Live painting is an improvised and spontaneous form of visual performance art. Performances are held in front of audiences ranging from a single person to hundreds of people. Musical live painting and street art, which includes graffiti, are two types of contemporary art that are particularly popular.
The popularity of musical live painting is growing among the art and music communities. This entails a live musical performance as well as live art being painted on the spot. Cloud Cult in Minneapolis, MN, and the Art Brothers in Madison, WI, for example, are known for combining musical performance with live painting. An interpretative painter paints a canvas live on stage to the beat of the music while a band performs a musical number. The painter is regarded as a member of the band.
Another popular form of live painting is street art. Street performers of all kinds create art on busy sidewalks and streets, using a variety of tools ranging from spray paint to traditional paints and charcoals. The best time to see a variety of live painters in action is during street festivals. Many of them will take requests and create art that is specifically tailored to the buyer. Street art is a mobile form of artistic expression that for some people is a full-time job.
Graffiti is the most divisive form of street art, as it frequently causes damage to private property. If there is an audience present to witness the art being performed, it is considered live painting. Street graffiti artists commonly use spray paint, though there are many different types of paint and styles to choose from when doing this type of live painting. Due to the immense creativity emitted some of the artists, documentaries have been made to support graffiti as a legitimate art form. Smart graffiti, also known as nonterritorial graffiti, is gaining popularity and public support.
Some cities have districts dedicated to the promotion of street graffiti. Graffiti is a form of street art that contributes to the character of cities such as Bogota, Colombia, Austin, Texas, and London, England. A city council may occasionally organize events to have live painting done on a city wall. This is usually the start of a holiday or celebration of the city’s progress. Graffiti artists rarely make money from their work.