There are many reasons as to why people do
graffiti. For some it is to get back at a world that
has long oppressed them and to rebel against the
society they consider so corrupt and unjust. For
others it is purely for the pleasure of creation, for
the art form. Coda comments, "To pour your soul
onto a wall and be able to step back and see your
fears, your hopes, your dreams, your
weaknesses, really give you a deeper
understanding of yourself and your own mental
state."[36]
And for others, it is almost a game. "Getting Up"
is the name of the game and the object is to see
how much you can paint and what you can get
away with. Phase2 says, "For me this was a sport
that belonged to me/us and rules and regulations
were all regulated by whoever had the knack to
create an innovate within it."[37] There are
hundreds of reasons why individuals decide to do
graffiti but to do it for revenge, for art or even for
"sport" are very common and general reasons.
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/10/40-strikingexamples-of-graffiti-art/
But there will always be people who look down on
graffiti in any and every form it comes in. "I think graffiti
is vandalism...They think they're artists and have some
right like free speech to express their individualism or
artistry...graffiti might look good to them and their
buddies, but the majority of people don't want to look
at that crap every day," said Gary Doyle, Public Works
Officer, Nuisance Crime Abatement Unit.[40] OK
http://atdp.berkeley.edu/Studentpages/cflores/historygraffiti.html
Modern graffiti is true street art, appearing overnight on
walls, in subways and on buildings. Graffitti artists often
paint their murals illegally, working under cover of
darkness with a team of sentries to watch for law
enforcers or pedestrians. Because of the controversial
material contained in many murals, graffiti is now
considered to be a form of resistance art, in rebellion
against common public beliefs and government laws.
This example is of a statement made by Barack
Obama, as expressed by the graffiti artist.
http://socyberty.com/subcultures/graffiti-art-or-vandalism/
http://www.1001freefonts.com/
http://www.thehistoryoflosangelesgraffitiart.com/
Graffiti Art
And
Its Origins
The word GRAFFITI simply means--words or
drawings scratched or scribbled on a wall. The
word comes from the Greek term "graphein" (to
write) and the word "grafitti" itself is plural of the
Italian word "graffito."
Art in the form of graffiti (graffiti by style and
considered so only if it appears on public or
private property without permission) originated in
the late 1960s, but graffiti in term of public and
unsolicited markings has been around for ever.
Some say it represents man's desire and need for
communication, and the history of this type of
communication dates back to one of the first
communicative acts--drawing.
It was in the late 1960s when "Julio 204" began
writing his "tag" all around the city of New York.
Soon following Julio came a Greek youth from
Manhattan named Demitrius who tagged his own
"Taki183" all over the city as well. Taki also
focused on writing on the subway in New York.
Even though what Julio 204 and Taki 183 did in
New York eventually developed into what was
called by some "New York Style" graffiti, these
New York writers only popularized it. [2] It is said
that tagging first started in Philadelphia with the
emergence of the legendary "Cornbread" and "Top
Cat." Soon after the Philly development and the
start of New York Graffiti, Top Cat's style started
showing up in NYC and was called "Broadway
Style" because of the long skinny lettering.
Feb. 8, 2009
A Graffiti Artist Goes Mainstream
After Gaining Fame From Anonymous Art, The Man
Known As KAWS Has Now Made A Name For Himself
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/08/sunday/main47
83448.shtml
Although graffiti may be seen in an
unconventional way and is unsolicited, that
doesn't necessarily disqualify it as art. It's simply
unconventional and unsolicited art.
In the 1970s and early to mid `80s, the subway was
always the ideal and most popular "canvas" on which
graffiti was painted. In the late 80s in New York,
graffiti was forced to go through a transformation.
Officially, subway graffiti died on May 12, 1989
although graffiti can still be found on subways, the car
is usually taken off the line before anyone can see it
and buffed clean.