Banksy Canvas Prints - Some Background To The Art and The Artist
"Banksy" is without doubt the UK's most notorious graffiti artist. To this day he remains anonymous and conceivably the principal reason for him to hide behind a veil of secrecy is that it intensifies the hype surrounding his art.
Many people have their theories on who Banksy might be and some people speculate that he is not an individual at all, but rather that he is a "collective" of artists working in tandem. The lure with Banksy knows no bounds and this was illustrated recently when he was reported to have thrown a pizza box into the refuse whilst he was in Los Angeles, USA. Reports suggested that the box was placed on the auction site eBay and the seller claimed that a few discarded anchovies within the box could yield traces of Banksy's DNA. Quite crazy.
Whatever he is or represents, Banksy remains the "scarlet pimpernel" of the modern art world. He is well skilled in leaving false trails and red herrings; even his own agent has claimed that he is not entirely certain of the true identity of his client.
The UK newspaper The Daily Mail, celebrated for its gloom and doom, has campaigned tirelessly in the last few years to reveal the identity of Banksy. Such has been The Daily Mail's determination you could be forgiven for thinking that they were on some kind of crusade. They "exclusively" revealed some time ago that Banksy's true name is "Robin Gunningham" and is in his mid-30's. According to the Mail, he was educated at the Bristol Cathedral School which sits at the bottom of Park Street. By chance, perhaps, this school sits diagonally opposite one of his most famous graffiti works, namely, a man hanging outside a bedroom window as his lover's husband returns home and peers through the window in attempt to catch him.
Banksy prints reflect the art of Banksy and show the humour and irony of his works. He is renowned for teasing the authorities such as the government and police and continually hoodwinks the public by staging publicity stunts. For example, he once smuggled a blow-up charicature of a Guantanamo Bay detainee into Disneyland.
His first film "Exit Through the Gift Shop" has recently premiered and tells the story of a shop keeper who takes it upon himself to make a documentary in an attempt to track down and befriend his hero "Banksy". However, the grafitti artist instead turns the camera artfully back towards the shopkeeper. In essence, this encapsulates what Banksy is all about. He doesn't openly criticise or condemn, but rather he holds a mirror up to society - and gives society a chance to look at itself from a new perspective.
Banksy canvas prints can be purchased from a wide variety of sources these days and it is now possible to add a touch of the Banksy humour and wit into your personal living space. Improvements in the canvas printing process (the dye sublimation process is considered superior to the inkjet or "giclee" method of printing) means that you can now grab yourself a high quality Banksy print for a very affordable price.