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Banksy

Banksy

Banksy is one of the most well known street artists of today. Ironically, almost no one knows for sure exactly who he is. This is because he has managed to keep his identity secret and has thus earned the unofficial title as the "Scarlet Pimpernell" of street art. Many claims have been made about Banksy's true identity, but so far they can only be considered as rumor and speculation. One such rumor is that Banky was born in Bristol and later started out as a graffiti artist in the Bristol Underground Movement. But regardless of his identity or background, Banksy has certainly taken the art world by storm.

Much of Banksy's work includes surreal humor and twisted irony, and Banksy often makes fun of society and many of its institutions. This makes sense because Banksy is a street artist and tends to be anti-establishment. Being that Banksy is a steet artist, it is no surprise that much of his work is done on streets and walls as opposed to canvasses. With that being said, Banksy has done artwork on canvass. However, it is just as humorously irreverent and satirical as his street art.

Banksy uses stencils for much of his street art. This is effective because it allows him to make realistic art quickly from the stencils which he made earlier in his studio. Obviously, time is of the essence when he is trying to avoid getting caught. However, Banksy uses a variety of techniques, subjects, and media as required to reach his audience. In one case, he created many spoof British £10 notes and had them thrown into a crowd. On these fake bank notes, Queen Elizabeth's face was replaced with Lady Diana's face and the words "Bank of England" were replaced with "Banksy of England". In an ironic twist, the spoof bank notes were being sold on eBay for about £200 - about 20 times the value of the real notes.



Banksy has also directed a film called Exit Through The Gift Shop, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary. The film was about a self described film maker called Thierry Guetta who eventually gave up filming in order to make a grand entrance on the street art scene. However, many believe that the story was a hoax that was made up by Banksy. If it was then it would certainly represent Banksy's style. This is because it seems to make fun of art connoisseurs while showing how the illusion of value can actually make something valuable. The truth is that we may never know for sure whether the film is an actual documentary or simply a mockumentary.

Banksy is certainly a genius. Not only is he an excellent illustrator, but he also knows exactly what subject to illustrate, as well as the right medium and context in order to deliver his punch line right on target. When it comes to art, he definitely thinks outside of the box. He is famous, yet almost no one knows for sure who he is. This is because he manages to use the secrecy of his identity and the quality of his work to (paradoxically) bring notoriety and fame to his assumed name.



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