Evolution of Street Art
The Evolution of Street Art
Jill Hiney 3-5-13
English Nine Honors Mrs. Tinervin
‘From the Italian graffito (scribbling), the practice of drawing symbols, images, or words on private or public surfaces without permission.’ Ancient Romans wrote graffiti, as have many of the world 's cultures. “Graffiti” refers to marks left on walls or other public spaces, often using paint or chalk.’(Derfner, 32). How did street art become what it is today? Graffiti at a glance is assumed to be a mere scribble ruining a blank wall, or it can be what made the wall great. That mere scribble is the thing that made you notice the wall in the first place. Throughout my paper I will discuss the history of graffiti, the varying views of graffiti, and who can make a living off graffiti. In many ways Graffiti has evolved to new style called street art. First, the history of graffiti has changed its form as time went on. People have always drawn on walls, from the prehistoric cave art to the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Graffiti has its many appearances in the past. “Urban graffiti has its roots in Latino gang marks beginning in the 1940s. At first the graffiti was executed using permanent markers. It was not until the later development of spray paint that more large-scale and ambitious graffiti began to appear” (Condino & Furtaw, 5). Street artists create their own name called tags. “A tag was like a graffiti artist’s signature, an often elaborate design indicating the artist’s identity” (Condino & Furtaw, 6). The goal for these artists would be to paint as many tags as they could. In the 1960s, graffiti became an obsession. European buyers would buy tags from popular painters. Local painters would mob train cars and place their tag on all the sides. In the 1980s the wild style era was created. In 1883, a product resistant to spray paint was marketed, ending the Wild Style era. Street art present day comes in many forms, instead of spray paint
Jill Hiney 3-5-13
English Nine Honors Mrs. Tinervin
‘From the Italian graffito (scribbling), the practice of drawing symbols, images, or words on private or public surfaces without permission.’ Ancient Romans wrote graffiti, as have many of the world 's cultures. “Graffiti” refers to marks left on walls or other public spaces, often using paint or chalk.’(Derfner, 32). How did street art become what it is today? Graffiti at a glance is assumed to be a mere scribble ruining a blank wall, or it can be what made the wall great. That mere scribble is the thing that made you notice the wall in the first place. Throughout my paper I will discuss the history of graffiti, the varying views of graffiti, and who can make a living off graffiti. In many ways Graffiti has evolved to new style called street art. First, the history of graffiti has changed its form as time went on. People have always drawn on walls, from the prehistoric cave art to the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Graffiti has its many appearances in the past. “Urban graffiti has its roots in Latino gang marks beginning in the 1940s. At first the graffiti was executed using permanent markers. It was not until the later development of spray paint that more large-scale and ambitious graffiti began to appear” (Condino & Furtaw, 5). Street artists create their own name called tags. “A tag was like a graffiti artist’s signature, an often elaborate design indicating the artist’s identity” (Condino & Furtaw, 6). The goal for these artists would be to paint as many tags as they could. In the 1960s, graffiti became an obsession. European buyers would buy tags from popular painters. Local painters would mob train cars and place their tag on all the sides. In the 1980s the wild style era was created. In 1883, a product resistant to spray paint was marketed, ending the Wild Style era. Street art present day comes in many forms, instead of spray paint
Cited: Derfner, Jeremy. "Graffiti." Dictionary of American History. 3rd ed. Vol. 4. New York: Charles Scribner 's Sons, 2003. Print. Condino, Meggin, and Julia Furtaw. Graffiti Becomes a New Kind of Folk Art. Vol. 1. Detroit: U*X*L, 2010. Print. Wendler, H. Arno, and Tom Adams. "Stiffer Laws Just Might Put an End to Street `art '"Milwaukee Journal 10524452 (2010): A20. Print Demange, Dana. "Voice Of America Special English." Out of the Shadows: The Evolution of Graffiti Into Street Art. VOA. 18 Jan. 2011. Television. Transcript. Denholm, Chris. "Graffiti and the Law." TheSite.org. The Site, 10 Jan. 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.