Huffington Post | Outside The Lines

What do the art communities of Paris, New York and London have in common with those of Rio de Janiero, Bethlehem and Philadelphia? For starters, they all appear on the Huffington Post’s notable art cities. However, the art that is honored on this list does not hang in galleries. It covers city streets. Inspiring street art can be seen in critically acclaimed art cities as well as those that exist far from mainstream. But what makes street art good and how is its presence affecting major cities?

Graffiti No More

Street art is commonly referred to as graffiti. In many parts of the world the artists who are behind these works could be confronted by law officials. Illegal as it might be, artists like Banksy and Shepard Fairey have become emblems of the street art community throughout the world. Their work is rarely seen as vandalism. More often, it is celebrated as public artwork that draws attention and notoriety to major cities.

An online publication from Brooklyn New York, BrooklynStreetArt.com claims to “…track the new creative spirit that runs in the streets… new hybrids, new techniques, and new mediums are expanding the definition of public art, street art, graffiti, and urban art; each vying for the attention of passers-by.” They stress that street art has contemporary allure that evokes emotion in citizens and tourists of cities all over the world.

Street Art is Creative and Sophisticated

The bar for street art, however, is being set at new heights. Tagging train cars with spray paint is not the type of graffiti that is being recognized in cities around the world. The murals that are being painted onto the sides of buildings have reached new levels of sophistication and creativity. They are often used to make a point, whether political or personal, and to remove them might take more than a simple pressure washer. Some of the art is larger than life, tracing the heights of multi-story buildings.

Years ago, before street art became socially acceptable, completing such a work would be impossible. Only able to produce art under the guise of night limited what graffiti artists could do. Today, even though it is illegal to vandalize public property in many parts of the world, street art is still tolerated. Building owners are giving permission for street artists to tag their walls, which is a good investment. Tourist and residents alike appreciate the flavor of street art and are often seen snapping photographs of the nontraditional artwork.

Read more Segmation blog posts about street art:

The Graffiti Artist and Street Vendor

Where Urban Life Meets Natural Art

Chalk Art Transforms the Sidewalk into a Canvas

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Many people would assume that an artist would use mediums such as paints, chalks, and charcoals to create pieces of art with. Without a doubt, these mediums are judged by most to be harmless. But when does an artist cross the line into using art mediums that might be considered inappropriate? This is the question some are asking Vincent Castiglia, an artist whose art medium is drawn from his own body.

Vincent Castiglia, an artist from New York, uses his blood as paint. He has been using this highly unique, watercolor-like medium for about a decade, and as a result has experienced success in his career as an artist. Castiglia commented that he purposely began using blood as paint, though in the beginning he merely “dabbed” it onto his drawings (made of pen and ink). Later he progressed to using blood to create whole paintings with.

How much blood does it take to craft just one painting? Castiglia said a 7-foot painting requires a potential 30 vials of blood. Reportedly, the out-of-the-box artist will take only “15 vials of blood at one time” from himself – he made the point that this amount of blood is smaller than the quantity in a blood bank donation.

Castiglia’s work is drawing attention from the media as well as from the art world. His paintings are popular and sell for up to $26,000. Part of the high cost of the pieces is attributed to the time it takes to complete them (some paintings take Castiglia months to finish).

When do you know that an artist has taken their desire for a creative art medium too far? When they begin to potentially harm theirself in the pursuit of creating innovative art? Some would say yes, this is going to far. Others would think pushing the limits to such a degree is good for an artist and shows a great amount of dedication to art itself. Everyone will no doubt have their own strong opinion on this point. There is one thing that cannot be argued about Vincent Castiglia’s artwork: It is literally a part of him.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/vincent-castiglia-artist-blood_n_1948333.html

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