G. James Daichendt passionately discussed a painting of Charlie Brown dangling a cigarette from his mouth and pouring gasoline off the side of a building as an example of street art.

The art history professor said street art is a rising phenomenon during his lecture, titled ‘Rethinking Street Art,’ in Shermin Auditorium on Tuesday.

Daichendt, who received his doctorate from Columbia University, teaches art history at Azusa Pacific University. He is also the principle editor of the academic journal Visual Inquiry: Learning and Teaching Art.

It was while researching for his second book that Daichendt was first introduced to street art. To contrast the gallery art he was already writing about, Daichendt said he decided to interview a street artist known as Banksy, one of the biggest names in the street art world.

Daichendt didn’t immediately fall in love with street art upon meeting Banksy, but he said the excitement of his students toward the style kept him intrigued. It was not until he moved to Los Angeles that he said he realized he wasn’t just studying a trend, but a movement.

LA is currently hosting the largest number of street artists in its history, Daichendt said. The city is home to the biggest population of artists in America, but Daichendt said there are limited galleries and studios for artists to showcase their work.

The solution to this problem can be summed up with one image on a wall in LA, where the words ‘Who needs a gallery when I can paint here for free!’ are written, he said.

After moving to LA, Daichendt said he was hooked on street art. Now researching for his third book, he spoke to more than 40 street artists in the LA area, asking them about topics varying from the concepts of their art to the role gender plays in street art.

‘It’s a strange world, and I was surprised at how easily I could get into it,’ he said.

Daichendt learned that street artists in LA form a community. Artists communicate with each other through bulletin boards and blogs, judging each other’s work, he said.

Although street art technically may not be the best art, Daichendt said, it is popular because it combines elements of advertising and gives it a counterculture effect.

‘The objects communicate so stinkin’ well,’ he said.

The LA community has also embraced the culture of street art, Daichendt said. He said police officers are lenient toward street artists, and the largest punishment an artist usually receives is having their art painted over or taken down.

Daichendt mentioned a store owner who had fixed the street art Banksy painted on the store owner’s building after the painting had been tagged with graffiti. Building owners continue to lease their buildings to certain artists, letting them use their walls as canvas for free.

Galleries are now picking up street art, and Daichendt said there has been a street art opening in LA every weekend this past year.

‘It’s hard not to get excited about people getting excited about the visual arts,’ he said.

Emily Montgomery, a junior painting major, said learning about street art inspired her to think about her own art in a different way.

‘He made me think of ways to make my art more accessible,’ she said. ‘We are very much in the mode of making art for galleries. It’s inspiring to see another way of doing things.’

seschust@syr.edu

Published on January 31, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Sarah: seschust@syr.edu