journals Return to Roster

Could you post your identification material here?

Rebel Artists: Mary Shelley & Banksy

 

Mary Shelley was a rebel of her time, a disgrace to some and an outcast to her respected fellow artist, also she wrote the legendary long time classic novel Frankenstein. Banksy is the hidden identity taken on by a London (we think) graffiti and street artist who has waged “art terrorism” on the people of London, New York, and mostly everywhere he wants. Regardless if you agree with their disobedience of the social norm these two artists work resonates in our culture today and when you look past the story that their art shows and look at the people that created it their art becomes more real. This is what makes it good, the realness of it. Novels and art that transcends time and remains relevant to people is what makes them great. I want to compare the work of Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein and a few combined work of art form the street artist named Banksy, I will focus on the correlation between their work, and why their work is so popular today and why people are drawn to both these artist and the realness of their work.

            Mary Shelley’s mother dies 11 days after she was born, her father remarried and in total she grew up in a house with five children. Her education was broad and non-gender specific which at the time few girls had. Through her father she came in contact with a lot of London’s intellectuals and poets like Samuel Coleridge. This kind of environment had great influence on a young girl and would in some ways not surprise the outcome of her later life. She fell in love with Percy Shelley when she was sixteen, problem was he was married. At seventeen she was pregnant with his child. Lack of funds and disgrace form both families hunted Mary and Percy which led them to run and head to Italy where both produced great writings. Percy would drown in 1822 which made Mary return to England. Her life itself sounds like it could be a romantic novel but what is important is how she perceived the places she saw and the things she saw and made an emotional connection with her experiences in her novel. Part of what makes this completely fictional story so real. To have the monster talk about South America and the social thoughts on the subject of South America as being a place of extreme cultural differences and a place not civilized was the real, and opinion of her time, but it can make us even today relate. Our public opinion may have changed but we can relate to the way she is talking about a faraway place that seems awfully different. This makes the reader think about the situation and once more makes this work of fiction so real. Isolation, rejection, love, fame, death, life, are all themes of Frankenstein but also the real thoughts of the teenager girl who wrote it. The same thoughts that many of us have struggled with, and argued with ourselves in our minds, Frankenstein is that inner argument we have all had with ourselves. Mary was a teenager when she fell out of grace with her social crowd of artist and with the grace of her family, she was alone, she was a women that was not married with child, and she was a writer, a rebel of her time. We can relate to this work of fiction even today because we can relate to the little girl that wrote it, the main points of focus are applicable to everyone almost everywhere, this is not to down play the clever and creative writing and narrative style that Shelley used to create Frankenstein but it adds more substance to the story. The medium that Mary Shelley used is also an important factor in her role as a rebel. Writers, poets, intellectuals in the 1800 hundreds were the people questioning society and its rules, and what society stood for. They also discussed things of deeper meaning and provoked these thoughts through their writings. Mary was one of them, in a way. She was also a women and even in this social circle of people that questioned long standing rules, she was still not treated as an equal. To disobey the social norms of marriage and things of that nature could not be tolerated even by her fellow artist.  Yet Mary wrote not only novels but poems, something only men could do, and once Frankenstein was published there was little anyone could say against her success not only in writing but in her life.

