Banksy & Fabian Debora

COMPARATIVE STUDY

Banksy Fabian Debora

INTRODUCTION

This comparative study will introduce you to the very famous British anonymous street artist Banksy, and the underground Mexican-American artist from Los Angeles, Fabian Debora.

Banksy

-Banksy is an anonymous street artist from Bristol, England, born and raised being influenced by the Western Culture. Presumably raised in a rather wealthy household, attending private school, and completing an education program.

Fabian Debora

-Fabian Debora was born in Mexico, and later immigrated to Los Angeles. Raised in a Latin American culture, and then adapting to Western cultural traditions, mannerisms and lifestyle. Introduced to gangs at an early age, Fabian dropped out of high school to pursue a gang education on the streets of L.A

CULTURAL CONTEXT

Even though Banksy and Fabian Debora were both raised in a Western Culture country, their upbringing could not have been more different from one another. Their experiences and perspectives greatly influenced their focus, point of view, purpose, and portrayal of the various social issues represented and addressed through their art.

CULTURAL CONTEXT

COMPARED ARTWORKS

“Tu Eres mi Otro Oyo”

Fabian Debora 2008

Untitled Banksy Unknow

n

The piece, painted with the use of multi-layer stencils on a concrete wall, utilizes a very monochromatic color scheme, with a few bright yellow accents to set emphasis on certain areas of the painting. The value of light and dark shades used vary from black/very dark grey to white, creating a smooth transition between shades, a sense of unity and balance throughout the piece, as well as an intended visual movement to direct the viewer through the piece. Banksy used textures on the radio, shirt, and jewelry to provide contrast from the rest of the piece. The use of a solid background allows the negative space to place emphasis on the subject even more. The lines are mostly smooth and curved with a couple of exceptions on the radio, shirt, and face of the subject.

VISUAL ANALYSIS (BANKSY)

On the other hand, the techniques, elements, and principles used in this Fabian Debora piece are very different from Banksy’s. First of all , the color scheme is bright, colorful, and l ively. The value is more subtle as well. The emphasis and movement in this piece is very obvious due to the bright colors in certain areas on the left, the scale of the subjects compared to the background, as well as the outline painted in a l ighter shade around the subjects. The pattern/rhythm in the background allows the reader to gradually move across the painting as if the artist intended. The lines are smooth and curved, and give the painting a sense of harmony and unity. The painting is on canvas instead of concrete, and was painted freehand instead of stencils.

VISUAL ANALYSIS (F. DEBORA)

According to my perspective, the function and purpose of both pieces is to demonstrate how children are influenced by gang culture. It shows how children adapt to their environment, often recreating what they observe.

In my opinion, the purpose of Banksy’s piece was to shock, and make the viewer think and reflect on the issue of gang influence on youth, while Fabian Debora’s was more meant to express and get the viewer to see his perspective and personal experience being raised in an environment completely dominated by gang culture

FUNCTION AND PURPOSE

In my opinion, the conceptual significance of Fabian Debora’s piece is greater, because it portrays memories of experiences from his upbringing. The concept of his piece is therefore related to his personal knowledge, having lived in the Los Angeles gang culture first-hand.

Although Fabian Debora’s piece is more personal and relatable to his personal life, Banksy’s piece better represents the aspect and angle of social commentary on the topic.

CONCEPTUAL AND MATERIAL SIGNIFICANCE

Both works can be connected in their use of symbolism, motifs, and concepts, but contrasted in their purpose, formal elements, and cultural context.

Both pieces portray the influence of youth by gang culture around the world.

Both pieces contain symbols such as the backwards hat on both children, representing rebellion, anarchy, and defiance of society’s rules.

Though the cultural contexts of the two artists differ greatly, the concept of portraying children in such a light is food for thought to the viewer.

CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE WORKS

These two pieces influenced by work with their use of specific painting techniques.

Banksy’s piece inspired me to experiment with multi-layer stencils

Fabian Debora’s piece inspired me to portray the subjects in an almost “cartoon-ish” way.

Both pieces inspired me to attempt to create a painting that would force the viewer to reflect on this social issue.

CONNECTIONS TO MY OWN WORK

In conclusion, both Banksy’s and Fabian Debora’s pieces, though dealing with the same theme, were portrayed in two very different lights. The artists’ cultural upbringing influenced their personal experiences and opinions when it came to express themselves on their canvases. Even though they shared a common purpose of forcing the viewer to think about the effects that gang culture places on the youth of the world, their approach differed due to their relations of the theme to their personal life.

CONCLUSION