For my free article, I have chosen an interesting subject which I have really appreciated in Vienna : Street art.

Graffitis are very famous in Austria and particularly in Vienna. Over 100 years ago, Gustav Klimt and the Vienna Secessionists fought for freedom of self-expression. Vienna has a long history of attracting groundbreaking artists and controversial bohemians. While the conservative Viennese can initially act reluctant to embrace new things, they are likewise rather good at not taking their ambivalence too seriously. The Austrian government supported the talented and rebellious Klimt with a public area for their work. 

Perhaps for this reason it’s not so surprising that the Austrian government has made a similar gesture to the young, controversial, revolutionary artists of our generation ; the graffiti artists, by granting them Vienna’s blessing to spray certain public areas.

So let’s grab an ice-cream at Schwedenplatz, take a nice cool stroll along the canal and admire the artwork of this generation’s radical philosopher artists. 

Basically, most people think of Vienna : opera houses and dead classical composers. That’s what I expected before to come here during five months. And that's true that Vienna has a big reputation for being a “pretty” European capital. I found Vienna’s reputation for beautiful architecture, wide avenues, lots of atypical shops and safe ambiance. But, I have discover an pretty cool city, too. In between the classically styled buildings and sidewalk cafes is some fairly interesting street art. 

The street art in Vienna is actually less graffiti and more… art and pretty. By the way, they call their graffiti by what it actually is : street art.

Everything in Vienna appeared to be designed and the reputation for art and design is fairly renowned. There is a paradox in Vienna, firstly we found an nice architecture, classical and grandiose. And then hidden along the Danube or in an little street are street art style and graffiti designs. Everything in this city were being stylish or interesting, from the trash bins to the water fountains.

But one other thing stood out on the streets of Vienna : the posters ! Because it’s often a good way to see what the local trends in design are and sometimes the only way to find out about events or concerts. We can say that Vienna is the art city, that's why I was not surprised to see many art and gallery exhibits advertised around the city.