A TASTE OF ART
Graffiti: history,
purpose, types
What is graffiti: art or vandalism? What is
behind the "graffiti"? Is graffiti just tagging and
bombing or it has deeper sense? Today we
will talk about the most vibrant form of street
art - graffiti, its history, purpose, types.
The history of graffiti
The history of graffiti goes back to ancient times. The first drawings on walls
appeared in caves thousands of years ago. Later the Ancient Romans and
Greeks wrote their names and protest poems on buildings. Modern graffiti
appeared in Philadelphia in the early 1960s. Darryl McCray ('Cornbread') is
widely regarded as the father of modern day graffiti. The story tells that
Cornbread felt in love with a girl named Cynthia Custuss and started to write
Cornbread Loves Cynthia to get her attention. He enjoyed it so much that he
continued to tag Philadelphia with his name.
By the late sixties graffiti reached New York. The new art form took off in the
1970s, when people began writing their names, or tags, on buildings all over
the city. In the mid seventies it was hard to see out of a subway car window,
because the trains were completely covered in spray paintings known as
throw ups, letters, masterpieces. In the early days, the taggers were part of
street gangs who were concerned with marking their territory. They worked in
groups called 'crews'. The term 'graffiti' was first used by The New York Times
and the novelist Norman Mailer. Art galleries in New York began buying graffiti
in the early seventies.
But at the same time that it began to be regarded as an art form, the mayor of
New York declared the first war on graffiti. By the 1980s it became much
harder to write on subway trains without being caught, many established
graffiti artists began using roofs of buildings or canvases. The debate over
whether graffiti is art or vandalism is still going on.
For decades graffiti has been a springboard to international fame for a
few. Jean-Michel Basquiat began spraying on the street in the 1970s before
becoming a respected artist in the '80s. The Frenchman Blek le Rat and the
British artist Banksy have achieved international fame by producing complex
works with stencils, often making political or humorous points. Works by
Banksy have been sold for over £100,000.
The purpose of graffiti
Graffiti as a form of artistic expression, often associated with subcultures as
the rebel against authority. Graffiti in its origins was used to publicly
display the artistic expressions in response to the lack of access to
museums and art institutions, and the continuous strife, discrimination,
and struggle of living in the city.
Because graffiti is illegal in most cases, this form of art has flourished in the
underground, requiring little money and providing an opportunity to voice what
is often excluded from dominant histories and media. From here, although
graffiti remains the major form of street art with other mediums have evolved -
including stenciling, stickers, and wheatpasting.
On the other hand, artists also used graffiti as a tool, to express their
political opinions, (indigenous) heritage, cultural and religious imagery,
and counter-narratives to dominant portrayals of life in the barrios.
Similar to other forms of art within, graffiti has become another tool of
resistance, reclamation, and empowerment to make the artist own space for
expression and popular education.
Nowadays, graffiti is commonly recognized as a form of public art, embraced
by museums, art critics, and art institutions. But its significance for many
people remains in the barrios (neighborhoods), reiterating the importance of
accessibility and inclusion in relation to their identity and community in their
artwork.
Types of graffiti.
1. Tag
Tagging is the easiest and simplest style of graffiti; it includes one colour and
the artist's name or identifier. Taggers are using graffiti for fame and notoriety.
Their objective is to get their crew (group) name and or their individual
moniker up on buildings, signs, walls, etc. ... The more locations that they tag
their graffiti on or the more difficult the location to remove their tags, the more
fame and recognition they receive. Hence, tagging is considered as a very
simple form of graffiti.
It is considered disrespectful to write a tag over another artist's tag or work.
2. Throw-up or a bomb
Sometimes called a "throwie" is a simple form of graffiti, sitting between a tag
and a bomb. It's usually painted with a simple letter outline and then filled with
color. Easy-to-paint bubble shapes often form the letters.
3. Letters
Letters can be different styles. The oldest style - Wild Style
Wildstyle is an elaborate version of a throw-up and is particularly hard to read.
Wildstyle often consists of arrows, curves, spikes and other things that non
graffiti artists might not understand.
Blockbuster is blocky letters. Blockbusters are used to cover a large area in
a small amount of time. Blockbusters can be painted with rollers, which makes
them faster and easier to do.
Bubbles - the letters are round, circular and often overlapping partially one
another, creating an image that seems to expand and bubble-up in a way.
Bubble graffiti can be done in two colors, where letters are sprayed in one
color, and later outlined with another, creating a contrast.
Sharp -in sharp style the letters or abstract elements are sprayed or painted
in as sharp and angular forms as possible.
4. Piece or character
Short for "masterpiece", painted free-hand. A big and complex piece of wall
painting that is time-consuming and difficult to execute. It's characterised by
many different components, such as a rich palette, 3D elements, and other
visual marks. It's a work of an experienced writer.
