Art throughout history has reflected and commented on the society producing it. Banksy, although using different techniques and methods such as stencils, graffiti, painting on animals and sneaking his own art into public galleries, is essentially doing nothing new.

The art world seems to be continually shocked and shaken as art diversifies and addresses new issues, through different mediums. However, when Monet and his fellow Impressionists first showed their works, they were equally lauded and lambasted, accused of a lacking detail, offering an unfinished, sketchy appearance – an affront to the established aesthetics. The Impressionists themselves were reflecting the changing atmosphere at a time of mass industrial expansion, suggesting the transience of nature by attempting to capture fleeting single moments.

The subverted art, in which we see Banksy pushing shopping trolleys into Monet’s Water Lilly Pond, highlights and celebrates the sensitive social awareness of both artists. Banksy is not apparently ‘rubbishing’ Monet, but instead offering a genuine reflection of contemporary society, suggesting the overflow of detritus as a result of mass consumption; created in its earliest form as a product of significant industrial expansion at the turn of the century. In essence, it could therefore be said that both artists were imparting the same message. This amalgamation is not in fact incongruous, but rather a natural fusion.

Owning art often appears to be exclusive to a small group of art collectors who have the necessary abundance of money to invest in this notoriously expensive hobby. This situation seems diametrically opposed to the ostensible aspiration of all art forms, in communicating an idea to the viewer and generating a sense of inclusiveness with the artists’ thoughts.