The Law of Art and the Art of Law

What is art? What is it for? What makes art good or bad?

A TV show that I watched recently made me think about these questions and it seemed like just the thing for the Graffiti Mine.

A fellow called Roadsworth was arrested in Montreal for painting the streets. His stencil art reminded me a lot of Banksy. You can check out the show here. It’s called Roadsworth: Crossing the line. Click here to see his webpage. He sums up his position by saying “…there is nevertheless a growing recognition that an industrial-age mentality is no longer adequate to the challenges that humanity is faced with.” If you have no time for environmentalists and what they might have to say, his story will probably not interest you. But I think the issue of environmental stewardship deserves our attention and that’s why I’m blogging.

Roadsworth knows what art is and what it is for. But he got busted for coloring outside the lines. This is what inspired me to think about good and bad art. I once had a commission to work on the air conditioning system for a house that a man had devoted to his favorite kind of art – mid 20^th century abstract. The guy had money to burn and, in my opinion, that’s just what he did. Some of the installations in his house displayed good technical execution, but the message was lost on me. It looked like it was deliberately ugly. Ugliness can serve an artistic purpose, but I don’t like it when it seems to be the end in itself. I’m sure the stuff in my client’s house was judged by critics of modern art to be excellent. On the other hand, Roadsworth has an aesthetic sense of beauty that appeals to me. His art was judged in the Montreal court of law.

Roadsworth broke the law and he was punished for it. But here is where the art of law comes into the story. His art is beautiful – not the graceless scrawl of some tagger who only wants everyone to see his name; not the brutal ugliness of some deconstructionist misanthrope. The court recognized this and gave him a minimum sentence, part of which included 40 hours community service; a chance to do his work legally. How’s that for punishment? I guess if you get caught doing graffiti, it will go better for you if it’s well done.

The show focuses on the debate about who has the right to decorate the public spaces – spaces that are owned by us all. I think the guerilla art of Banksy and Roadsworth defy the notion of the orderly pursuit of public welfare. I just wish there was a better, more orderly way to get a chance to see good stuff like Roadsworth’s around town.