Banksy and other Street Art

We've all seen street art in some form or another. It is most easily distinguished from graffiti because its purpose is not territorial or vandalism but instead is contemporary public-space artwork. for instance, the image below is an example of current street art found in the mission area of San Francisco, CA.
         
As you can see, these are paintings on city walls rather than graffiti tags.

The masked English street artist Banksy (one of the most well known and current artists in his profession) is known for his contempt for governement; he gained popularity in 2005 for his scenes painted on Israel's West Bank wall, a wall meant to stop suiced bombers. I remember when I first discovered Banky's work in 2009 and fell in love with the disguised  street artist; he's like a superhero for the art world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_art

http://www.banksyunmasked.co.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/The-Story-Behind-Banksy-187953941.html#