Grafitti Art

Argument

Graffiti is a general term for wall writing, perhaps humankind's earliest art form. The crude wall writings of prehistoric times and the highly stylized street art of today's inner-city youths share one common feature: each stems from a basic human need to communicate with others. Modern day graffiti was born on the streets of New York in the same period as hip hop was created, the two being very closely related, some might say that graffiti is a subculture of the mainstream hip hop culture.

However, in time graffiti developed its own culture that spread through the world’s youth very fast. Graffiti is a form of expressing yourself, sending out a message or stating your beliefs in life. For youths who may not be able to express themselves through other media, such as prose or music, graffiti represents an easily accessible and effective way to communicate with a large audience. Anyone can obtain a can of spray paint and "make their mark" on a highway overpass or the side of a building.

Unfortunately, graffiti was not very well received by people, most of whom saw them just as acts of vandalism made by punks who have nothing else to do in life than to wreck havoc. People who made graffities were immediately judged just like those who had tattoos. Sadly, people did have reasons to believe this because graffiti was used by criminal gangs to express their logo (also known as a tag) or even make threats. In the past years, graffiti has become more accepted by people who started being more open about it and started judging them as true art forms.

In my opinion, graffiti is a true art form. In fact, I consider graffiti to be the purest form of art for several reasons. First of all, graffiti is all about talent ( true graffiti work, not any scribbling on the wall), no school or education needed to perform great art work, only a can of spray. Secondly, graffiti is made by the common people for the common people, meaning that graffiti is made by ordinary people usually displayed in public places for everyone to admire. Finally, people who make graffiti are not doing it for the money, they do it for free because it is a pleasure for them to express themselves, which is what art should be all about.

Graffiti has seen a huge development even in Romania with huge graffiti exhibitions and freestyle painting. I am happy that such an exhibition was organized in Onesti last year, in which many local teenagers took part, showing off their talent. Actually, right after I went to that exhibition I became interested in graffiti, being very impressed with what I saw. Because of this growing interest for this art form, it seemed only natural that I would choose it as the theme for my English project. I wanted to learn more about the history behind it, its development and about some of its pioneers and this was the perfect opportunity for me to do it. I have gathered very interesting facts about graffiti art and, hopefully, the persons that will read the following pages will see graffiti as contemporary art.

Introduction

Graffiti (singular: graffito; the plural is used as a mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is sometimes regarded as a form of art and other times regarded as unsightly damage or unwanted.

Graffiti has existed since ancient times, with examples going back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire and may range from simple scratch marks to elaborate wall paintings. In modern times, spray paint and markers have become the most commonly used materials. In most countries, defacing property with graffiti without the property owner's consent is considered vandalism, which is punishable by law. Sometimes graffiti is employed to communicate social and political messages. To some, it is an art form worthy of display in galleries and exhibitions; to others it is merely vandalism. There are many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly evolving artform whose value is highly contested, being reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.

Graffiti and graffito are from the Italian word graffiato ("scratched"). "Graffiti" is applied in art history to works of art produced by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is "graffito," which involves scratching through one layer of pigment to reveal another beneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who would glaze their wares and then scratch a design into it. In ancient times, graffiti was carved on walls with a sharp object, although sometimes chalk or coal were used. The Greek infinitive γράφειν - graphein - meaning "to write," is from the same root.

1. Early history

ancient Greek city of Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey). Local guides say it is an advertisement for prostitution. Located near a mosaic and stone walkway, the graffiti shows a handprint that vaguely resembles a heart, along with a footprint and a number. This is believed to indicate that a brothel was nearby, with the handprint symbolizing payment.

The ancient Romans carved graffiti on walls and monuments, examples of which also survive in Egypt. The eruption of Vesuvius preserved graffiti in Pompeii, including Latin curses, magic spells, declarations of love, alphabets, political slogans and famous literary quotes, providing insight into ancient Roman street life. One inscription gives the address of a woman named Novellia Primigenia of Nuceria, a prostitute, apparently of great beauty, whose services were much in demand.

Errors in spelling and grammar in this graffiti offer insight into the degree of literacy in Roman times and provide clues on the pronunciation of spoken Latin. Examples are CIL IV, 7838: Vettium Firmum / aed[ilem] quactiliar[ii] [sic] rog[ant]. Here, "qu" is pronounced "co." The 83 pieces of graffiti found at CIL IV, 4706-85 are evidence of the ability to read and write at levels of society where literacy might not be expected. The graffiti appear on a peristyle[2] which was being remodeled at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius by the architect Crescens. The graffiti was left by both the foreman and his workers. The brothel at CIL VII, 12, 18-20 contains over 120 pieces of graffiti, some of which were the work of the prostitutes and their clients. The gladiatorial academy at CIL IV, 4397 was scrawled with graffiti left by the gladiator Celadus Crescens (Suspirium puellarum Celadus thraex: "Celadus the Thracian makes the girls sigh.")

It was not only the Greeks and Romans that produced graffiti: the Mayan site of Tikal in Guatemala also contains ancient examples. Viking graffiti survive in Rome and at Newgrange Mound in Ireland, and a Varangian scratched his name (Halvdan) in runes on a banister[3] in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople.

Art forms like frescoes and murals involve leaving images and writing on wall surfaces. Like the prehistoric wall paintings created by cave dwellers, they do not comprise graffiti, as the artists generally produce them with the explicit permission (and usually support) of the owner or occupier of the walls.