Artist: Banksy (British, b. ca. 1974)

Title: Love is in the Air (Flower Thrower), 2002

Medium: Paintings, Stencil, spraypaint on raw canvas

Size: 36 x 36 in. (91.4 x 91.4 cm.)

Movement: Contemporary

Banksy is a pseudonymous English graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. Although his identity has not been proven, reliable sources report that he is believed to be Robin Gunningham, a former public schoolboy at Bristol Cathedral Choir School.

His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stencilling technique. His works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.

Banksy's work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Observers have noted that his style is similar to Blek le Rat, who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris. Banksy says that he was inspired by "3D", a graffiti artist who later became a founding member of Massive Attack.

Banksy displays his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls and self-built physical prop pieces.

I really enjoy Banksys artwork because it sends a very strong message about society and the government.

Banksys work is so interesting, the fact that he combines things together that do not belong together and creates something different, for us to question and see how artists see things in their perspective.

The colours in this piece 'Love is in the air' are quite simple, but very sharp.