In cities like Pompeii or Kairo it was commom to write some political or personal opinion. (extract 1)* The word means drawings, markings, patterns, scribbles or messages that are painted, written or carved on a wall or surface. Even the ancient cave-paintings can be described as graffities.
* Modern graffiti art originated in New York City in the 1960s.
(extract 2)* ‘New York Style’ as it was called in that time, appaered in writings made with markers by teens on the subway cars. These writings called tags were seen everywhere.* There are many types of the graffities but not all of them can be described as art. For example, tag can be identified as an old statement just like ‘ I was here’ , that shows that the writer is active and continuing to rock.
(extract 3)
* After the spraypaint had been discovered, it separeted the taggers from the real artists.Tag became a part of an overall artistic production.
* Undoubtably, writers wanted to be known, that is why we can see so many tags and different names on the streets in different forms.(extract 4)* As the grafiiti developed, writers started to paint not only walls but trains, buses and tubes.
There was a competition between the best writers. Usually those writers who had the most paintigs called themselves ‘Kings’ or ‘Queens’. The style, skill and the talent were the most dominant factors. Basically till the present days these are the key factors in graffiti.
* The unskilled and amatour writers without talent or style called ‘toys’.* It is very difficult to explain who and why people decide to get involved into the graffiti art. Just like in every other form of art, artists just come from nowhere.* Kevin Hickey, police officer of the New York Transit Police Department was asked ‘What sorts of kids write graffiti?’He replied ‘The type of kids that live in New York City’
* There is no general classification of the writers.
They can be from 12-30 years old and from both gender.* In the beginning writers used to create art alone but as the technology developed and as graffiti is illegal they had to orgonized themselfes in smaller or bigger crews because painting became more and more difficult and risky.(extract 6)
* Graffiti is associated with Hip-Hop culture. This culture contains elements such as breakdance, MC, DJ and graffiti.
(extract 5)
* In complex graffiti art is a combined activity where the artist uses his or her imagination, talent, execution to create a unique artwork.(extract 7)
* On of the reason why graffiti art is art, that with this artwork the artist can communicate with others, shows or shares feelings or experiences.
* Lot of people call graffiti vandalism crime or destruction but from this aspect it can be seen as a unique, modern art.(extract 8)
* Graffiti is also criticized for beeing too hard to understand, but certainly this cannot keep graffiti art from beeing art.
* Just because it is not in the museum or gallery it shouldn’t be defined as vandalism or other negative definitions. It can be easyly called as street art or public art.(extract 9)* There are many graffiti artists were recognised by other famous artists for examle Jean Paul Basquiat who was took up by Andy Warhol or one of the most famous graffiti artist of the 1990s, Barry McGee aka ‘Twist’ was commissioned to do graffiti art for the Sun Francisco Museum of Modern Art.* Despite the fact that recently graffiti art is recognised as an art, it is still chased by the authorities, police and different anti-graffiti groups.
* Although it is now much more acceptable that it was in the beginning.(extract 10)
* For example, artworks that are produced on canvas with spraypaint and in graffiti style can be considered as an spraycan art.(extract 11)
* Despite that it is accepted as an art, the graffiti will be always an underground movement.
* It is important to see and characterize some forms of graffiti as art because it challenges people.
* Graffiti appears in every bigger city or even village. More and more young people are involved in it.
* Some professional crews are getting together to create bigger and more spectecular artworks.* They even make videos of their work to show the younger generations what grafiiti should be.
It can be described as a guide for other artists and simple people. Unforunatly these kind of films are not broadcosted on TV yet.* Some of the most famous films that show us the process of the graffiti are: Sick Business, Men in Black ( not the movie version ), Dirty Hands and many more.* Garffiti is a very extreme, dangerous and risky activity.
Artists risk their future, life but not the proud. Some of the artists lost their life while painting difficult places, (‘Tenta’ – 2000, Budapest, Hungary)* Whether or not all of the public agrees that graffiti art is good, bad or extremely valuable is a different discussion about evaluation and not whether or not graffiti art is art.* It is very difficult to create an appropriate definition about graffiti art and what conditions and rules it has as an art. But what is certain that it has form, colour and other base properties to being an art.
