Banksy's Graffiti Work.

Banksy is a well known British graffiti artist. One of the main things i like about him is the fact that he is mysterious, he does lots of graffiti yet nobody knows who he is. He creates pieces of art wherever he wishes to on streets. I found it very hard to pick a favourite piece by him. In the end I chose the one of the rat, i found that he has done many pieces which include this rat therefore it symbolises him to me. I have always wondered why he chose a rat in so many of his pieces. It could be to represent the city at the time of the plague possibly, or to represent filth in some way. Many of his pieces of work do certainly make the country look like filth, and many of them make people look at them in an odd way, because he is giving out messages that others have too much fear to say in the first place. Banksy's graffiti work has given him an international reputation. Some of his work can be very political such as the 'One Nation Under CCTV' piece. In my mind this shows how everything in Great Britain is being watched, supposedly for a good cause, however it is invading privacy.

Keith Haring's Jigsaw

Keith Haring's work reminds me a lot of Andy Warhol because of the pop art style. I like the simplicity of all of the figures in his work. They are all the same which shows that neither of them have an advantage over another one in what looks like a struggle in this piece. Most of his work in untitled, I like this because viewers can give pieces their own titles and make their own views on them. Some of his other pieces have all of the figures in different colours, which could display different emotions for each one. They jump around and display lively quirky shapes which I find interesting. The shapes that they can display are never ending, as humans discover new things every day, which makes his pieces more interesting as they developed over the years, ending in 1990. Keith Haring has a huge influence in the world of graphics based on line, his work could be used for many purposes in the advertising world. If his work was used in advertising it could carry lots of strong messages to society. In this particular piece a message of strength and trust could be portrayed because the figures are so closely put together.

Damien Hirst - Skull. 'For the Love of God'

This diamond encrusted skull was created in 2007. Skulls are supposed to be reminders of death, in this case it reminds me of the death of a famous person, because the skull looks so expensive. When the skull was made each hole was cut to fit each piece of diamond. The huge amount of time and precision this must have taken has definitely paid off because the piece looks fantastic. It is exhibited at the White Cube gallery in London. This sculpture is made using an actual skull, from a man that lived over 1000 years ago. This piece to me really makes people look at things in a different way, it has many strong opinions about it because death is such a heavy subject. I find that it really puts a spin on the 'take your money to the grave' saying, there are probably very few people in the word that could actually buy the skull as that it costs $100 million.

Tracey Emin's Bed.

This piece is by Tracey Emin, i find a lot of her work fascinating, however this is my favourite of her pieces. The piece was exhibited in the Tate Gallery in 1999. As with the Floating Heads this piece strongly shows emotion through art. I like how it can be read in so many different ways, and how she is expressing that some people actually do live in this way. The bed is actually her own and brings people to express different emotions about the artist herself as they are invading her personnal space. It is surrounded by empty booze bottles, fag butts, condoms, slippers, the sheets are stained and dirty. It shows the aftermath of a nervous breakdown after Emin had not got up from the bed after several days because of relationship difficulties. By presenting her own bed and way of life, Tracey Emin can connect with viewers, and shows her insecurities and that not everyone leads a perfect life. This piece makes the viewer feel like they are really getting to know Tracey Emin and connecting with her because they have seen how she lived. This shows that she isn't a fake, and shows truth in art.

The Floating Heads by Sophy Cave

The Floating Heads sculptures are at the Kelvingrove museum in Scotland. It was the first thing I noticed at the museum because the faces are so bold, and they were right above the foyer. I like how all the faces show a different emotion, and how every time you look at them you always notice a different one. I find them all very unique. The heads can be seen as an ironic mark of what humans do when they visit art museums such as this one with all the different expressions. To me the heads look slightly eerie, they are white which reminds me of ghosts, and the faint blue light that shines on them adds to the eeriness. The heads can be viewed from the ground, and also the first floor of the museum, they both give a different perspective on the piece which is interesting. I like how the faces blend with, but also contrast with the design of the inside of the museum. It has a strong romanesque and a bit of gothic architecture, as seen in the back of the picture.

Monika Grzymala - 4d.

