Banksy and Roo

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202605/medium-9uvnd0-blue-painting-2.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202605/medium-5fgm1d-artbk1.jpg

I think there is a divide here which cannot be bridged. You see, I see art which you might call "political or social" as significant and as valid as traditional living room art.

Art that makes one think, question, debate. Art is not here just to make beautiful unquestioning objects: artists have always, from the beginning of time, also made work that has strong political and religious significance.

For example, the portrayal of the horrors of war: it's necessary "lest we forget". Images and statues show what words alone cannot.

Fine, if you want lovely landscapes: as an artist, I've done a lot of that myself: one can cross boundaries as I have also done in the representation of the female body not as traditional painting has done for hundreds of years and political images, ditto. Art encompasses them all.

In the Banksy cathedral picture, not knowing what the boy is praying for is part of what we have to work out ourselves.

Notice he has a paint pot in front of him. He may have done the graffiti, but it is very lovely graffiti, in fact not dissimilar to abstract paintings
which fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds if you are a famous abstract painter

Is he praying for a better life, and this is his way of expressing himself?

That, we have to work out for ourselves.

TheSunRisesInTheEast and WithNobsOnIt
Your posts say it all.
I’m not a fan of Banksy either. I see it as an example of The Emperor’s New Clothes
But people like different things.
Seeing things as art is personal. Graffiti is graffiti.

The group I was with on holiday, gathered round the shop window debating whether this picture was art or sick.
The owner said he kept it there because it brought people in, but he’d never had an offer to buy it.
I remember there being mixed views on GN for a similar picture.

Banksy is a complete tosser and has been having a laugh at the expense of the public for years.

He is basically a nobody with little talent and very few original ideas.

Like Damien Hirst he has an army of technicians.

He uses his air of mystery and anonymity to sell his work at silly massively over inflated prices to gullible people with more money than sense.

If his true identity was known he would go away overnight.

I'm sorry, but I don't see that as beautiful. At first it does indeed look like a church window, but when you zoom in, the window is covered in graffiti, bubble writing, a smiley face, random squiggles. What is the significance of the "praying hoodie" with the paint pot? Is he asking for forgiveness for defacing the church window? To me it represents yob culture and a disregard for the sanctity of a church.

Churchyards and cemeteries are often getting vandalised, 'hoodies' are a symbol of today's youths getting up to no good.

Banksy has made millions from his graffiti and from the mystery that is his anonymity. If only we could see our old buildings brought back to their former glory, restoring and reinvigorating our towns and cities, instead of adding to their demise under the guise of a Banksy instalment.

For fans of Banksy, there is always the opportunity to support and admire his work in the form of a painting (poster?) like the one you have in your living room, it is personal choice and that is fine, but please leave public spaces/gable ends/bridges/sea walls clear of graffiti in the guise of artwork, because not everyone is a fan.

BTW, the above is a painting, Banksy is a fine painter too.

Now here is another piece of work: intitally it looks like a beautiful cathedral, and indeed the work is beautiful.

Look closely: you see, in fact, graffiti, and a young boy, with a hood...praying. We don't know what for, but he has some kind of begging for a better life, admit the contradictions of urban life. I have this in my living room: it say so much.

Edit: to avoid prejudice

I am inclined to the thought that you disagree with his politics: his work is not ugly, unlike the ugly graffiti slashed across walls, although, even then, some displays some artistic ability.

However, above, I have described some very beautiful and life enhancing work in my city: I believe you are falling into the trap of generalising from the worst sort of graffiti.

In my opinion you miss the point of the masked man: it demands they give up aggression and seek to "throw" that which is beautiful and benign. My feeling is, of avoid prejudice based on the worst kind of graffiti - which is justified criticism - blind you to its possibilities?

But I don't want to see 'artwork' depicting a man in a face covering and baseball cap, whether he's holding a bunch of flowers or a mobile phone. There are enough masked hooligans zooming about on e-scooters, causing havoc, without Banksy's influence. It's street art, and it does nothing to enhance a town, often painted on the scruffiest of walls, dilapidated buildings and run down areas. I would rather see the buildings given a couple of coats of paint, that would enhance the otherwise eye sores.

Youngsters who look up to Banksy try to imitate his work and just add to the problem.

Parts of our towns and cities resemble ghettos, graffiti is a blight on society and it should be treated as criminal damage.

I love his work. He is for peace, he is for undoing false pride and political pomposity.

It is completely different from normal graffiti.

I live in a large city, and we have some lovely "graffiti". Locally its animals painted on ugly street unit, fun graffiti on static waste bins, and whole walls in ugly areas that are full of flowers and nature, and celebrate our different cultures.

of course I don't like destructive graffiti, especially those that attack already difficult areas with their ugliness, or smear public building with extreme political messages, but Banksy is in no way extreme. He has a great sense of humour and is thought provoking rather than destructive.

Here's one I love. Its an aggressive man in a mask - throwing not a fire bomb, but flowers.

I do too Suzieq.
Sorry keepingquiet I was tired when I posted.

Banksy is my hero. I love all of his work and the messages he puts across.

jakuss

Banksy should be arrested, its graffiti

I agree. Why is his work admired but other graffiti is frowned upon? A couple of years ago his "artwork" appeared in several places around our town, he said it was his work, but then it was said that he has other people using his stencils to do the work, instead of him in person. The majority of locals thought they were great, and visitors came from all over to see them and have their photo taken beside them. I think they look scruffy and can't differentiate between them and other graffiti, it just looks a mess and makes the walls look scruffy. As soon as a wall gets painted, it's covered in graffiti. Not good at all.

Kanga's little boy 😃

Banksy should be arrested, its graffiti

kennyh

The Banky`s statue is our PM on late evening, early morning of the 7th & 8th May 2026.

I think it more likely symbolizes all the right wing voters sleep walking into disaster.

The Banksy statue is very witty and so well positioned. How they got it erected in the middle of London without the police realising I do not know. He's a clever man.

Sarnia

Isn't it strange how Banksy is never seen leaving his artwork. I can understand a small mural but a thumping great statue on a plinth and nobody saw anything?

Yes.

Is he an alien?

Whitewavemark2

The other bit of news - sad - is that Ted has died - he of gone fishing fame 😢

RIP Ted.

Oh, do you think Ted is worthy of his own thread?

😥

Georgesgran

The New York Library has all the original Winnie the Pooh characters, except Roo (Kanga’s baby) keepingquiet so a ‘toy’ has been specially made here and KC and QC have taken it with them to complete the set.

Yes, I know what Roo is as a fictional character but hadn't seen the story to back up the relevance of the mention by OP.

Thanks for making sense of this- I had visions of the King and Queen sat with a cuddly toy all the way to the US.

I guess when it comes to soft diplomacy, it is small details like this that count!

Looks like a Nazi soldier marching.

Love Banksy, this statue could have been put up in broad daylight by men in hi-vis jackets, I doubt no one who have stopped them!

The original Winnie the Pooh is in New York. Gyles Brandreth tells a story of why it is kept there, but I've forgotten the exact details. GB is a great collector of teddy bears.

Georgesgran

The New York Library has all the original Winnie the Pooh characters, except Roo (Kanga’s baby) keepingquiet so a ‘toy’ has been specially made here and KC and QC have taken it with them to complete the set.

Purplepixie.
Roo was made by the company that made the other character's kept in America, his addition completes the set.
Thanks to those who provided links.

Isn't it strange how Banksy is never seen leaving his artwork. I can understand a small mural but a thumping great statue on a plinth and nobody saw anything?