In many ways, Banksy also uses the symbol of the rat as a way of aligning himself with the wretched and the underdogs whom he often speaks about or on behalf of in his works. “If you are dirty, insignificant, and unloved, then rats are the ultimate role model.” Instead, it seems he prefers monkeys for his original and editioned canvases. Given the relative importance of rats in the artist’s iconography and symbolism, Banksy has done a surprisingly few number of originals with them as the main protagonists. Stencil art, a central graffiti style, took root with John Fekner in 1968 and was perfected and popularized by artists including Blek le Rat, Banksy. After a trip to the USA in 1971, Blek first witnessed the ‘wild style’ graffiti prevalent in New York City. He is most well-known for painting stencils and is credited with starting the stencil graffiti movement.Blek le Rat began creating works dating back to 1981 and used the Paris streets as his canvas of choice. He is the founder of the international stencil art movement. The ‘Father of Stencil Art’ Blek le Rat (born Xavier Prou in 1952 in Paris) was one of the very first graffiti artists in France. Banksy also realized numerous prints on paper in 2004, featuring various of his iconic rat characters. Born in 1951, Xavier Prou (better known as Blek Le Rat), is one of the first graffiti artists in Paris. Prou began his artwork in 1981, painting stencils of rats on the walls of Paris streets. Xavier Prou was born in Boulogne-Billancourt in the western suburbs of Paris in 1951. In terms of artistic output, Banksy has realized many murals featuring rats – mostly in England, and they tend to be smaller pieces. Blek le Rat, born in 1952 was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and has been described as the 'Father of stencil graffiti'.

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