Why are most street artists just a copy of another?

[jtvang125]

Are there some unique ones out there? Yes, of course. But how many of them are just a combination of caricature drawings, name art, spray paint, or palm tree leaf folding?

 

[Cappuccino]

Do you have a 'Public Piano' in your area? I see a lot of talented artists (mostly random people) play difficult pieces with ease and most of the time they are being watched by the public and they clap and cheer etc. Does that count?

 

[jtvang125]

Do you have a 'Public Piano' in your area? I see a lot of talented artists (mostly random people) play difficult pieces with ease and most of the time they are being watched by the public and they clap and cheer etc. Does that count?

I think that's more of a street performer than an artist.

 

[SamQuint]

I thought about that too. I saw a spray paint artist create some pretty cool space scenes. He had all these cool techniques and I thought he was unique. But then I saw the same thing in Vegas, at the LA County Fair, and several other places. I was thinking they must have a school somewhere to teach these people how to do this. Like this guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zuzyrWRdqE


I guess the basic thing is you come up with an idea that has very low material costs. Make a show out of it and call it art so you can sell it for a lot more that it is worth.

The thing I see a lot of now is the super fast painters that basically fingerpaint an image. Most of the time they do it upside down. When you think about the final product it is pretty much crap. However when you ad in the performance it somehow makes it seem more worthy of calling it art. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4ba309H0WI



But once one guy comes up with the scam there are bound to be copycats.

 

[SamQuint]

This is my favorite public piano performance

Master of puppets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKevgUmzEp4

 

[feralkid]

Quint,

Why do you call this a scam?

Producer selling product to consumer.

 

[SamQuint]

Quint,

Why do you call this a scam?

Producer selling product to consumer.

Well, most of this art is mass produced. Sure it takes a bit of skill and showmanship but in the end the final product is not really worth what is paid. What I would pay doesn't matter, but I think people spend more than what it is actually worth.

It is like the old I Love Lucy episode when they are in France. Lucy sees an artist on the street painting. He is putting his final touches on his masterpiece and convinces Lucy that he will be a famous artist and his painting will be worth a fortune. Lucy buys the painting and leaves. The artist takes out a massed produced copy of his painting and then looks for the next sucker.

The company I work for hired one of those speed painters for a special event as entertainment and spent thousands on him. The paintings aren't worth the canvas they are painted on in my opinion.

 

[jtvang125]

Yea it's definitely not a scam cause you're getting a product at the end. I think most of them are reasonably priced too since they'll want as many customers as possible. I think my brother paid $10 for a spray paint one. While the caricature drawing and name art will always be unique in nature, I think the spray paint ones will generally follow a common pattern. They'll have maybe a handful they'll learn and just keep repeating them. Most people will watch one and move on and likely won't see it repeated again.

 

[SamQuint]

$10 bucks, damn, in Vegas the guy had price tags on several of his finished ones that were $75-$125

I am not talking about the caricature drawings or name art. Those are fine. I am talking more about the spray paint art and speed painters. The art they create is not unique or exceptional however they charge quite a bit for it. But hey if people buy it at that price then good for them.

 

[BurnItDwn]

This is my favorite public piano performance

Master of puppets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKevgUmzEp4

Vika is amazing! I love her videos!

 

[BurnItDwn]

I love weird/interesting street bands!

 

[brianmanahan]

few people can express themselves as clearly and vividly as street artists

 

[Cappuccino]

This is my favorite public piano performance

Master of puppets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKevgUmzEp4

that piece is soo bad make my ears thump but she played it perfectly though she is very good i subbed to her years ago