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.