Graffiti by Melissa Money

The problem with graffiti art is the question of whether it's really art, or just plain vandalism. Some graffiti is simply a monochrome collection of letters, known as a tag, with little artistic merit. Although tagging is the most common type of graffiti, there are bigger, more accomplished examples that appear on larger spaces, such as walls. These are often multicolored and complex in design, and so start to push the boundary of whether they should really be defined as graffiti art, like the picture to the left for example (found in down town Atlanta). I believe graffiti is an art form because it is a product of human expression. If it wasn't for the fact that most graffiti is placed on private property without the owner's permission, then it might be more recognized as a legitimate form of art.