Daelyn Harris March 6th 2014 History of American Graffiti from 1960 to 2014 The name graffiti was created in 1971 by the New York Times when they wrote an article on a writer named Taki 183. Graffiti is just about anywhere you look, from subway stops to tall skyscrapers. A lot of artists use spray paint cans and chalk to make their graffiti on. ``Art in the Street`` unrolled at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, California in 2011. This exhibit shows the works of U.S and international artists including Shepard Fairey, Margaret Kilgallen, Banksy, and JR. Jean Michel Basquiat's works are shown in a special gallery dedicated to 1980`s artists. In the last few decades, Graffiti art has even made its way into some of the most famous art galleries. People use graffiti as a way to express themselves and show their perspective of the world (youthvoices.net). Everyone has their own opinions on what graffiti is to them. Some people like it and other people hate it because they think it is a crime or it ruins the urban environment they live in ( Liz Gogerly). For some people, Graffiti is a powerful way to preach a point or share their opinions in a hands on way ( Liz Gogerly). The Cyber Bench documents New York City by saying that political activists use it as way to express their ideas and street gangs use it as a way to label their territory (www.at149st.com). The history of the underground movement, known by many names but traditionally known by``graffiti,`` began in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the mid to late 60`s. Graffiti is grounded in bombing, a practice of painting several spots in a single area. The style of urban graffiti that we know today is the kind with spraycans, and came from New York City in... ... middle of paper ... ...d it was illegal for the most part but it influenced his work(www.moreintelligentlife.com). He asked the neighborhood guys to join their gang but they said,`` Marquis theres nothing here for you you can come hang out with us well let you paint on our walls but you dont have to be part of us`` and he commented that he owed them a lot for letting him do his own thing and chase his dream (www.moreintelligentlife.com). In closing, as you can see from the famous artists such as Jean Michel Basquiat and Retna, Graffiti is still playing a major role in our modern culture and can be a good and bad thing. A lot of people view it as their right to self expression. Graffiti can help illuminate up trashed and soiled buildings and can disrupt the flow of store owners trying to have a successful business. Graffiti has also become a way that some people make their living.
Graffiti or street art is considered an art form because it includes aesthetic criteria, incoherence and nonstandard presentation. Graffiti has been developing since the late 1960’s. The origins of graffiti go back to the beginnings of human social interaction. Graffiti has been found in uncovered, ancient Egyptian monuments and graffiti was preserved on walls in Pompeii. Also, graffiti art is colorful and complex. Graffiti artists need a considerable amount of skills to complete their artwork, they need to have creativity for using spray paint. The concerns of modern graffiti art originated in New York and it was known first as New York Style Graffiti. The novel Let the Great World Spin written by Colum McCann discusses graffiti art in New
“This world is but a canvas to our imagination” (Thoreau). The world is quite literally a canvas for graffiti artists, and these two opinion editorials cover the desire for this medium of art to be appreciated and showcased. Eric Felisbret wrote “Legal Venues Celebrate Graffiti as an Art Form” which was published on July 16, 2014 in the New York Times. Felisbret’s article was about creating more legal venues to showcase graffiti. Kathy Grayson wrote “L.A. Graffiti Exhibition, ‘Art in the Streets,’ belongs in N.Y.C.,” which was published on June 26, 2011 in the New York Daily News. Grayson wrote her article to persuade readers that “Art in the Streets” belongs in New York. The articles were simultaneously the same and very different in their content. Even though the specific messages were diverse the purpose was to persuade the discourse community, who value law, education, and their community, into having graffiti displayed as art. These two
The most predominant attribute of a graffiti artist is their mindset, for a graffitist is constantly surveying the streets in search for a new spot to “bomb” as well as examining the work of fellow writers. For instance, when a graffiti artist looks at an empty wall or a distant water tower they envision a canvas suitable for displaying their graffiti. A graffiti artist uses specific terminology when speaking to fellow writers as well as average people interested in this illegal art form. The use of terms, such as “tag,” “throw-up,” and “burner” are used to describe different styles of graffiti letters. In addition, the term “bomb” is used when a graffitist paints on numerous surfaces in a given area. When analyzing the desires of a graffitist, they explain the desire to go “all-city.” The term “all-city” describes a writers’ aspiration to display his graffiti throughout the entire city. The lifestyle of a graffiti artist tends to be more active than that of an average person, for graffitist go “bombing” during late hours of the night. The reason for these late-night paint excursions is to avoid cont...
If one drives south on I-69 enough, they may begin to remember that “Bob loves Brenda” or that some bodies, only referred to as we, “hate people.” These things are written on the bridges, billboards, and road signs of the interstate to advertise the artist’s message to the general public, while drivers are left to think why should they care who loves who and who hates what. Graffiti is a part of the world that people see everyday and whether it is truly artful or a visual impediment is up to the individual.
