It's always been about as subtle as a sledge hammer
replyHe started with literally graffiti. So sure - not subtle!!
replyNot gonna lie, I am not sure how the choice of medium here (graffiti) has anything to do with how subtle (or not) the message of an art piece is.
replyThere's a well known theory on this exact concept! The Medium is the Message. Or, the very act of defacing a public building is meant to sledge-hammer the artist's work into the viewer's consciousness. Compared to say, some quiet exhibit most people would never encounter.
replyYou are not supposed to get any attention and you are not supposed to have any say in how the city and the world looks. If you buy the building you still don't get to paint.
replyTo deface it would first have to have a face.
Our first exposure to Banksy was when we were hitting puberty. We probably thought they were subtle back then.
replyNot everyone on HN is still in their 20s.
replyBanksy has been active since the 90s, definitely already famous in the 00s
replyAs shown by this savage Charlie Brooker takedown: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/sep/22/arts.v...
reply>Renegade urban graffiti artist Banksy is clearly a guffhead of massive proportions, yet he's often feted as a genius straddling the bleeding edge of now. Why? Because his work looks dazzlingly clever to idiots. And apparently that'll do.
reply- Creator of Black Mirror, 5 years before series premiere
This reads more puerile and jealous than savage.
replyIt's got just the right mix of highbrow disdain, unironic self righteousness and naughty language to titillate the average guardian reader though.
Well yes, but so does Banksy :)
reply(Also, if you're familiar with Charlie Brooker's output, he's not really a 'highbrow' type. He started out in games journalism.)