You can get acquainted with this type of modern visual art in almost any city. The painted walls of houses, fences, sheds will help you with this. And if you do not immediately categorically reject this way of self-expression of young people, but take a closer look at the drawings, you can be sure that everything looks very beautiful.
The history of graffiti begins in the distant past. After all, our ancestors also made drawings and inscriptions, only mostly on the rocks. And the word "graffiti" in Italian means "scribble".
Modern graffiti originated in the 70s of the 20th century among teenagers and was considered street art. The first graffiti drawings were made in the New York subway. The first writer appeared there, who put his signature under them and the number of the quarter in which he lived: “Taki 183”. By the way, writers are artists who draw in After Taki 183, teenagers appeared in the poor neighborhoods of New York who began to draw on city walls, in porches, and garbage cans. They came up with nicknames for themselves and wrote them in an incomprehensible font.
Graffiti appeared in Russia in the 90s. By the way, along with breakdance. It's all part of hip-hop. The writers did not just draw on walls and fences, they held hip-hop festivals, where they showed their art.
This is one of the directions. The latter, by the way, is called street art and has a long list of different types.
In different countries of the world, street art is treated differently. In France, for example, this kind of art is legalized. Right from the train cars, you can see a lot of drawings made in various styles of street art. In Russia, drawing graffiti in public places is a criminal offense, for which a fine or even imprisonment is provided.
But this is in public places, but there are wastelands, abandoned construction sites, dead-end back streets. In addition, sometimes construction companies themselves invite to paint fences around construction sites, and residents of high-rise buildings give graffiti artists freedom of action in courtyards and porches. And then there are the days of graffiti fests and other festivals, various exhibitions of writers, which provide an opportunity to show the art of graffiti in all its glory in public places.
So what is graffiti? To be precise, these are just inscriptions on the walls using a three-dimensional image of the letters of the alphabet. But graffiti is constantly evolving. Old ones are being improved and new original styles of letters are being invented, spray cans are being modernized. Full-fledged drawings have been added to the inscriptions. Now some artists use spray paint to create real works of art.
Experienced artists are advised to start by writing their nickname, then it is worth experimenting with the “third” dimension, making the signature voluminous. You can safely add arrows, bubbles, mix paints from different cans. The incomprehensibility and confusion of the drawing will draw more attention to it, and it will help you to feel what graffiti is.
Still, the best advice for those who are starting to graffiti is to first use not a spray can, but a pencil. Draw houses on sheets of paper, sketching some drawings or inventing your own characters.
When you are satisfied with the result of drawing on paper, consider creating a sketch of the drawing, which you will then transfer to the wall.
Over time, you will learn how to make graffiti stencils, accurately use the technique of shadow and bright colors, learn what markers, airbrushes and caps are for, what paint is better to buy and why you should not paint in windy weather. Only knowing all these subtleties, one can clearly understand what graffiti is.
It turns out that there is such a thing. It includes two main rules. First, a writer never ruins really good buildings. He can create only where it is really required to revive the gloomy and insipid landscape of an industrial zone or abandoned wastelands, backyards.
Secondly, the writer never paints over the drawings of other writers, otherwise this will bring disgrace and hostility to his colleagues.
A site started by old-school New York graffiti writers in 1998. It got its name from the most popular meeting place for writers in the 1970-1980s - the intersection of 149th Street and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx (where the second and fifth lines of the New York subway intersect). The site was created to document the history of New York graffiti by collecting profiles of a large number of writers and teams from the first and second waves, and publishing articles written by the writers themselves.
The dawn of graffiti: 1966-1971
Initially, graffiti was used by political activists who wanted to convey their thoughts and slogans to the public, and by street gangs who marked their territory in this way. Although graffiti appeared in Los Angeles in the 1930s, among the “cholos” ( Hispanic Indians or mestizos, mostly of Mexican origin, living in the United States - approx. per.), and graffiti painted on freight trains by vagrants could be seen long before colored drawings on electric trains, graffiti in its modern form originated in the 1960s on the East Coast. It began with train writing in Philadelphia, and Cornbread and Cool Earl are considered the pioneers, who covered the entire city with inscriptions and drawings, attracting the attention of not only local residents, but also the press. It is not clear whether by accident or not, but from Philadelphia graffiti got to New York.
