Graffiti is a type of deliberately inscribed marking made
by humans on surfaces, both private and public. Graffiti can
also refer to website defacements; however, it usually takes
the form of publicly painted art, drawings or words. When
done without a property owner's consent it constitutes vandalism.
Graffiti has existed at least since the days of ancient civilizations
such as classical Greece and the Roman Empire. The word "graffiti"
expresses the plural of "graffito", although the
singular form has become relatively obscure and is largely
used in art history to refer to works of art made by scratching
the design on a surface. Another related term is sgraffito,
a way of creating a design by scratching through one layer
of pigment to reveal another one beneath. All of these English
words come from the Italian language, most likely descending
from "graffiato", the past participle of "graffiare"
(to scratch); ancient graffitists scratched their work into
walls before the advent of spray-paint, as in murals or frescoes.
These words derive in their turn from the Greek ??????? (graphein),
meaning "to write". Historians continue to speculate
over the vexing question as to where the term "graffiti"
first referred to this form of marking.
History of Graffiti
Ancient graffiti
Historically, the term graffiti originally referred to the
inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., found on the walls of
ancient sepulchers or ruins, as in the Catacombs of Rome or
at Pompeii. Usage of the word has evolved to include any decorations
(inscribed on any surface) that one can regard as vandalism;
or to cover pictures or writing placed on surfaces, usually
external walls and sidewalks, without the permission of an
owner. Thus, inscriptions made by the authors of a monument
are not classed as graffiti.
The first known example of "modern style" graffiti
survives in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (in modern-day
Turkey) and appears to advertise prostitution, according to
the tour guides of the city. It stands near the long mosaic
and stone walkway and consists of a handprint, a vaguely heart-like
shape, a footprint and a number. This purportedly indicates
how many steps one would have to take to find a lover, with
the handprint indicating payment.
The Romans carved graffiti into their own walls and monuments,
and examples of their work also exist in Egypt. The eruption
of Vesuvius preserved graffiti carved on the walls of Pompeii,
and they offer us a direct insight into street life: everyday
Latin, insults, magic, love declarations, political consigns.
In contrast to typical modern graffiti, alphabets and quotations
from famous literature (especially the first line of Virgil's
Aeneid) have been found scribbled on the walls of Pompeii,
either for the pleasure of the writer or to impress, albeit
anonymously, the passer-by with one's familiarity with letters
and literature. In an ancient variant on the "for a good
time..." theme, an inscription gives the address of one
Novellia Primigenia of Nuceria, apparently a great beauty
and subject of constant enquiry; an illustration of a phallus
was accompanied by the text, mansueta tene: "Handle with
care." Love was also the object of scorn:
Quisquis amat. veniat. Veneri volo frangere costas
fustibus et lumbos debilitare deae.
Si potest illa mihi tenerum pertundere pectus
quit ego non possim caput illae frangere fuste?
Whoever loves, go to hell. I want to break Venus's ribs
with a club and deform her hips.
If she can break my tender heart
why can't I hit her over the head?
-CIL IV, 1284.
Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli also has several examples.
Errors in spelling and grammar in graffiti not only inform
us of the degree of literacy of many of the graffiti scrawlers,
but they also give clues as to the pronunciation of spoken
Latin. Such is the case with CIL IV, 7838: Vettium Firmum
/ aed[ilem] quactiliar[ii] [sic] rog[ant]. Here "qu"
reflects the common pronunciation of "co". Conversely,
ancient graffiti also provide us with evidence of the ability
to read and write among classes of people for whom literacy
was not requisite and might not otherwise be assumed. For
example, the 83 graffiti found at CIL IV, 4706-85 (a peristyle
which had been undergoing remodeling at the time of the eruption
of Vesuvius) were executed not only by the architect Crescens,
but also by most of the members of the work crew for whom
he served as foreman. The brothel at CIL VII, 12, 18-20 contains
over 120 graffiti, the authors of which included the prostitutes
as well as their clients. And finally, the gladiatorial academy
at CIL IV, 4397 contained graffiti left by the gladiator Celadus
Crescens (Suspirium puellarum Celadus thraex: "Celadus
the Thracier makes the girls sigh.")
However, not only Greeks and Romans produced graffiti: the
Mayan site of Tikal in Guatemala, also contains ancient examples.
Viking graffiti survive in Rome and at Newgrange Mound in
Ireland, and Varangians carved their runes in Hagia Sophia
in Constantinople. The ancient Irish inscribed stones with
an alphabet called Ogham -- this standard mode of writing
may not fall into the category of graffiti. There are also
examples in American history, like Signature Rock (a national
landmark), along the Oregon Trail.
Later, French soldiers carved their names on monuments during
the Napoleonic campaign of Egypt in the 1790s. There is Chinese
graffiti on the great wall of China.
Art forms like frescoes and murals involve leaving images
and writing on wall surfaces. Like the prehistoric wall paintings
created by cave dwellers, they do not comprise graffiti, as
the artists generally produce them with the explicit permission
(and usually support) of the owner or occupier of the walls.
Modern graffiti
There is no one history of graffiti. The first (second if
one considers cave paintings graffiti) appearance of graffiti
was in ancient Rome, where Romans would paint their political
views and opinions on large walls. Graffiti also originated
from Nazi Germany, where Hitler used graffiti to create propaganda
to support his view.