So how can we relate to a man that hides his identity and is loved and hated at the same time by the people and labeled a criminal by the government? We relate, and so easily, because with the lack of real identity so we see him as a kind of superhero, or villain. A masked man who stalks the night and paints explicit and controversial art might to some be a hero for doing and saying with his art what many of us wont, but just as easily can be seen as a villain who does not want to be found and just cause trouble. Regardless of how you feel about what Banksy does or how he does it we, just like with Mary Shelley, can all connect to the emotion that is presented to us through Banksy’s art, and subject matter that we often don’t want to think about or ignore. With these secrete thoughts exposed to everyone in public through a third party that we have no connection with we can let ourselves think and question what we often deny or are told to not give thought to. Banksy is a street artist that has for many years now gained international attention for his public stencil art, performance art, and paintings. The subject matter is mostly controversial and often points out major faults in our society and human morals. Banksy is often, or was referred to, a graffiti artist and has as is a custom in the graffiti art world made his own signature style of art. He uses spray paint and large cut out stencils to create most of his work, the medium of spray paint is more important as is the cut out stencils which are only the process. The spray paint is what makes his art, or defines his art, as graffiti. Graffiti artist use spray paint because you can cover any surface from metal to wood, brick or glass, this allows for a freedom of range as well as an unlimited blank canvas to paint on. Spray paint offers many colors and there are even companies that make spray cans specifically for graffiti art with florescent and matt colors to choose from. Most importantly spray paint is permanent, and this is a kind of philosophy in graffiti because the art form is not permanent as much as the artist wants it to be, and if it were and it was hung in a gallery then it is no longer true graffiti. Graffiti will wash away from the rain or fade because of the sun or be censored by the city, yet artist invest so much time and energy to create this illegal public peace of art that they know will eventually be erased. Spray paint makes graffiti as permanent as it will ever be. It is important to understand that in the world of graffiti art there are unwritten rules through which dominance is established, and a few fundamental rules that must be followed to be accepted in the graffiti art world. Banksy has crossed, mixed and made fun of these rules which has in in a way turned the graffiti art world against him. Graffiti in a nutshell, is an art that is not for sale, done illegally in a public place, and promotes the secrete persona and ideas that the artist takes on when preforming the art. So there is no argument when a graffiti artist out does his fellow artists by pushing the limits of where he paints or how big he can make his painting and rises to fame, but when the work is picked up by the media and put in newspapers and art shows follow all this it seems that a fundamental law of this lawless art has been broken. Banksy does put on art shows but does not attend them or sell his art, yet the city will put Plexiglas over his work to preserve it, (although it says its vandalism). A broken down house worth nothing becomes worth millions if it has a “Banksy”  painted on it, this is a strange occurrence for an art form that would wash away from the rain over time and is charged with jail time if one is caught doing it. Banksy remains anonymous and clams to not profit from any of his work, and although he has changed the public image of graffiti forever he has been rejected by his own people. Lose of identity, rejection, propose, meaning of right and wrong, all themes that surround Banksy and his art and all themes that can be found and related to in Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein. The story of Banksy himself is an interesting one and makes it easy to want to know more about this mysterious person and their art. The art though and what is done with the art is a story all of its own, the controversy over its illegal nature countered with its demand to want to be seen in every serious art collection is a paradox that can be debated over and over again. Banksy is a rebel of his time but also a rebel against his own social circle much like Mary Shelley was a rebel for being a female writer and for running away with her married lover and carry his child. When we look at their work we can see how both these artist have questioned the things they have experienced, and projected their emotions into the art work they create as well as make their art real to the people that try to understand it.

            Right and wrong: an argument that comes up with every tragic murder or act of unnecessary violence, the killing of someone’s best friend out of revenge, the murder of someone’s brother and framing others for it, killing someone’s wife. All these deaths had to be endured by Victor Frankenstein from his creation, the monster killed all those he loved out of rage, wanting revenge, and trying to get Victor to give him what he wanted. The question is not if murder is wrong or not but did the monster know right from wrong and if so how? He was shunned and abandoned by his creator and everyone that came in contact with him so did he know what he was doing was wrong or was it a natural outrage that came from within, was he trying to gain Victors attention to the issues he was having with the world or was he just wanting to destroy. Banksy’s painting of a man with a backwards baseball cap and a handkerchief covering his face with a look of anger on his face reaching far back to get ready to throw…a bundle of flowers. One of Banksy’s earlier works that has been redone and posted everywhere. We have seen the real world image that is being portrayed here many times in newspapers and associate it with the intense emotion of revolution, change, rebellion, and soccer games. We have a person involved in a protest riot turned violent yet he has a colorful bundle of flowers instead of a Molotov cocktail in his hand. We may laugh at first but the message is deeper than that and we could say, in regards to right and wrong, that violence is wrong and that change will not come through fighting but winning people over through kindness. We say that the black and white man is the representation of anger and violence while the colorful flowers stand for peace and a peaceful solution. Or the message could be to the authority that the people who are revolting may seem angry but only want peace. We could argue what the monster did was wrong and that riots are wrong or we could argue that they are calls for peace misunderstood.   

            Creating life is a topic that can be discussed in many ways within the novel of Frankenstein but relating to its author we have to think about what kind of experiences with the topic of creation and life Mary Shelley had. When Shelley first became pregnant with Percy’s child what must she of thought, for its natural for women to have life grow within them but when all of the people around you tell you this is wrong what happens. Questions like, “should I have this child? Is this life that will grow within me bad or good?” are questions that can cause trauma to a young girl. So when we look at her novel Frankenstein it is no wonder that we see Victor struggling with his creation. Victor wants to control the life he has made, in a way he wants to control nature itself for although reproduction is something we like to think we control it is a phenomenon of nature that is not in our control. As we see the novel continue we as the reader are made to ask ourselves if anyone should be able to control nature or is it something we should not be able to cage.

            Banksy has a small painting that depicts a tiger that has broken out of a cage, a cage that is constructed out of barcodes. At first glance we might think this painting is about animal rights and if that is what is taken form it there is no harm done, but what we are really being told to contemplate through this work is what we as humans have done to ourselves and are trying to force upon the rest of the world. We as a species seek to make our environment adjust to us, not adjust ourselves to the environment. We populate almost every climate of the earth yet at the cost of major damage to the natural environment. In a way we are trying to do what Victor Frankenstein did, we are creating life for ourselves and on our own terms yet when it all goes wrong we try to run away and not take the blame for it. When a natural disaster hits we panic but forget that we as people tried to outsmart nature by being there in the first place. We look at this small painting and what we can get out of it is that in our modern world we try and control nature and life itself, be it the life of animals that we cage or the social cages we put on ourselves we are trying to put ourselves in Victor Frankenstein’s shoes and play god.

