Understanding Graffiti: Art, History, and Expression

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Vandals; Cornbread, Taki 183, Phase 2, Banksy, Jean-Michel Basquiat are only a few of the OG street artist who were able to take claim of their identity and express their art through their graffiti. Graffiti forms from Graffito, an ancient inscription. Graffito was found in the form of drawings and writings on walls of Pompeii in the ancient city of Rome. During the 1960’s and 1970’s the phenomenon of this writing was created into Graffiti and opinions began to emerge. Looking into a piece of graffiti; is exactly like looking into the mind of the artist. There is reason and knowledge behind graffiti. It is an amazing art form; it creates a sense of belonging and a community. “This world is not meant for me, but I still want to exist so …show more content…

Cornbread; the King of Walls, marked the beginning of art. Cornbread simply got himself into trouble, got into a juvenile facility and while there he began to develop a crush on on a girl named Cynthia. As he left, he expressed his crush by writing on walls “Cornbread Loves Cinthia.” Why could he not just write letter? Thats boring, this kid wanted express his feelings to the world! The Graffiti community is, although they will not admit, a bunch of aesthetic filled souls. Everyone gathers recognition in this community. “Graffiti isn't something a normal person does, I have been through a lot of situations just cus I do what I do,” my subject explains. These artist ARE outcasts, for a good. They express culture and it is something they get a feel for. It is brilliant, even with the trouble. Tagging is the most basic form of art, my substitute was looking through my article and she told that to her “...tagging is gang-related, but it's my opinion”. It's not. TAKI 183 is a tagger who would simply go around during the 1960’s tagging his name as a way of ownership to himself, not the wall, not the building, but himself. I asked a friend, who himself paints when he has a chance, and he told me “Tagging isn’t gang related, tagging is Ghetto.” The ghetto, in other words, is the

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