Sandoval 1

David Sandoval
Professor Alvarez
English 113B
24 February 2015
What is art?
A man paint with his brains and not with his hands, Michelangelo. The term, art,
contains many diverse definitions, expressions, significance and meanings to an individuals
viewpoint, whether it is a simple portrait or a portrait that is very complex for a definite theme,
and what the artwork defines to everyone. An artwork, created by an individual who expresses
their theme, can either be favorable or non-favorable to certain people, which in some form can
be offensive and/or revoke based on the theme of the artwork. The people need to consider in
expressing their free will artworks, without the base of societys intervention, for any individual
is allow to do any artwork theme from their desire expression. In the U.S., graffiti is claim by the
judicial system to be vandalism of a property, which leads to an arrest for failing to comply the
law, however, graffitis are being accepted as an art principle throughout this country, and some
graffiti works are valuable. Public schools should allow nude art in their elective studies, but are
restricted because of societys social and moral values that prevail the students behavior
accordingly, yet these have a benevolent value and open minded circumstances within that can
change the students generation viewpoint. The public is obligated in having an open minded
society because art is express through many forms that many people may not know about.

Sandoval 2

Since the law was passed of banning graffiti through modern times, many people still do
graffiti prior if some been convicted of it, yet do it for reasons. Graffiti occurs more in low social
economics areas, where there are high populations of minorities and in urban regions as Los
Angeles, New York, Chicago, and many more urban cities, which excessive graffiti are shown
every day. For example, these graffiti reports signifies a message for everyone, which some art
educators highlights that graffiti activity can contribute positively to community building and
promote unity, providing a sense of belonging and membership for youth Many young people
tend to do this because of their pride in something they value about whether it can be racial,
ethnicity, the area, culture, or anything to show everyone the message is valuable for the one who
did it. This activity is a form of art except the people would rather do it in public because it could
show the message to the people about their personal expression. Even the small black markers
called sharpies is use for graffiti, which shows how anyone can afford the time and money spent
in graffiti. Not to mention, some individuals contribute graffiti to reveal concealed information
that the public may not know about as Denotto emphasize the reaction to injustice and
disenfranchisement, a cry for revolution, a way to create awareness of socio-political issues, an
expression of hope for the future, an effort to reclaim public spaces, or an attempt to beautify the
urban environment, among others (Denotto). Art can be form as a message, which does not have
to be a visual image, but of words, symbols, scribbles, or anything that depicts the artist
viewpoints, and in historical context has actually sparked public awareness with the help of
graffiti. Another definition of graffiti is tagging, which the word associates more of a jargon to
the low social economic individuals, or street language. From personal experience, I grew up in
low class area surrounded by minorities same as me, and saw many graffitis posted almost every
block when I was a child, which at that time period their were many gang members giving

Sandoval 3

messages to the people about the police brutality that occurred several times where I live. The
public schools should allow graffiti be taught in classes because Sentrock, a 24 year old graffiti
artist who started graffiti when he was in first grade, believes that teaching students graffiti art
is an important way for youth to find their voices and identities (Eldridge). Sentrock advocates
that youths and children should learn the benevolent side of graffiti, instead of the regular graffiti
that are on the streets, and can be very helpful for the children to find their true identities. Pablo
Picasso, a famous Spanish artist, once said that all children are artist, which shows strong support
that children are best taught at an early age than doing nothing at all.
The majority of the people censor nudity art because of personal and moral reasons,
which some claim to be sexual arousal, lack of social values, and made by an artist who have no
intellectual reasoning. In the biblical viewpoint, every bible reader knows the first humans that
appear in Earth, which are Adam and Eve, and the bible describes how these two characters were
completely naked once created by the monotheist ruler. In the scientist viewpoints, every
scientist claims that the first human appearances had nothing in wear except the skin attached to
the body. The renaissance period sparked a period of ideas, arts, and advanced human
knowledge, which the famous painter, Michelangelo, painted the Sistine Chapel accordingly to
the bibles chronology, and most of his artwork display nudeness. Jill Burke, a highly interested
renaissance researcher, has analyzed many nudity artworks from the renaissance period, and she
states that nakedness relates to an early state of humanity (Burke). Both, religious and
scientific, viewpoints have a similarity in the origin of human civilization, which the first
humans that walked in this earth had nothing, but the skin on their body. Almost every student in
the US has been taught, showed, and reviewed mans earliest civilization in school, and seen
images of humans with little or no clothing. The renaissance era sparked various art forms, which