Graffiti (Italian graffiti - "inscriptions") - inscriptions and drawings on the walls of buildings, fences, trains, etc., made by hand with paint or markers. Now it is difficult to give an exact definition of this term, since it is quite multifaceted.
Train-writing, train-bombing - (English train wrtining - "letter on the train", train bombing - "train bombing") - drawing on trains, in which often the very fact of drawing is more important for many writers than the quality of the drawings.
Pioneers: 1971-1974
The history of New York graffiti usually begins with an article published in 1971 in The New York Times: it told about a guy named Dimetrius who lived in Manhattan, on 183rd Street. He worked as a courier and traveled a lot on the subway. Taking the pseudonym Taki 183 (Taki 183), he began to leave his signature in different parts of the city. People became interested in what this inscription means, and the journalists decided to find out. Naturally, Taki 183 was not the first writer or "king", but he was the first to be seen and recognized outside of the emerging subculture. Some of the earliest graffiti pioneers include Julio 204, Frank 207 and Joe 136.
Writer, graffiti-writer - (English writer - "writer") - a person involved in graffiti.
Tag, tag (English tag - "label", "label", "tag") - the signature of the writer (his pseudonym), made in one color with a marker or paint. Verb - tag, tag. Occupation - tagging, tagging. Man - teger, teger.
There was also movement on the streets of Brooklyn. There are many active writers. One of the first famous writers was Friendly Freddie. The subway became a kind of communication system: with its help, writers from the five districts of the city learned about the existence of each other, and at the same time, “competition between districts” was born.
King, king (English king - "king") - a writer who draws more and better than others, a recognized authority among other writers.
Graffiti quickly moved from the streets underground and the pursuit of fame began. At that time, tags were mainly written, and, of course, the main thing was the quantity. Writers rode the subway and tagged in carriages. Very soon they realized that in the depot you can paint a lot more cars, and the chances that you will be caught are less. Thus, a method was born that is still used by all train bombers.
Tag style
After a while, so many people started tagging that it was necessary to come up with a new way to stand out. The first way was to come up with a unique tag - various calligraphic styles began to appear. Writers added strokes, asterisks and other design elements to tags ( many of them are still in use today. ed.). Some badges were just decoration, while some had a meaning. So, for example, crowns were used by writers who considered themselves "kings". Probably the most famous tag in the history of graffiti is Stay High 149: a figurine of a character from the television series The Saint with a joint in place of the letter H.
Tag size
Super Kool 223
Then the changes affected the size of the tags. Writers started making tags bigger. The standard cap was narrow enough that larger tags didn't attract much attention anyway. Writers began making the letters "thicker" and outlining them in a different color, as well as using caps from other spray paints. This is how the "pieces" were born. It is not known who made the piece first, but the Bronx-based Super Kool 223 and Brooklyn-based WAP are most commonly credited. Thick letters gave room for the development of the name. Writers began to decorate letters with circles, strokes, stars and cells. The addition of color and decorative elements was a real breakthrough, however, the pieces continued to strongly resemble the tags from which they originated. Famous writers of that time include: Hondo 1, Japan 1, Moses 147, Snake 131, Lee 163d, Star 3, Phase 2, Pro-Soul, Tracy 168, Lil Hawk, Barbara 62, Eva 62, Cay 161, Junior 161 and Stay High 149.
A piece (English piece - "piece", short for masterpiece - "masterpiece") - a colored drawing made on a wall or on a train, which takes much more time than a flop.
Trow-up, flop - (English to throw-up - "throw", "throw"; to flop - "drop", "flop") - a quickly made drawing, consisting of an outline and a fill of the same color. The letters are usually rounded and the most popular color combination is black and chrome.
