Art and Life in the UK

Bansky's West Bank images from his trip to Israel came about as a social commentary about the controversial wall that separates Israeli citizens from Palestinian. As seen above, the dove holding an olive branch, symbol of peace, is wearing a flak jacket with a target in red as it would appear behind the      focusing element of an AK 47 or other semi-automatic rifle as that seen held in the arms of the Israeli soldier. Bansky created a total of 9 graffiti art images on the 425 foot "security" wall that the United Nations has declared as unlawful - the wall, that is. The wall was discussed at my visit to the U.S. Consulate in July 2007 on a Fulbright Hays Summer Seminar to Egypt/Israel for six weeks. We were told that we couldn't go to Bethlehem or other sites in the West Bank for security reasons. It's too bad since I could have witnessed this remarkable collection of art produced by Bansky in person. While in Israel, I was aware of the tensions and felt espe...

Senenmut taking Queen Hatshepsut from behind, Deir el Bahri   This naughty little drawing might have merited the extreme displeasure of Hatshepsut had she seen it. But when was this pornographic cartoon made? Could it have been at the time of her successor, Thuthmose III? Or was it truly from the time of Hatshepsut with rumors rampant about her favored vizier, architect and tutor for her daughter Neferure? At any rate, it is pretty graphic and unsanctioned paving the way for my comments and images of Greek and Roman graffiti of phalluses and comments about women.

Temple of Seti I at Abydos, probablySekhmet, the lion goddess Some graffiti historians believe that markings making a statement, message or sign can trace their origin to prehistoric times, up to 30,000 BCE. However, this is likely a stretch of the imagination when we don't even know that much about the motives of the mark makers in a period when there was no writing. Scratchings and incised lines on cave and rock shelter walls along with red ochre, manganese and chalk images are probably not meant as propaganda; they may have had some spiritual meaning in the way that a shaman would represent a :vision quest" of some sort.  Circa 3000 BCE in some parts of the world - writing started with pictographs and then around 1900-1700 BCE actual writing can be deciphered. More often, images such as the one above confer  the idea of poking fun of a situation or person. They aren't dated which makes it difficult to assess. However, one can imagine a rebellious teenage Egyptian bo...