Sandoval 4

one of them is nudity, and was overly emphasize by Michelangelos artwork: the Sistine Chapel,
statue of David, and many more. In modern times, people tend to worry that these type of arts
stimulate wrong messages to others because many do not know the value of it, and fear it can
create high dose of sexual hormones to any individual that can sometimes cause others to be in
danger. In addition, there are many statues that expresses nudity form, which most are archaic,
and the value of this form is nudity in sculpture came to represent the ideals of innocence and
purity (Tahinci). The author presents the information that nudity is not a malicious ideal and
shows that sculptures did not create this for sexuality, but to give a message that everyone, at one
point, was and may continue to be innocent in their lives, which all of us humans were when we
were children. Repeatedly mention before, Adam and Eve, from the bible, were pure innocent
and no existence of shame that they wondered with each other nude until they ate the forbidden
fruit, and ever since lost their innocent. These quotes can be beneficial for many students to
value the true meaning of humanism, instead of sexual attractions that conquers over the students
mind, especially for adolescences. Furthermore, some art educators intent to influence nudity in
their classroom because it creates more more inquiry oriented stance, encouraging
confrontation, and exploration into nudity in art beyond (Poling and Anniina). The quote
advocate in promoting nudity in art classrooms because it creates freedom of expression and is
a preserved art that the students must have, which art is define in having any expression that
the individual desires (Poling and Anniina). Consequently, guidelines is recommended when
dealing with nudity art because if its allow in public schools, then some regulations have to be in
the classroom because some students are do not appreciate nudity or any personal reasons.
Although nudity can stimulate outrage with certain type of people because some may
have a traumatic behavior of nude because either one was violated or treated viciously by

Sandoval 5

someone. Also, people beliefs can play in the role because some religions or personal beliefs
does not permit exposure of the body whether it is academic reasoning, which can be respected
based on their beliefs. Graffiti is sometimes use in the wrong hands that someone use it for
malicious reasons, and can cause more violations to someone elses property.
Society is urge to be open minded in the 21st century, where many new generations will
be reflected whether we, as the people, teach them the traditional moral and social values, or
have a change for us all that will be beneficial. Nude art and graffiti will have new measures in
the future once people comprehend its good use.

Sandoval 6

Work Citation
Burke, Jill. "Nakedness And Other Peoples: Rethinking The Italian Renaissance Nude." Art
History 36.4 (2013): 714-739. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 1 Mar. 2015.
DeNotto, Michael1, mdenotto@smumn.edu. "Street Art And Graffiti." College & Research
Libraries News 75.4 (2014): 208-211. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 2 Mar. 2015.
ELDRIDGE, LAURIE A., Leldridge@peoriaud.k12.az.us. "An Unselfish Act: Graffiti In Art
Education." Art Education 66.5 (2013): 21-27. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 2 Mar. 2015.
HAMPTON, ROSALIND1, rosalind.hampton@gmail.com. "Graffiti And Art Education: "They
Don't Understand How I Feel About The FUNK." Art Education 66.5 (2013): 51-55. Art Full
Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 2 Mar. 2015.
Poling, Linda Hoeptner, and Anniina Suominen Guyas. "Removing The Fig Leaf: Issues And
Strategies For Handling Nudity In The Art Room." Art Education 61.1 (2008): 39-43. Art Full
Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 2 Mar. 2015.
Tahinci, Anna. "Removing The Fig Leaf: Today's Nudity In The American Public Eye."
Sculpture Review 57.2 (2008): 16-25. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 1 Mar. 2015.