Future Art History

The train meanders lazily through the grey and brown springtime countryside, on the outskirts of the dirty city. Trash from around the city congregates along these tracks, blown in by the winds of winter and now revealed resting against the fences by the retreating snow. Everything is always so filthy this time of year, and the landscape along the railroad becomes even more dismal than it already was with its dilapidated warehouses and neglected homes. Old swing sets with paint peeling and rusty chains whining quietly against the breeze await the coming of summer when the creaks of old age will be oiled away and replaced by squeals of young laughter.

The only colour comes in the form of bright rainbow images, graffiti, painted by the rebel artists of our time. Set against such a backdrop their fascinating shapes and subject matter, some of which painted by startlingly talented hands, lend heartbreaking beauty to this depressing place. Occasionally there is a large grey block painted on the side of a bridge or wall, like a tombstone marking the place where creativity once voiced its name loudly in protest against the otherwise dull whisper of stone and concrete. When I see these harbingers of artistic death I find myself wondering, “Did the city actually stop to look at what was being painted over? Did anyone stop to appreciate the fact that these artists are an important part of our culture?” One day history will see these often nameless delinquents as we see the artists of centuries past who fought then against society’s norms for recognition and creative license. In our attempt to paint them over, are we considering that we are forever losing pieces of history? Or is the very impermanence and rebellious nature of graffiti the whole point? Would it lose all its meaning if suddenly accepted by the powers-that-be and no longer considered an act of delinquency?

Perhaps I will start bringing my camera with me on the train. Art deserves a place in history.