Riff 170
Tracy 168
Stay High 149
Style Development
The atmosphere of competition led to the development of modern styles. Topcat 126 is considered the founder of the "Broadway" style ( broadway), which later evolved into huge block fonts and italic fonts. Then Phase 2 came up with rounded letters - "bubbles" ( bubble letters). "Broadway" and "bubbles" were the very first styles in which the pieces were performed, and they became the progenitors of all other styles. Soon, arrows, curls and ligaments begin to be added to the letters. They become more complex and sophisticated and lead to the emergence of a new "mechanical" style ( mechanical style) or, as it is now called, "wild" style ( wild style).
The rivalry between Phase on the one hand and Riff 170 and PEL on the other led to the further development of graffiti. Riff was one of the provocateurs of the "style wars" ( style wars). Flint 707 and Pistol made a huge contribution to the development of three-dimensional fonts and brought depth to the pieces that will be a role model for future generations of writers.
This burst of creativity has not gone unnoticed. Hugo Martinez, who graduated from the sociology department of the New York City College (City College of New York), drew attention to the creative potential of illegal artists of that time. Martinez founded United Graffiti Artists: they chose the best writers who painted on the subway and presented their work in the gallery. It was thanks to UGA that writers were able to get out of the underground. At the Razor Gallery Martinez has exhibited Phase 2, Mico, Coco 144, Pistol, Flint 707, Bama, Snake, Stitch.
In 1973, New York Magazine published an article by Richard Goldstein entitled "The Graffiti Hit Parade", which promoted public recognition of the artistic potential of young talents "coming" from the New York subway. Sometime around 1974, Tracy 168, Cliff 159, and Blade began adding scenery, illustrations, and characters to the typefaces that surrounded the letters. So there were paintings that covered entire wagons ( English whole car - "whole car", "whole car"). The first hole cars were made by AJ 161 and Silver Tips.
Death
Cliff 159
Hondo 1
Heyday: 1975-1977
The main styles were formed sometime after 1974. All standards were spelled out, and the new generation of writers shamelessly used all the achievements of the first wave of writers. The economic crisis hit New York, and no one paid attention to the transport system. This period was the heyday of drawing in the New York subway. At this time, a division began between those who focused on style (style writers), and those for whom the main thing was speed and number of drawings (bombers). Hol-cars could no longer surprise anyone, and the favorite form of self-expression of bombers was throw-ups, they are flops. Trow-ups grew out of “bubble” typefaces: these are hastily made pieces that consist of an outline and a sloppy fill. Most of these works consisted of two or three letters.
Writing, style writing (English writing - "the process of writing letters", "letter"; style writing - "stylish writing") - drawing on walls and trains with an emphasis on the style and shape of letters. Later, only painting on walls became more commonly referred to as writing.
Bombing (English bombing - "bombing") - drawing tags, flops, pieces.
Blade
The teams POG, 3yb, BYB TC, TOP, and the flop kings were especially distinguished at that time: Tee, , Dy 167, Pi, In, Le, To, Oi, Fi aka Vinny, Ti 149, Cy, Peo. A real race began: teams and writers competed to see who could make the most throw-ups. The heyday of flops and hole cars came in 1975-1977. During this time, following in the footsteps of graffiti pioneers Tracy and Cliff, writers such as Butch, Case, Kindo, Blade, Comet, Ale 1, Doo2, John 150, Kit 17, Mark 198, Lee, Mono, Slave, Slug, Doc 109 Caine One graced the trains and suburban trains with stunning hole cars.
No matter how rich or poor, small or large a city is, there is bound to be graffiti in it. Sometimes there are so many of them that our eyes no longer notice them! By the way, what do you know about the history of graffiti as an art and its different styles?
1. The word "graffiti" comes from Greek and Italian: the Greek word "graphein", which means "to write", and the Italian word "graffito", which means "scratch".
