Is Graffiti An Urban Art Form?
You can travel almost anywhere in the world, and you will probably see graffiti. Although graffiti art is usually more common in big cities, the reality is that it can occur in almost any community, big or small.
The problem with graffiti art is the question of whether it ’s really art, or just plain vandalism. This isn’t always an easy question to answer, simply because there are so many different types of graffiti.
Filed under Graffiti Art Movement · Tagged with graffiti, graffiti art, Graffiti Artists, tag, tagging, urban art
Writing On The Wall – A Look Into The World Of Graffiti Art
Despite seeming to be an all too modern art form, graffiti has always been around even in ancient times. Remains and relics from the ancient Roman city Pompeii reveal a world where people expressed their thoughts emotions by writing on walls and on other public and private items. Everything from poems to various drawings were found preserved in the ancient walls. This kind of society in ancient Rome is beautifully depicted in the introductory scenes of the HBO series Rome. The animators of the two season TV series depicted Roman streets and walls covered with graffiti that ranged from the obscene and sexually explicit to depictions that were political in nature.
Filed under Featured, Graffiti Art Movement · Tagged with ancient graffiti, graffiti, graffiti art, graffiti artwork, graffiti's history
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1984.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist. He gained popularity first as a graffiti artist in New York City, and then as a successful 1980s-era Neo-expressionist artist. Basquiat’s paintings continue to influence modern day artists and command high prices.
Biography
Basquiat was born in Brooklyn, New York City in [...]
Filed under Artists and Groups · Tagged with al diaz, graffiti, graffiti art, Jean-Michel Basquiat, neo-expressionist, SAMO
Radical And Political Graffiti Use
Graffiti often has a reputation as part of a subculture that rebels against authority, although the considerations of the practitioners often diverge and can relate to a wide range of attitudes. It can express a political practice and can form just one tool in an array of resistance techniques. One early example includes the anarcho-punk band Crass, who conducted a campaign of stenciling anti-war, anarchist, feminist and anti-consumerist messages around the London Underground system during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Filed under Graffiti Art Movement · Tagged with banksy, graffiti, graffiti art, graffiti culture
Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network
The Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network (PAGN) was founded in January 1984 by former Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode. The original goal of the program was to combat the spread of graffiti in the Philadelphia area and was led by Tim Spencer. In 1986 another program began within PAGN, named The Mural Arts Project (MAP), and headed by [...]
Filed under Graffiti Law · Tagged with anti-graffiti network, graffiti, Mural Arts Project
Characteristics Of Common Graffiti
Some of the most common styles of graffiti have their own names. A “tag” is the most basic writing of an artist’s name in either spray paint or marker. A graffiti writer’s tag is his or her personalized signature. “Tagging” is often the example given when opponents of graffiti refer to vandalism, as they use it to label all acts of graffiti writing (it is by far the most common form of graffiti). Tags can contain subtle and sometimes cryptic messages, and might incorporate the artist’s initials or other letters.
Filed under Graffiti Art Movement · Tagged with graffiti, graffiti artist, graffiti writer, spray paint, tag, tagging, tags, throw-up
Commercialization Into Mainstream Pop Culture
With the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001, computer giant IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks a peace symbol, a heart, and a penguin (Linux mascot), to represent “Peace, Love, and Linux.” However due to illegalities some of the “street artists” were arrested and charged with vandalism, and IBM was fined more than $120,000 for punitive and clean-up costs.
Filed under Commercial Graffiti · Tagged with graffiti, graffiti artist, modern graffiti
Government Responses To Graffiti
Graffiti advocates perceive graffiti as a method of reclaiming public space or to display one’s art form, their opponents regard it as an unwanted nuisance, or as expensive vandalism requiring repair of the vandalized property. Graffiti can be viewed as a “quality of life” issue, and its detractors suggest that the presence of graffiti contributes to a general sense of squalor and a heightened fear of crime.
Filed under Graffiti Law · Tagged with anti-graffiti law, anti-graffiti legislation, anti-graffiti network, graffiti, Graffiti Artists, graffiti blasters, graffiti vandalism, tags
Modern Graffiti
Graffiti is often seen as having become intertwined with hip hop culture as one of the four main elements of the culture (along with rapping, DJing, and break dancing). However, there are many other instances of notable graffiti this century. Graffiti has long appeared on railroad boxcars. The one with the longest history, dating back to the 1920s and continuing into the present day, is Bozo Texino. During World War II and for decades after, the phrase “Kilroy was here” with accompanying illustration was widespread throughout the world, due to its use by American troops and its filtering into American popular culture.
Filed under Featured, Graffiti Art Movement · Tagged with american graffiti, bombing, graffiti, Graffiti Artists, graffito, street art, tagging, tags, throw-up
Banksy Posters – Snapshots of Vanishing Art
Fans of Banksy graffiti are in a strange position. If you don’t live in London or any of the various international cities where he paints his works, you’re not likely to see them. Even if you do happen to live in the city, you have to be quick or by the time you reach a new piece of Banksy art it is more often than not covered in Plexiglas or has been chipped away and flogged on eBay.
Filed under Artists and Groups, Featured · Tagged with banksy, graffiti