            In Frankenstein location is a factor that adds so much to the story itself. As the novel enters and exits in the cold icy waters surrounded by a desert of snow we feel the isolation that the characters describe. When Victor Frankenstein is creating the monster in his lab in a city we as the reader feel almost paranoid as if to say, “what if someone sees you! What if someone knocks on your door?” This clever and necessary set of scenery makes the story much more real but connects us emotionally to what is going on. Mary Shelley knew what it felt like to hide something or to run away from something and she makes us feel like she did through her work. To Banksy and to almost every graffiti artist it is all about location, location, location. When you see a graffiti art work on a train that is sign of status in a way, the train is not unreachable but not easy to get to as a back ally and so the art becomes of a high status. Yet even more so most graffiti work feeds of its surroundings to point out something that is right in front of us but that we look past. Banksy’s greatest example of how his work interacts with its location is the collection of paintings he did on the Israeli West Bank Barrier. A giant 420 mile long wall that was put up between Israel and Palestine to protect against suicide bombings and as a clear statement of indifference. The wall is a political message between the two states but it is also a social issue that has manifested itself into what most people consider something awful and immoral. For Banksy this wall was the perfect location for a collection of paintings and stencils that would depict everything that was wrong with it. Paintings of breaking the wall down, or looking through it to see a beach on the other side, a total of four paintings were done. What Banksy did here, just like what Mary Shelley did, was but his work in the correct location to produce an emotional connection between the viewer/reader and the art. We look at this wall and think why it is there, or it’s ugly, it’s bad, but when we see Banksy’s paintings on it we can connect because he has put our thoughts up there for us.

            Frankenstein is a classic novel that most of us have read before and although it has been turned into movies and remade over and over again we should all take a good look at it and give it another read. This book is an amazing piece of writing by a teenage girl that lived a life of rebellion and adventure. Mary Shelley had a life that in itself could be a story, but she wrote ones of her own in which she shares with us a real connection through writings. She lived through what she is displaying to us in a fictional way with Frankenstein and by doing so she has made this work of art real and relevant to us even today. Her novel is a classic because it resonates with people worldwide and can bring out discussions that have more meaning than is written in black and white. Banksy’s works of vandalism, or art, are in themselves thoughtful works that can entertain or outrage us. Regardless of which Banksy has made us think, made us connect to his work in a way that makes an undeniable impression. Although we do not know who Banksy really is we know him so well because we know what he stands for and what his views are, things that can take years to find out about someone. Both of these artist are rebels of their time that have prevailed in their arts and have shared with the world the profound experiences of their lives.

           

           

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mentioned Banksy Paintings

 

 

 

 

Israeli West Bank Barrier Paintings

 

      

 

Work Cited

"Romantic Circles." Wollstonecraft Shelley, Mary. Ed. Neil Fraistat and Steven E. Jones. University of Maryland, 10 May 2009. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. http://www.rc.umd.edu/editions/frankenstein/MShelley/bio.html.

 

Badalamenti, Anthony F. "Why Did Mary Shelley Write Frankenstein." JSTOR: Journal of Religion and Health. Springer, 6 Aug. 2006. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/27512949?searchUri=/action/doBasicResults?Query=mary+shelley+frankenstein&prq=mary+shelley&hp=25&acc=off&wc=on&fc=off&so=rel&vf=jo&resultItemClick=true&Search=yes&searchText=mary&searchText=shelley&searchText=frankenstein&uid=3739256&uid=2134&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21104827839101.

 

"Banksy." Banksy. Banksy, 1 Jan. 2000. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. http://banksy.co.uk/in.asp

 

"Q&A: What Is the West Bank Barrier?" BBC News. BBC, 15 Sept. 2005. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3111159.stm.

 

 

 

 

Rebel Artists: Mary Shelley & Banksy

 

 

BY

 

Gerrit Stollenwerk

 

 

Instructor: Dr. Heiniger

 

 

Course: 1232 World Masterpieces 2

journals journal two journal three

 

journals

Journal #7

Gerrit Stollenwerk

2 Paragraph Analysis on Maus I & II

               The story that is told in Maus I & II is told in a way that I find new but effective in tying together two narratives in a realistic and engaging way. Book one introduces Art, the son of Vladek a holocaust survivor, and two parallel narratives start. One is from Art who is writing a book about his father’s survival, and the second is the story that Vladek tells his son, the story of his survival of the holocaust. Although there are more characters the only ones we really hear talk are Art and Vladek, sometimes Mala Vladek’s second wife, but a focus point for both father and son is Anja, Art’s mother and Vladek’s first wife that he survived the holocaust with but later killed herself. She becomes a focus in the old narrative and the present one because of the anger Art has towards his father about destroying his mother’s journals.