The street art world is full of artists who use different techniques, from
freehand spray paint to elaborate installation art. But perhaps no other
technique is so tied to graffiti like calligraffiti, stencil, wheat
paste, stickers ...
Calligraffiti
Calligraffiti is an art form that combines calligraphy, typography, and graffiti.
It can be classified as either abstract expressionism. It is defined as a visual
art that integrates letters into compositions that attempt to communicate a
broader message through writing that has been aesthetically altered to move
beyond the literal meaning.
The origins of the term "calligraffiti" comes from the Dutch artist Niels Shoe
Meulman in 2007, when he used it as the title of his solo exhibition. Meulman
described calligraffiti as "traditional handwriting with a metropolitan attitude"
and a "way of translating the art of the street to the interior of museums,
galleries and apartments."
Stencil
Stencil is a form of graffiti that makes use of stencils made out of paper,
cardboard, or other media to create an image or text that is easily
reproducible. The desired design is cut out of the selected medium and then
the image is transferred to a surface through the use of spray paint or roll-on
paint. Banksy and Shepard Fairey are the most known for their use of the
stencil.
Wheat paste
Wheatpaste refers to a method of creating or laying out publication pages. In
general, wheatpaste is a homemade concoction used for putting up posters.
It's relatively cheap and easy to make—a simple combination of flour, sugar,
and water—and can be created in large quantities. Posters which have been
put up with wheatpaste are referred to as wheatpastes.
When hanging unauthorized billboards, to reduce the danger of being
caught, wheatpasters frequently work in teams or affinity groups. In the
United States and Canada, this process is typically called "wheatpasting" or
"poster bombing," even when using commercial wallpaper paste instead of
traditional wheat paste. In the United Kingdom, commercial wheatpasting is
called flyposting and wheatpasting associated with urban art is called paste-
up.
Sticker
Sticker art (also known as sticker bombing) is a form of street art in which an
image or message is publicly displayed using stickers. These stickers may
promote a political agenda, comment on a policy or issue, or comprise a
subcategory of graffiti.
Sticker artists use a variety of label types, including inexpensively purchased
and free stickers, such as the United States Postal Service's Label 228 or
name tags. Sticker art is a popular processing method to create artworks with
a 3D effect. The artist cuts vinyl sheets and foam board components with a
scalpel. With this components the artist glues a sticker art collage.
THE PILIPINO ARTIST:
Fernando Amorsolo
To gaze upon an Amorsolo is to gaze upon the soul of idealistic,
Filipino sentiment. The painter’s authoritative brushstrokes depict
relaxed scenes of days in the market, afternoons spent idling under the
shade of an overarching tree, and fiestas, of course; all of which have
become the trademark of Amorsolo’s career.
Although born in Manila, Amorsolo spent his formative years by the
rural backdrop of Daet, Camarines Norte. His sense of community at
having been brought up within such a setting has proven impactful;
his conscious choice to paint a world of rural simplicity and charm
contrasts highly with the political turmoil of the late 1800’s and early
1900’s (of which was his world). In some of his paintings — such as in
“Ligawan”, “Afternoon Meal of Rice Workers”, and “Palay Maiden” —
subjects in the foreground are shown smiling or talking, while scenes
depicting work are sent to the background
Juan Luna
The “Spoliarium” stands majestically at the forefront of the National
Museum. At almost eight metres tall, Juan Luna’s imposing depiction
of a battle lost is sombre and striking. The scene of the painting is at
the Roman spoliarium, the basement of the Colosseum where dead
gladiators are brought and stripped of their worldly possessions.
Trained in Spain, Luna mastered the art of classical style at the Real
Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando . While most are of the
opinion that the “Spoliarium” is political commentary on the Spanish
government in the Philippines, one may also guess that Luna’s
turbulent personal life, as well as his European education and cultural
integration, had inspired the work. After all, the scene is set within the
context of European battle and was completed by 1884, before
his service with the Philippine revolutionary government in 1898.
Either way, there is no doubt that the “Spoliarium” is a true obra
maestra by one of the country’s most enigmatic personalities.
FOREIGN ARTIST:
LEON KEER
Utrecht, Netherlands
King of 3D street art, the Dutch artist’s work has a specific point of
view which would make it look real if it weren’t for its surreal themes.
He wants to raise awareness of current environmental and liveability
issues, or simply connect with a specific place. His work is temporary
(he mostly uses chalk) which strengthens its importance.
WISETWO
Nairobi, Kenya
WiseTwo tends to steer clear of political messages in his graffiti,
although he has done some in the past. He just wants to “Just paint,
make places look beautiful”, in his own words. In WiseTwo’s work, we
see traditional African masks, ancient patterns, and a wide range of
colors coming together organically. He takes historic, non-Western
motifs and portrays them in contemporary fashion
