Text and Image Investigation: Banksy

Artist "Banksy" is a street artist who originates from England. Banksy's graffiti and street art is usually found within urban public spaces. Usually in the form of graffiti and other street art, Banksy's work can usually be found in a multitude of different urban spaces across the globe. The origins of Banksy are difficult to pinpoint as he remains completely anonymous as per the questionable legality of street art however, his works can be traced back to originating sometime during the 90s.

Analysis Of Banksy's Work

Girl With Balloon - 2002 (Link To Work)

Girl With Balloon is one of Banksy's most recognizable works. The art piece features a young girl with her arm lifted into the air with a red heart shaped balloon hovering a little ways away. This simple image creates the opportunity for the audience to interpret the work in multiple different ways. The audience can interpret the girl as reaching out to grab her balloon which she had accidentally let go of. They can also interpret the work as the girl releasing the balloon and watching it float away. By only using two plain images, Banksy created a conversation among his viewers.

Because I'm Worthless - 2004 (Link To Work)

Because I'm Worthless features the image of a rat holding a sign. The sign contains the same text as the title of the work (Because I'm Worthless). By examining the work, the audience is left to wonder who the message on the sign is referring to. It is unclear as to who is the one speaking the text on the sign. Rats are typically described as worthless which supports the interpretation of the sign describing the rat. The sign could also possibly be describing Banksy himself with him saying he created the work "because he is worthless. This type of discussion is common within Banksy's work and is simply created through simple text and image.

Text And Image: What I've Learned And How It's Used By Artists

Within art, the concepts of text and image are used in order to directly speak to the audience and outright tell them a message. Commonly, the audience works to derive the meaning of a piece of art by looking at it and taking the time to analyze what they believe the artist was trying to express. By inserting forms of text and image however, the artist can further influence the audience's perception of the work. The addition of a short phrase or a character within the work can cause the audience to think of what is specifically outlined or to look deeper within the piece using the knowledge granted to them through text and image.

Text And Image In My Work

Within my own work I am hoping to be able to use text and image in order to further expand the way that I present stories as well as for use in comedy. I have commonly seen text used within shorter works such as advertisements and more conversation based videos to illustrate a point. I feel that if I were to create a work that uses a theme such as the social order, I would be able to use text to show the importance of the narration I would present. In today's society, image is used for comedy through memes. This I would also like to incorporate into less serious works for comedic effect.