               The narratives are set up in a well-balanced and flawless way and pull you in and out of the present and past. I feel that in this way, the parallel narratives, the story seems more real because you see Art’s reaction to the things his father is saying and doing, then and now. Also things become more real for Art the more his father tells him about his personal experiences, mixed with the tension and the emotion between the two main characters it’s hard not to get into the story. Then there is the cartoon style way the book is set up which adds a twist. There is symbolism with the mouse characters but it could also be trying to relate to Art and his cartoonist career.

 

These two paragraphs read like introductory paragraphs, they give an overarching argument about two graphic novels.

 

For your body paragraphs, focus on specific details and examples to analyze. For instance, you talk about Art's anger over his father burning Anja's journals. Describe that first revelation in the graphic novel. How is it depicted. What is said? What is cartooned? It's significant that Vladek is sitting down during this confrontation - he's in a passive position (and he's actually reclining as if he's having heart trouble or feeling sick). He's often depicted in an active position (even if it's just counting pills while he sits). Art stands over his Dad and calls him a murderer, but does the passive position (rather than constant action) make us remember that Vladek is a victim, too (mourning and suffering)? What is the significance of this confrontation for the first book? What's its significance for the second book? Do the photographs in the second book act to "atone for" the burning of Anja's journals? Answering these sorts of questions should lead you through close reading to an analysis. 

 

 

 

 

Journal Five

 

Gerrit Stollenwerk

 

Exit Through the Gift Shop is a documentary about the street artist Banksy. Throughout the story we see a collision between the haves the have nots and the things that drive them.

 

 

 

Cast Is Not Past

 

The infamous cast system of ancient India and how it plays out in society today.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/opinion/sunday/caste-is-not-past.html

 

 

 

Rich and Poor by Steidl

 

Photographs and text that depict the poor and rich in San Francisco.

 

Scholarly secondary sources:

"Structure and Symbolism in Grain of Wheat"

Jabbi, Bu-Buakei

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journal #4

 

For my final paper topic I am considering the relation between the inequality between the rich and poor as well as the things that are valued by each group of people. In regards to the picture I chose I want to focus on the use of slogans and what they mean and how when taken out of context their meaning can say something complete different. I have seen from my own experiences and those from others the extreme division that can occur between the rich and poor and what astounds me is the surrounding of the environment in which this takes place. I feel that through the art of Banksy and personal experiences I can explore the relations between values of the rich and poor and the way they coexist in art and in the world.

journal one

The three books that I am considering are in order: A Grain of Wheat, Maus I & II, and Four Major Plays. The first choice interests me because of the subject matter and my personal lack of knowledge about the events that take place, as well as the truth behind the story. Summaries

 

My second choice, Maus I & II, interest me because on the one hand there is the story of the accounts of the holocaust as and other events of WWII, which are tragic and horrifying in there own way. On the other hand you have the story of a boys relationship to his father and how that plays into his ordeal in WWII. I think this will be a different way to see history and fiction tied together. summaries  

 

Four Major Plays my third choice, is of interest in the way that it talks about the same subject matter but with different examples and characters. I have never read a story this way but think that it could bring a point across in a different, or better, way then just one story line could. Summaries

 

Could you link the summaries here?

 

journal two

 

 

This is one of my favorite paintings by a street artist named Banksy. To me this shows colliding cultures in a negative way but in a very direct and strong way. The plan message or slogan that we all sing out in most of the western world " I hate Mondays " is something we hear all the time. Its the start of the week, no more watching tv, back to work ( work that most of us hate). To then have this slogan on a shirt wouldn't surprise us, a lot of us would buy it, but to see it on a child who is poor beyond a point that many of us can imagine is a wake up call. The child did not chose to wear that shirt, its likely the only one he has, and every day is tough for him. Not only is this a wake up call but a colliding of cultures between the rich and poor ( two whole different worlds ) the first world and the third world. 

 

 

journal three

 

I feel that the artwork I chose from Banksy is full of visual rhetoric. The color scheme of mostly grey shows the mood as sad and depressed, and the highlighted words “I hate Mondays” in red through the message right in your face. There is a clear relationship, which in this case wants to be discussed, between the inequality of the rich and poor and their mind sets. Through color and simple words a deeper message is revealed and discussed. This is not a painting that you have to know your history for to understand and its not one that needs to be pondered long, it simply states a fact and throws it in your face. The question is what you do with this fact do you ignore it?

Stollenwerk Rough draft for final paper.docx