Below are several pieces by the British street artist known as Banksy. Sara's post reminded me of the increasingly blurry line between commercial art and fine art, which is something I think Banksy's art explores as well. I like these particular pieces because they made me think about our culture as compared to the past. The Greek style statue is no longer of an ideal male or female form, a deity, or a political leader, but of a shopper. The Virgin Mary is selling an ipod instead of salvation (or is an ipod salvation?) What will people in 500 years look back at as our culture's contribution to civilization?
Some people argue that great artists owe their legacy, not to their talent, but to the patrons who provide the resources and opportunities to bring their artistic visions to life. Today's patrons are corporations, which is something worth thinking about.
If society continues being commercialized, I don't think people in 500 years will care about what we think of as 'contributions to civilization'. More like, what are historical mall designs, or advertising techniques.
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