2. Many graffiti artists prefer to remain anonymous. to avoid the legal consequences of their activities.
3. Graffiti art originated in Philadelphia in the late 1960s. Initially, graffiti was mainly used to write political slogans and mark the territory of the gang, and they did not represent much artistic value.
4. Most graffiti artists want to be called "writers" and leave a unique signature called a “tag” on their work.
5. Nowadays, the most common graffiti materials are spray paints and marker pens.
6. Banksy is the most popular graffiti artist known for his stencil art on political and anti-war topics. His work can be seen all over the world.
7. The world record for the longest graffiti drawing is 2245 meters. It was created in Dubai in 2014 by over a hundred artists and featured scenes from the history of the United Arab Emirates.
8. Yarn Bombing is technically a form of graffiti that originated in Texas. It consists in covering objects, structures, trees with knitted or knitted materials.
9. The first known example of “modern style” graffiti is in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus. This is a handprint, which is somewhat reminiscent of a heart, as well as a footprint and a number.
10. "Heaven spot" (Heaven spot) - these are graffiti drawings made in a hard-to-reach area, such as, for example, a roof or bridge.
11 Graffiti Writers Have A Black Book, and this is an album with sketches of future works.
12. Graffiti is also a term used to refer to inscriptions and drawings found on the walls of ancient ruins such as Pompeii or the Roman catacombs.
13. The first famous graffiti artist was Darryl McCray, nicknamed Cornbread. In the late 1960s, he and a group of friends began putting their names on the walls of Philadelphia, which started the graffiti movement.
14. Graffiti bombing - a term meaning the rapid application of large graffiti. Trainbombing is especially popular, when a group of writers instantly paint a train before the police arrive.
15. There is a difference between graffiti and street art. In graffiti, writers are generally not interested in public understanding of their work, instead they use it to communicate with other writers. Street art is meant for society.
16. People who are new to graffiti are called toys.. Those who have more experience and respect among other writers are called kings or queens.
The public still cannot decide what graffiti is - an art form, a way of self-expression or an act of vandalism. Nevertheless, it still does not lose its popularity, and the facades of houses with fences continue to acquire all kinds of drawings and inscriptions. How it all started, what styles of graffiti exist and how to draw them - read on.
In a historical context, graffiti refers to drawings and inscriptions that are somehow applied to various surfaces. But in the modern sense, graffiti is considered a type of street art, which consists in applying drawings and inscriptions using paint, often aerosol, on all kinds of surfaces, mainly on walls. The people who draw them are called writers.
The attention of the masses was drawn to this direction in 1971, when what graffiti was was first mentioned in a printed publication. It was about a writer named Demetraki, who worked as a courier and left his signature in all corners of New York. This signature was the Taki183 tag, where Taki is part of his name and 183 is the name of the street where he lived.
Later, inscriptions began to appear more within the subway and railway depots. The movement became competitive, with street artists striving to keep as many of their tags as possible.
To Writing, in fact, they refer to what we most often understand now as graffiti - drawings on the walls made in various styles; more sophisticated than just tags, they are distinguished by thoughtfulness, three-dimensional image.
bombing they draw on transport and in other extreme places, and artists are called bombers. Such graffiti does not differ in complexity and accuracy of execution, because the main task of the bomber is to make sure that he is not caught when drawing a picture.
This also includes inscriptions in the style scratching- they are scratched out with a grindstone, usually on glasses.
The simplest style is Throw up. Such graffiti consists of two contrasting colors: the fill of the inscription and its outline, usually black. Has a rounded shape.
Another simple style - Blockbuster- is made of no more than three colors and is distinguished by large angular letters.
Style Bubbles characterized by large letters resembling bubbles in shape. Refers to the old school, today is not common.
wild style characterized by large-scale, hard-to-read text, with sharp, elongated letters, often with interlacing. Difficult style, therefore performed only by experienced writers.
character style- drawings on the walls in the style of comics. Not everyone is subject to it, because certain drawing skills are required here.
Such a subspecies as 3D graffiti has become popular now - large drawings on the floor that look voluminous from a certain point of view.
