Street Art 

My name is Elizabeth Dobbin, and I am originally from Texas, but I have been studying abroad in London for the spring semester of 2016. As I started to walk around the city more and travel to more areas of London, I became very interested in the street art that I saw. I have never been to a city with this much street art before. I was able to get many pictures in London, but I really have only just scratched the surface; there is much more in the city that I have not seen yet. I also noticied some street art in my travels away from London so I decided to include those as well. All of the pictures are organized by location, and for some I was able to find the names of the artists, but for others I was not.

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I was intrigued by the fact that many pieces survive on the walls despite being illegally painted on. I wondered if the city allowed it or if the art was ever commissioned. Later I learned that some pieces are commisioned, but that many others are still illegal and do sometimes get painted over. Despite the removal of some, it is possible that many are left up because the city has begun to recognize the cultural significance and appeal of this art. I think it is amazing that artists are able to display their work in this way. I think that many of the pieces are beautiful, unique, and thought provoking, and add character to the city. Some of these artists may have not been able to secure a place in traditional art world, but have been able to show people their art by putting it out on the street. Now, this art is so popular that there are many street art tours, and shops that sell shirts and magnets adorned with popular street art pieces. Through my research I have learned a lot about street art, but there is still a lot more I would like to learn. Click to the Links page to see links to articles about street art and to artists pages to see more of their work. 

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