Graffiti. A brief history, decryption and demonstration

Transcription

1 Graffiti A brief history, decryption and demonstration by Shane Pilster of dowhatwelove.com No person shall write, paint or draw any inscription, figure or mark of any type on any public property. General Welfare Committee

2 Caves of Lascaux, France 17,300 year old cave paintings Over 2,000 figures fill the walls Images of animals, human figures and abstract signs Painted on and carved into the stone Man simply drawing what he sees in every day life Man leaving a mark behind

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5 Ancient Graffiti Ancient Romans carved graffiti onto walls and monuments Messages of love, curses, social and political messages At right, a caricature of a politician found drawn on the walls of ancient city of Pompeii The word graffiti comes from Italian word, graffiato which means to scratch. Anthropologists use graffiti to determine literacy of a population.

6 Roman Graffiti

7 Pompei Graffiti

8 Graffiti in History Common practice for Renaissance artists who visited Domus Rock in Rome to carve name into it (Michelangelo, Raphael) French soldiers carved names on Egyptian monuments under Napoleon s rule Vikings and Mayan cultures have examples of graffiti, too. At right, crusaders carved a message into walls of churches and castles that they visited.

9 Crusader Graffiti

10 Crusader Graffiti

11 Greek Graffiti

12 American Graffiti Kilroy Was Here graffiti was used by US troops during World War II. Urban legend has a factory worker drawing this by rivets he checked on outgoing war ships

13 So What Happened? When did graffiti go from being socially acceptable to being considered illegal?

14 American Graffiti Latino gangs in the 1950s and 1960s use it to mark their turf Moves to urban areas Late 60s early 70s New York sees graffiti on trains At right, Taki 183, a bike messenger during the late 60s and early 70s, starts using his tag to mark where he s been around the city Urban art form in 1970s and 1980s

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17 What and why do you paint? Word/Alias Tag Throwup (Bombing) Straight Letter Piece Characters Your crew Notoriety Getting up

18 Rap and Graffiti Graffiti goes mainstream with Blondie s hit Rapture. Video for the song features graffiti artists Fab Five Freddy and Jean-Michel Basquiat painting a piece on a wall. This is also the first rap single to chart in the Unites States.

19 Graffiti Now No training, but skills are needed Multicultural, multi-class World wide Becoming more culturally accepted under the name street art

20 Where it all starts... Most graffiti writers begin by writing their name as a tag, then progress to throw ups and masterpieces Tags are like a signature for a graffiti artist; only with a tag, if your signature is bad then it shows Different cities have developed their own styles of tagging By far the most hated part of graffiti in the public s eye

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26 A Throw Up? You mean bubble letters? The more commonly known term for a throw up is bubble letter Throw ups continue to show the writer s skill with how creative they can make their name in bubble letters Used to paint something large and fast, mostly on the street The second most hated form of graffiti in the public s eye A stylized throw up is difficult to read Also commonly referred to as a Fill-in

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31 Where s all the color? The progression continues into designing stylized fonts Graffiti lettering has its roots in sign painting, logos, advertising, stylized type, street signs, calligraphy, and pretty much anything that includes a typeface There are many names for a simple piece: Straight Letters, Simples, Bar Letters, and a Quick Piece amongst many others The letters begin with two parallel lines that bend to form your style. Eventually adding extra bits, colors, and effects to make your style stand out from the crowd

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35 You ve finally arrived The piece, short for masterpiece, is many graffiti writer s created work and ideas which blends the world of graffiti and fine art By far the most loved portion of the graffiti world by the public Color Theory, Composition, Balance, and many other design principles are used, like with many other forms of art and design, when creating a piece Years (sometimes a lot of years) of practice, an eye for design and color, being highly creative and being able to paint legally all assist in perfecting a graffiti writer s piecing style

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51 So Is Graffiti Bad? Short answer, YES. The progression into perfecting the craft is long and tedious. Society does not care for what you see yourself as, they will arrest you. But what about the art, the creativity, the colors, the time invested, et cetera? Will there ever be a place in modern society for graffiti? Graffiti is completely immersed in the popular culture but it is widely hated by the public, where is the middle ground?