Definition of Art?
This picture to me has several interesting elements about Spain. Some of them I have already mentioned, like the abundant snow or the amazing stone wall. What makes this specific image special is the graffiti on the door. Such graffiti isn’t limited to vandalism here but is abundant throughout Segovia and Madrid. I have seen images and words on everything from common buildings or structures to places I would consider historically monumental and irreplaceable. Nevertheless, graffiti prevails, and it seems that different my American mindset which labels this as vandalism has failed to recognize what graffiti may mean to the culture. Of course, some of the most famous murals in the world occur in South American and pervade through the Spanish culture. It seems that the graffiti here is also an art. In fact, in one instance in Madrid I saw it utilized as a method of advertisement. The look of the graffiti certainly isn’t different than that from the US, the difference is its acceptance. Maybe a person painting this door wasn’t so much an act of defacing, but rather a way of expressing themselves and making their mark in the city.
Although at second thought, I am now reminded of a rock quarry on Kentucky Lake near TVA which is frequented by boaters year round. The landscape itself is beautiful, but character is added by the hundreds of images spray painted over the rocks. Cultures a part but there are always small marks that tie us together.