Compare and Contrast Essay on Works of Jamie Wyeth and Banksy

Artwork or a piece of art is an artistic creation or an aesthetic, physical item. Besides "work of art," that could be used for any work considered as art in its broad perspective, including music and literature works, these expressions mainly apply to portable, tangible visual art forms. A good example, in this case, is fine art such as sculpture and painting. A single object of art is often viewed in the broader context of the art movement. In most cases, artistic objects such as paintings or sculptures represent more than what they portray on their external appearance; they always have some a deeper meaning of regarding what they signify. Therefore, this essay compares and contrasts the works of Jamie Wyeth and Banksy who are both "public" artists of the twenty-first century.

Jamie Wyeth is an American realist painter born on 6th of July 1946. On the other hand, Banksy is an anonymous graffiti artist based in England. Both Banksy and Jamie Wyeth are artists of the twenty-first century. There are various similarities between the artworks of Jamie Wyeth and that of Banksy, for instance, Jamie Wyeth most practices painting in his studio, where he mostly paints things that explain his life. Wyeth states that every artwork that he does reminds him of his earlier life. In short, his artworks are like a diary to him. Furthermore, Jamie Wyeth makes his paintings from things that he experiences most, or things that he has had a lot of experience with in the first place. For instance, he makes a painting of the gulls because he has lived with them for a longer time until they have become a part of his life. Therefore, it means that before Wyeth comes up with a painting, he ensures that he does some good analysis about the things he desires to paint. The fact that Wyeth believes in the real existence things beyond other peoples perceptions makes him a realist artist. Similarly, Banksy is a realist artist who practices performs various artworks such as paintings and more others. The fact that these two artists practice the same artwork of painting makes them similar in one way or the other. Furthermore, Banksy performs his paintings on cardboards and walls just as Wyeth does. The other comparison between these two artists is that they are both public artists, whereby they perform their artworks to allow them to be seen by the world.

The difference that can be spotted between these two artists is that Jamie Wyeth only practices painting as his artwork, while Banksy practices many forms of artworks such as paintings, sculpture, and much more. Secondly, Jamie Wyeth most of the paintings that are done by Jamie Wyeth act as his diary whereby the paintings explain his life experiences. On the other hand, Banksys paintings talk more about political matters and social issues since he is a political activist. Banksy subversive epigrams and street art combines graffiti and dark humor portrayed in a painting technique.

Artworks are valuable since they can act a reflection of the things that happened in the past or discuss the political or social issues that affect the people. Most of the artworks speak something about their time of formation. For instance, an art work created in the 21st century will reflect on the social and political issues that are experienced in the 21st century. Therefore, artworks do not just represent what they portray on their external appearances. They always have inner meanings whereby they tend to explain social, political, or historical events.