Graffiti - mindless vandalism or art?

Blek le Rat

Art has always divided people, each to their own, we're all individuals and never going to love the same thing.  What some people see as beautiful, others will see as hideous.  What one person sees as artistic, another will say it's scandalous but the one thing that art will always do is make people talk and recently two men in particular have done just that.  Banksy and Blek le Rat have made us ask the question.....is graffiti, art?

Banksy

I love their work, for me it's doing what Warhol did in the 60's and it's moving art into a new direction.  It's different, it shows humour and it proves that graffiti or street art doesn't have to be the mindless vandalism, scribbled and sprayed onto walls.  This, is definitely, 21st century art and with canvases by Banksy selling at leading auction houses for £100,000+, I don't think that i'm the only one.