It is a known fact that “graffiti” originated from Graffiato (Italian word). Graffiato itself means “scratched”. Sharp objects were used to carve the ancient forms of Graffiti and hence this magnificent art form was named graffiti. Cornbread was the first graffiti writer who was a high school student from Philadelphia in 1967. Initially, he started this on city walls with an intention to get the attention of a girl. But later on in1980s that galleries began to accept graffiti as potential artwork. Getting permission is the only difference between permanent graffiti and art. This makes it a bit complicated with temporary, nondestructive forms of graffiti like video projection and street installation. Graffiti art which is painted traditionally is usually considered public art from technical point of view, but only with permission.
The Influence Of Graffiti
Graffiti was a huge influence for most of the Web trends nowadays. First graffiti were a statement of young people that you can do anything, anywhere & anytime. As shocking it might sound, this is what many of today’s adult entertainment products do. Just take a NannySpy for example. It’s clear that these women who were employed to do certain job will just slack off. It’s pretty sure that it’s not what they are paid to do, but well… like with graffiti artists – they make a bold statement of not giving a thing about social rules. 🙂
It was different in 1970s and ’80s in New York City compared to today. It was not just the cars on the street; fashion and lifestyle, the city itself looked very different, and covered with graffiti. To get a glimpse of how the city looked, watch the film “Wild Style” which was released in 1983. During this time, graffiti was all over the place in the city from subways to building walls. Artists like Dondi, Lady Pink, Zephyr, and Revolt tagged almost every place on the streets and tunnels. Even though it was quite common at that time, people ignored this art form. But Martha Cooper (staff photographer) for the New York Post had a fascination for graffiti and always wanted to know more about it. Even the authors of New York Post went deep into this topic to issue posts.
A Book On Graffiti
In NYC beneath the streets, there were numerous networks of subway tunnels, which was the perfect place for graffiti for nearly four decades. These art lovers had willingly created masterpieces with cans of spray paints and their creativity. The outside world has hardly witnessed their incredible work. Later on, a book titled as Beneath the Streets: The Hidden Relics of New York’s Subway System released. This awesome book gives readers an idea the wide range of work done by some rebel artists and subway workers. Beneath the Streets revolves around the history of preserved graffiti art in the extensive subways. The book features images of most influential graffiti work created back in 70’s and early 80’s. This historical document that preserves the last remaining work as later New York City MTA’s policy on graffiti in the subway eradicated this art.
Is Graffiti Legal?
From mid 80’s to late-1980s, anti-graffiti measures became more stringent came into force with harsh penalties and restrictions on paint sale with the presence of police officers. The Clean Train Movement began in 1985, and every subway car covered with graffiti was cleaned, replaced or modified. Many experts see graffiti and street art as totally different cultures, although there is a big overlap. These days graffiti is not underground or hidden like those days, but with permission to avoid legal charges.