This is a huge sculpture made entirely from black masking tape which is pinned across a wall and from corner to corner, linking areas together. I saw it in the Fruitmarket gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland in an exhibition called 'The End of the Line: Attitudes in Drawing.' Monika Grzymala also uses confetti, branches, and lead to make similar sculptures. To me it shows a few things, first of all it resembles line, which apart from dots is the basic structure for every piece of art. Take Vincent Van Goughs paintings for an example. I also like how it shows a mess, which is cluttered and unorganised. The basic form of this piece of art appeals to me. There are many different ways that this piece can be read, I like the way that the tape invades part of the gallery, stopping people from crossing through it almost like police 'do not cross' tape, or some form of ghost or demon invading a room. I want to get in amongst it and see how the lines move relative to one another. The Polish artist Monika Grzymala describes her work as 4d and as a drawing in space. I find this interesting because it fits well with this statement - it stands out in an empty space. I also find that this piece of work shows movement, as if the lines are spreading, therefore maybe the fourth dimension in the name could be to do with time.

Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson

The Spiral Jetty is a huge sculpture located on a lake in Utah on the salt flats in America. For a long time I saw images of this and could never find out more because I didn't know what it was called or who made it. It is made from basalt rocks and is 1500 feet long. I like how the spiral shape can be read in so many different ways, such as a dead end or something that is never ending. I also like how it really stands out, it can even be seen from space. The Spiral Jetty is rarely visible, only when the salt lake falls below the correct level. After it was built in 1970, the water level in the lake rose and the jetty was not visible for 30 years. I like how this is alcamy; it is built from what was already there, and changed to make an interesting piece of art.

Sam Taylor-Woods Bram Stoker's Chair Photography.

These are a series of photographs by Sam Taylor-wood. They experiment with different ways of moving the body, I really like the energy in the photos. I find that the photos give off a strong emotion of happiness, jumping is often associated with this. When looking at this picture, I personally look at it as a struggle between the figure, shadow and the chair. To me it almost looks like an attempt to stand on the chair balancing at awkward and bizarre angles. I like the quirkiness of this. It also explores the contrast between weight and gravity. The shadows in the photographs seem very mysterious- there is a shadow of the woman, but not of the chair. The chair is directly 'informed' by the human body yet looks entirely different. On a recent trip to Prague I saw an exhibition with a series of chairs by Robert Wilson, these were also like Sam Taylor-Wood's photography because they were making an everyday object interesting by playing around with it. In Robert Wilson's exhibition he had played around with the standard shape of chairs and how they were displayed, for example one was mounted to a wall, another had legs going down in a diagonal way instead of vertical like the standard chair. I really like the concept of making an everyday object change to be more interesting using art like this.

Andy Warhols Marilyn Prints

These prints are from the 1960's. Andy Warhol created more of many famous people such as Elvis Presley, but the Marilyn Monroe one is definitely the most famous, and my favourite. Andy Warhol is a key figure in pop art. I like the colours in the prints and how the different colours can reflect different moods and make them lively. I also like the abstract effect that the bold colours give off. The prints were made using the silkscreening technique. This is when a photograph is chosen and blown up, it is then glued onto silk and ink is rolled across it. The ink goes through the silk however not through the glue. Therefore the image is the same but slightly different every time. I find that this method seems quite simple, but could be quite risky with the outcomes. A variety of colours are printed onto it using a rubber squeegee. The photograph used in the prints was not taken by Warhol himself, it was from a publicity shoot for the film Niagara, and taken by Gene Korman. I find that some of the prints make Marilyn Monroe look a bit mysterious, and well as pretty. She looks like a model.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh House.

I have thought long and hard about this, and the Mackintosh house is probably my number one piece of art. It is situated in Glasgow in Scotland and is a recreation of the original house that Mackintosh lived in. Everything in the house is designed by Mackintosh. In 1963 the original house was demolished, which is when most things including the hallway and dining room were reconstructed for the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow. There are chairs, tables, a large staircase and many other pieces of furniture. Not everything was rebuilt however, including the cloakroom, bathroom, kitchen and secondary bedrooms. Everything was decorated and built as closely as possible to the original. A lot of them contain a rose motif shown in the picture. It is said that this motif was originally designed by Mackintosh's wife, this almost makes it a family project. Most of the things in the house give the effect that they stand tall, the chairs in particular. The chairs are designed very interestingly in a disciplined style which is very recognisable. I like the Mackintosh house because I find architecture very interesting, especially old and unique designs like the ones here. Mackintosh is a very influential designer many aspects of art as well as architecture. He is often quoted as the first 'modern' one. In the 21st century, his work still looks modern, and many 21st century artists are inspired by him, including myself. Roses like the one in this image are often used in pattern designs for wallpapers published by Sanderson, Galerie and Harlequin.