The History of Graffiti

Graffiti art originated in the late 1960s. In fact, the time between1971 and 1974 is often referred to as the pioneering era in graffiti, because this was the decade when the art began to get publicity and to spread. The young people of the time were looking for a way to speak out against authority and many turned to graffiti. Graffiti as an art form reached its peak around 1975-1977, when standards of drawing graffiti letters began to be established.

In the 1980s, life for the graffiti artist became challenging, as more and more automatic weapons appeared on the streets. This time was called the "die hard" era. Graffiti culture took a step back as law enforcement cracked down on artists.

Today, graffiti is known as the "clean train era." Many artists are beginning to take their art indoors and to display it in galleries or studios. Today graffiti is beginning to be viewed as a legitimate art form. Many people are finding inspiration from graffiti artists.

Graffiti is technically any type of art on a wall or building, but today it usually refers to art that is vandalism. However, graffiti does not have to be against the law. Many people practice graffiti in areas where it is allowed. The most important aspect of graffiti is that every piece of art contains the name of the artist. There are established techniques used in drawing graffiti letters, and the medium used is spray paint.

Graffiti developed as a way for people to get their "tag" or name known throughout the city. The more colorful they could produce their tag, the more notice they got. Thus graffiti "wars" sprang up in many big cities, with several artists trying to outdo each other.

Styles of Graffiti

To those who are not familiar with the art, graffiti all looks the same. But there are several different graffiti styles. Many of the styles have to do with the graffiti fonts that are employed

• Tagging - graffiti that highlights penmanship, and lacks artistic form.
• Throw-ups - pieces that are done quickly with few colors.
• Blockbuster - large block letters.
• Bubble letters - large rounded letters.
• Wildstyle - interlocking letters and designs.

Each of these styles can then employ a different type of graffiti

• Hip-Hop Graffiti - perhaps the most traditional form of graffiti, Hip-Hop reflects the culture of the African-American population.
• Poster Graffiti - graffiti practiced on posters that show pictures of people; for example, drawing a mustache on a politician's face.
• Challenge Graffiti - the purpose of this form of graffiti is to show that someone "was here."
• Invisible Graffiti - graffiti that is simply symbolic, such as logos sketched onto computer microchips; no one will ever see it, but it is still there.
• Tree Graffiti - graffiti that is carved or painted on trees.
• Aircraft Graffiti - tagging an airplane, often by drawing in the dirt on the plane.

Each type of graffiti uses different media. The true graffiti sketches are the ones that show up on walls and train cars.

Continue to: Considerations before Deciding to Do Graffiti Art