Graffiti is often understood to mean “any form of unofficial, unsanctioned application of a medium onto a surface” (Lewisohn 2008). There are many terms that are associated with graffiti, including Graffiti Writing and Street Art.
Though I lived in Chicago I followed a similar path. New York is considered the birthplace of artistic graffiti, even though the act is preformed all over the world before 1960. The history of graffiti is recent and brief, but has a monumental place in the art world. It is the only art movement that is illegal. And it does not contain a series of welfare kids from torn and broken single-parent homes that are screaming for attention. The phenomenon differs from all other sorts of writing on the bathroom wall of a run-down bar. In New York 1960, teenagers began to write their names all over, I mean everywhere, soon are more surfaces written on then open space. All of these names are appearing, but they were nicknames, few choose to use their real names.
Infused with the emergence of the hip hop culture, the graffiti revolution primarily took place in New York City in the 1970s to the 1980s. Graffiti art has historically been viewed as a form of vandalism, a curious enigma viewed by the governing class, and a general menace to society especially in large urban populations such as cities. Within the 1970s to the 1980s the urban youth began extensively spray-painting subway cars, trains, and walls, giving a voice to the disenfranchised, anti-authoritarian rebels who were seeking an identity to be seen and heard by the city that was now discrediting them. This type style of graffiti-inspired art is still present within the many art communities around the world, ever transforming and altering in
Graffiti is an art form that was bred from the rebellion of youths. The first sighting of graffiti was seen on subways, and other impoverished areas around New York. This form involved what is called tagging , where the artist signs his or her name, nickname, or group name, on the side of a building or other surface. It is well known for its bold, colorful presence and intricate script. It is still prominent and visible in those areas of the Bronx today.
The identity of a graffiti artist is hardly ever known unless they want to tag their art with their name or a nickname. Graffiti writers as a subculture are trying to express their political views through civil disobedience by painting pictures that speak out against the government. This subculture developed because they were tired of being oppressed by the government. Graffiti is one of the most enduring acts of protest. It is an important tool for the resistance movement as a way to publicize their protest. It is a visible and powerful form of protest that is going to promote change in the social justice by allowing oppressed groups of people express their viewpoints without being penalized by the
From New York to the rest of the world, Jeff Ferrell’s “Urban Graffiti” aims to show how graffiti serves as resistance to social arrangements and political power for many. The youth use graffiti as a way to provide alternate solutions for oppressions and cultural conditions. Ferrell demonstrates how young artists utilize this art form as a way of raising awareness and resisting social constraints. For example, in London, certain billboards in 1982 were aggressively altered to advocate the voice of the feminists and animal activists. Graffiti writing usually takes place in urban areas where discrimination and division of racial groups are heavily seen. Jeff Ferrell recounts how these young taggers work exclusively during late hours to avoid
Within the last few years, graffiti has been deemed an acceptable and tasteful genre of art. Long gone are the days where the spray can belonged exclusively to the local delinquent. From the past to present, there has been a shift in how street art is recognized by the general public and the government. Laws and policies are being put into place that both defend and threaten the promulgation of this creative medium. By both protecting and prohibiting, the government displays an inconsistent and confusing relationship with street art. When art is so subjective, it can become challenging to delineate the fine line between vandalism and creativity. This essay will discuss the changing public perception of graffiti, the trademark and copyright battles between graffiti artists and property owners, the categorization of street art as an artform, and the beneficial aspects of commissioned street murals.
No matter what people say about it, Graffiti is a form of self-expression. It is important to realize the amount of talent and work required to create a piece of graffiti. The scale of such a piece can be small found on a corner to massive one taking up an entire wall. However, there are varying
Looking from the taggers' point of view, one can understand why taggers and graffiti artists draw and do graffiti, but this does not justify the fact that often times this form of self-expression is not acceptable when it is done on other peoples property. Having the opportunity to listen (film, class, talk show) to why taggers and graf...
Although street art and graffiti art seem very similar, upon closer examination the differences in technique, function, culture, and intent are revealed (Weisburg.) ‘“Graffiti (sgraffiti), meaning drawings or scribblings on a flat surface and deriving from the Italian sgraffio (‘scratch’), with a nod to the Greek graphein (‘to write’), originally referred to those marks found on ancient Roman architecture”’(Weisburg). Though, it is unknown when or where graffiti first made an appearance; modern graffiti did not come around until the late 1960’s to early 1970’s in New York. The term “tagging” is the modern form of scratching (Weisburg). It also is considered the origin of all modern graffiti, including street art.