Not every graffiti can be boxed into a particular style; there are many street works that sometimes amaze with their beauty and look like real paintings, with their original semantic content.
If you want to start creating your own graffiti, then you will have to practice a lot. And before you go out with paint in search of a comfortable spotless wall, plain paper will become your canvas, and you will draw with pencils.
Every drawing starts with a sketch. First of all, you must decide on the style in which you want to perform your future drawing. Then choose a word. Write it down on a piece of paper, spaced apart.
After that, with strokes, shape the letters in accordance with the chosen style. 
Do not forget about light and volume: somewhere the letters will be thinner to create a shadow effect, and somewhere more prominent. 
Now you can slowly add the elements you are interested in, give the letters volume and darkening. 
When the form is ready, fill it with color. Use several colors, paint with felt-tip pens or paints - such graffiti will look brighter and more expressive. 
We offer you to watch a tutorial video with simple graffiti for beginners:
Remember: the pencil-on-paper sketching process trains your graffiti skills in a particular style and technique, but it doesn't practice street painting skills with spray paint.
After enough practice on paper, it's time to start thinking about painting graffiti on the walls.
If you have not held a spray can in your hands before, then you will need to understand what kind of tool it is, what its principle of operation is. Practice spraying on a specific surface, test the performance of the spray can, the strength and thickness of the spray of paint.
Choose a simpler wall, smooth, primed, and best of all from porous concrete. You need to work on the drawing on a warm, dry day.
In addition to spray cans and your sketch, do not forget that you need the appropriate equipment: tight clothing, a respirator, gloves. You will also need caps - special spray caps that change directly on the can. They come in different types, for drawing thin and thick lines, dots and outlines.
Sketching should be done with the color of your main background so that you can always correct the mistake you made. Only then add a contour and form the volume of the picture.
Beginning writers can use auxiliary stencils with whole inscriptions, letters or individual elements.
Learn to layer: this type of graffiti will retain color vibrancy, but the layers must be thin or they will take a long time to dry. Do not try to fill in the letters in one motion, draw line by line.
To understand how to draw Throw-up style graffiti, you can watch the following video:
Remember that we do not have officially approved places for street art, so your creation is likely to be considered an act of vandalism, and you - a violating hooligan.
But if you are already an experienced artist and have prepared a worthy sketch, then you can try your luck and get the right to design some residential building, shop, kindergarten. Sometimes art festivals are also held, where experienced writers demonstrate their skills at specially designated facilities.
Graffiti ( graffiti from ital. graffito - inscriptions) is a street painting. The debate over whether graffiti should be considered a separate art direction or an act of vandalism has not subsided so far. It is customary to refer to graffiti any images placed on the surface of walls, buildings, and other public objects. What is it, how did this direction appear, how does it develop, what is considered to be graffiti in contemporary art?
Now graffiti is called any kind of street art and wall painting; regardless of the degree of professionalism of drawing images. In history, this term has been used for a long time. And earlier there was a division into two concepts, such as "dipint" and "graffiti". The term comes from the verb “graffiare”, which means “to scratch” in Italian. The verb "dipinti" denoted inscriptions made with paint.
An interesting fact: in the past, scratching and painting techniques were often combined. Examples of this technique were observed among potters, who scratched inscriptions on the top layer of paint, thus exposing the inner layer. Of course, it is difficult to call such a technique now graffiti in the classical sense of the word, but then it was one of the first examples of the application of technology. Especially often the masters signed their works in this way.
It is customary to start counting the history of graffiti from the moment when the wall inscriptions were discovered. The first examples were found in the countries of the Ancient East, in Rome, as well as in Greece. Later, any graphics that were applied to the surface of the walls were referred to as graffiti, and in many countries it was regarded as an act of vandalism. Incredibly, the first drawings appeared already in the thirtieth millennium BC. It was the rock paintings that became the prototype of this trend in art. Then, natural pigments and sharp objects were used as tools: such as animal bones, stones and fragments of hardened rocks.
