, in this work of art, there is a clear creative image of a defenseless and innocent child: a phenomenon of reality creatively recreated in a work of art. A distinct artistic picture is one of the main tools in the aesthetic cognition of the world (Appendix A). This painting depicts something innocent, defenseless, which requires human attention and care. The main idea of the picture is a child who finds themselves in a dangerous or unpleasant place; perhaps they are afraid and need the help of adults – that is, viewers who empathize with them.

Such an image is typical of English’s works, raising acute social issues. The style of paper is also characteristic of English – bright, memorable and technically verified. Like other works of the artist, this painting makes viewers think about important social themes: war, cruelty, consumer culture, disregard for human victims and lives, and the aggressive foreign policy of some states (Appendix A). The child depicted by the artist contributes to solid emotional experiences since the idea that children are one of the central values is inherent in people by nature. In addition, the painting, as befits a real work of art, performs several vital functions:

Social-transforming function: this picture can have an ideological and moral impact on people, forcing them to change their attitude to the bloodshed and the fate of children suffering in wars. (Benton & Yanni, 2012).
Information and communication function: it is a means of education, dissemination of knowledge, and the basis of interpersonal communication, a conductor of ideas and feelings. After seeing this picture, many people will be interested in finding out what thoughts and ideas lie behind it and what meaning the artist laid in them. Thus, viewers will learn many new things for themselves, expand their horizons and, perhaps, acquire a new hobby.

Thus, this work of art has essential aesthetic functions and features and expresses the artist’s thoughts about the world and other people. It raises crucial political and social issues, makes the audience think about the current state of things in society, and causes strong and complex emotions. Like many other works by English, this painting speaks about the importance of empathy and the danger of non-interference (Appendix A). When looking at this picture, the feelings that arise are complex: discomfort, anxiety, some fear, and a strong desire to help.

In addition to all that has been said, the painting is technically verified, has a sharp artistic image, and accommodates a deep and precise idea. The main idea of this work of art is that while most people are having fun, going to the movies, eating fast food, and praising brands, innocent children are dying in developing countries. The selected art object is a real work of art, as it has significant aesthetic value and clearly expresses the author’s thoughts. The author’s main thoughts are a call to action denial of indifference and the principle of non-interference. The author ridicules and condemns most people’s frivolity, blindness, and indifference to what is truly important.

The History of Graffiti in New York

The history of graffiti began with messages that representatives of gangs of New York left on the streets of the city in the 1920s and 1930s. Over time, similar inscriptions appeared on all kinds of immovable and movable objects, so the number of artists and styles grew exponentially (White, 2018). Thus, by the end of the last century, the police and city authorities in different countries began to fight against adherents of street art (Lohmann, 2020). As a result, the underground movement was divided into several directions. Some artists preferred the streets of commerce and went to galleries, giving way to the bravest veterans of the genre.

Graffiti as a phenomenon is firmly entrenched in street culture, and it is difficult to imagine modern cities without them. The first manifestations of graffiti are drawings and inscriptions left on the walls of buildings and freight trains by members of New York street gangs in the 1920s and 1930s (Ross & Lennon, 2018). Then a similar practice was adopted by young people; however, it did not immediately use the drawings on the walls for self-expression (Casino, 2019). The inscriptions appeared as a reaction to socio-political problems, and defiant slogans and slogans became characteristic of that period.

By the beginning of the second half of the XX century, street artists joined the new movement, leaving short marks on the streets with their pseudonyms. It was then that the first enthusiasts began to leave inscriptions with names in random places around the city (Ross & Lennon, 2018). These manifestations of individualism have become a challenge to the increasing ubiquity of branding and public infrastructure.

References

Benton, J.R., & Yanni, R.D. (2012). Arts and culture: An introduction to the humanities (4th Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Casino, K. I. (2019). Graffiti as Art as Language: The Logic of a Modern Language. Philosophy, 9(5), 223-232. Web.

English, R. (n.d.). Ron English’s Popaganda. Web.

Lohmann, P. (2020). Historical graffiti: The state of the Art.Journal of Early Modern Studies, 9, 37-57. Web.

Ross, J. I., & Lennon, J. F. (2018). Teaching about graffiti and street art to undergraduate students at us universities. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 6(2), 1.

White, A. (2018). From primitive to integral: the evolution of graffiti art. Journal of conscious evolution, 11(11), 1. Web.

Appendix A

English, R. Ron English’s Popaganda. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!