Ancestors of graffiti - ancient rock paintings
The first prototype of graffiti, such as we are used to seeing it now, is located in the city of Ephesus, which is located in Turkey. Previously, it belonged to Ancient Greece and even retained the marks of this culture. The first text was an advertisement for the services of prostitutes. The drawing depicted a palm print, vaguely resembling a heart, a number and a footprint. This whole figure is interpreted as the amount of payment for certain services.
The ancient Romans also were not without a sense of humor, and often made caricatured graffiti with images of those in power. Then this direction was used as a tool for declaring love, and for conveying one's thoughts and for political rhetoric. Pompeii displayed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, various curses, magic spells, the alphabet, political slogans and much more. As it becomes clear from this list, the direction was very multifaceted. Thanks to the same inscriptions, many riddles and incomprehensible aspects of colloquial speech were revealed. Considering the low level of education of most of the people, many inscriptions turned out to be a serious help in understanding oral speech.
It is also noteworthy that graffiti appeared almost simultaneously in different parts of the world. Even in Egypt, on the territory of the historical complex of Giza, researchers have found many inscriptions and drawings that were also attributed to this style. It is believed that they were left by the builders and religious figures of the time.
Graffiti was used even where there was no connection with civilization. The ancient Mayan tribes, in one of their largest settlements - Tikal, left many well-preserved drawings. The Eastern Slavs also have a long and rich history of the emergence of graffiti. In Novgorod, 10 examples of works dating back to the eleventh century have been preserved. Most of the messages of this people carry a prayer message, although sometimes you can find some kind of comic messages. It is worth noting that folk spells were often applied, because people then were very superstitious.
Already in the Renaissance, such famous artists as Michelangelo and Raphael went to the golden house of Nero, where they carved their own names, after which they began active work. Later, French soldiers left inscriptions during the Egyptian campaign led by Napoleon. Lord Byron also left his mark on the Greek Temple of Poseidon. And during the Second World War, Soviet soldiers made a huge amount of inscriptions on the walls of the Reichstag.
Examples of graffiti of the new time are considered to be the base on the basis of which the modern direction was created. Many culturologists believe that the modern look is directly related to hip-hop and breakdancing. However, this is a misconception, because the first wave of drawings appeared in the 1920s in the New York subway, which serves as a weighty refutation of this theory. Drawings can often be found on the surface of cars, as well as in pedestrian crossings.
Inscriptions on train cars in New York, 1920s Then, during the Second World War, the expression “Kilroy was here” began to spread. This inscription appeared long after the end of the war. Over time, it began to be supplemented by the image. This phrase was used by American soldiers during the war, which is why the phrase has become entrenched in American culture.
The famous WWII graffiti “Kilroy was Here”, 1940s (modern interpretation) Then there was a wave of signage all over New York City saying "Bird Lives". In Paris, during the strikes of 1968, the phrase “L’ennui est contre-révolutionnaire” became popular, which means “Boredom is counter-revolutionary”. As can be seen from these examples, graffiti has been firmly woven into human culture throughout human existence.
There is no formal and unified center for spreading graffiti culture as such. Some believe that the center of this trend is the city of São Paulo, which is an inspiration for graffiti artists from all over the world. This city is often compared to New York in the 1970s and has a similar vibe. The period from 1969 to 1974 is considered to be revolutionary in history. It was then that a huge number of directions were born, and the center for the development of this type of art moved from Philadelphia to New York. Since then, it is New York that is considered to be the center of graffiti development.
All over the world there is a dual attitude towards street art. In many countries, graffiti is still considered vandalism, and people who apply drawings are fined or sentenced to administrative punishment. In some countries and states, such activities are even imprisoned.
In the 1980s, an anti-graffiti organization, the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network (PAGN), was formed in Philadelphia. The authorities quickly began to realize that graffiti and wall paintings were actively spreading only in the poor areas of cities. In such cases, graffiti is a kind of reflection of the standard of living of people. Then the US authorities began to fight the devastation in cities in order to eliminate the possibility of drawings on the walls.
Photo by graffiti documentary filmmaker Martha Cooper for Subway Art In 2006, a city councilman named Peter Vallone proposed a bill that would make it illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to carry wall markers or spray paint. Then fashion designer Mark Eco sued for violating the rights of artists and a hearing was held in the same year. Mark Eco's demands were satisfied, and the amendments to the legislation were removed. There is a known case when in Chicago in 1992 spray paints and other means of drawing pictures on walls were banned for sale. And in the same year, a law was passed that imposed a fine of 500 dollars on those who put graffiti on the wall.
At the same time, the amount of the fine exceeded the amount that was imposed for being intoxicated in public places, as well as for violating a religious service. In 2005, a system was created that allowed drawings to be entered into a single database, which made it easier to find an artist, because it was easier to find their author by a general outline. One of the first planted was Joseph Montana, who was called the king of graffiti. He painted more than 200 buildings, for which he was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.
The fight against street artists also took place in Europe. A law was passed prohibiting the sale of spray paint to persons under the age of 16. And, despite the fact that the toughest fight against graffiti was observed in the UK, it was here that the famous artist, nicknamed “Banksy”, who was nicknamed the art terrorist, appeared. The most interesting thing is that after many years of struggle, his work was brought into the cultural heritage of Great Britain. The artist has gained world fame, he exhibits in all countries, the cost of his work reaches millions of dollars. But, despite this, his identity has not yet been revealed.
The police load Banksy's work into the car. New York, 2014 A fierce struggle against street art is taking place in the East as well. In Iran and Israel, this art direction is prosecuted by law. And in Singapore, a student of an American school was sentenced to 4 years in prison. At the same time, in Hong Kong, a writer (graffiti writer - graffiti artist) named Tsang Tsu Choi, who received the nickname "King of Kowloon", is very revered, and some of his work is under official protection.
One of the first famous artists is considered to be Jean Michel Basquiat, who began his career with wall paintings. He left short phrases with deep meaning all over New York, for which he became famous. The project ended with the phrase “SAMO IS DEAD”, after which a new stage began in the life of the artist. They, together with Andy Warhol, used a stencil technique to apply images to the walls.
Among contemporaries, a street writer nicknamed “Banksy”, whose identity is still shrouded in mystery, received particular fame. He raises topical issues and ridicules the absurdity of situations in modern politics. Many of his works have been recognized as world masterpieces.
Modern writers use a number of tools:
As an experiment, magnetic light-emitting diodes and projections of drawings were used. Artists are engaged not only in restoration, but also in the transformation of old works, using a new application technique. "Yarnbombing" involves the use of jerseys that are attached to a pattern. Something intermediate between classical graffiti and installation is formed.
Certain application techniques have received their own names. "Tag" (tag) - the main technique, which involves the signature of the writer, drawing his name. This is where the “graffiti tagging” technique comes from, which is one of the most popular at the moment. The inscription can have initials or messages, letters, calligraphy. “Pissing” is a type of tagging that involves filling an empty fire extinguisher with paint, after which a pattern is applied to it. The difficulty with this technique lies in the fact that it is too massive, which often makes it sloppy.
“Throw-up”, aka “bombing” - is drawn quickly, with one or more colors. The main thing here is to quickly apply a drawing, sometimes sacrificing its quality. “Masterpiece” is a complex rendition of the writer's name. “Roller” or “blockbuster” are massive works done in a printed manner. When creating them, rollers and rollers are used, with the help of this technique, the paint falls on the entire surface of the wall or object. "Wildstyle" is one of the hardest types of graffiti. It is characterized by intricate forms of letters, intertwined together, with serifs. Separately, mention should be made of such a phenomenon as “capping”, which involves covering one image with another. This method is used to deface other people's work and is not welcome among graffiti writers.
Blockbuster
masterpiece
Graffiti is a separate world where people communicate in their own language. They carry messages, reflect reality, make you think or smile. To love this direction or to be against it is an individual choice for everyone.