In the 20th century, especially during World War II, 'Kilroy
was here' became a famous graffito, along with Mr. Chad, a
face with only the eyes and a nose hanging over the wall,
saying "What No [scarce commodity]…?" during
the time of rationing. Twentieth century warfare saw the advent
of many new aviation technologies, closely followed by the
advent of airplane graffiti, including the nose art made famous
during World War II.
Starting with the large-scale urbanization of many areas
in the post-war half of the 20th century, urban gangs would
mark walls and other pieces of public property with the name
of their gang (a "tag") in order to mark the gang's
territory. Near the end of the 20th century, non-gang-related
tagging became more common, practised for its own sake. Graffiti
artists would sign their "tags" for the sake of
doing so, or to increase their reputation and prestige as
a "writer" or graffiti artist. The first documented
cases of illegal markings created with a spray can were created
by an artist named "Cornbread" from Philadelphia.
The spray can became an important characteristic for the lettering
styles which followed.
Taggers sometimes select tags, like screennames, to reflect
some personal qualities, but often a tag is chosen for how
the word sounds when spoken aloud or how the letters sit with
each other when written; usually referred to as how the tag
"flows". The letters in a word can make doing pieces
very difficult if the shapes of the letters don't sit next
to each other in a visually pleasing way. Also some tags are
humorous plays on common expressions, such as: Page3, 2Shae,
2Cold, In1 and many others. Tags can also contain subtle and
often cryptic messages or in some cases the writer's initials
or other letters become a part of the tag. The current year
is often put up next to tags as well; the bomber Tox, from
London, never writes just Tox; it is always Tox03, Tox04,
etc. In some cases, "writers" dedicate or create
tags or graffiti in memory of a deceased friend, for example,
"DIVA Peekrevs R.I.P. JTL '99". Tags are usually
between 3 to 5 letters long to make the process of doing them
illegally faster, but can be any length at all.
Competition exists between writers as to who can put up the
most, or the most visible or artistic tags (see Graffiti art
battle). Writers with the most tags, throw ups and pieces
up tend to gain more respect among other graffiti artists,
although they will also incur a greater risk if caught by
authorities. As well as being prolific, writers are also expected
to have "style", which means their work is artistic
and accomplished, and the combination of the style of the
work with the volume of work is what gets graffiti writers
kudos from their peers.
In some cases, taggers have achieved such elaborate graffiti
(especially those done in memory of a deceased person) on
storefront gates that shopkeepers have hesitated to cover
them up. In the Bronx after the death of rapper Big Pun, several
murals dedicated to his life appeared virtually overnight;
similar outpourings occurred after the deaths of The Notorious
B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. Princess Di and Mother Theresa were
also memorialised this way in NYC.
Other works covering otherwise unadorned fences or walls
may likewise become so highly elaborate that property-owners
or the government may choose to keep them rather than cleaning
them off. "Free walls" or commissioned walls are
now a common part of the culture.
Some graffiti has local or regional resonance, such as wall
and street sign tagging in Southern California by gangs such
as the Bloods and the Crips. The name Cool "Disco"
Dan (including the quotation marks) occurs commonly in the
Washington, D.C. area. One famous graffito in the DC Metro
area appeared on the outer loop of the beltway on a railroad
bridge near the Mormon temple.[1] Its simple scrawl "Surrender
Dorothy" summoned visions of the Emerald City of Oz and
has remained on the bridge for nearly 30 years off and on
beginning in late 1973. Pressure from the Temple saw it removed,
only to reappear. This "giraffiti" became so well
known among the Mormon community that their newsletters often
mentioned it as a specific example demonstrating misunderstanding.[2][3]
Theories on and the use of graffiti by avant-garde artists
have a history dating back at least to the Scandinavian Institute
of Comparative Vandalism of 1961.
Most of those who practice graffiti art wish to distance
themselves from gang graffiti. Differences in both form and
intent exist: graffiti art aims at self-expression and creativity,
and may involve highly stylized letterforms drawn with markers,
or cryptic and colorful spray paint murals on walls, buildings,
and even freight trains. Graffiti artists strive to improve
their art, which constantly changes and progresses. Gang graffiti,
on the other hand, functions to mark territorial boundaries,
and therefore does not transcend a gang's neighborhood; in
the eyes of lovers of graffiti-art, it does not presuppose
artistic intent.
The designs, while chosen to appear distinctive and recognizable,
are more likely to be influenced by the speed with which a
tagger can execute them (thus minimizing the chance of that
tagger being caught). Those who distinguish between tagging
and graffiti generally accept tagging as gang-motivated or
meant as vandalism (illegal) or viewed as too vulgar or controversial
to have public value, while they can view graffiti as creative
expression, whether charged with political meaning or not.
Many contemporary analysts and even art critics have begun
to see artistic value in some graffiti and to recognize it
as a form of public art. According to many art researchers,
particularly in the Netherlands and in Los Angeles, that type
of public art is, in fact an effective tool of social emancipation
or in the achievement of a political goal.
The murals of Belfast and of Los Angeles offer another example
of official recognition.[4] In times of conflict, such murals
have offered a means of communication and self-expression
for members of these socially, ethnically and/or racially
divided communities, and have proven themselves as effective
tools in establishing dialog and thus of addressing cleavages
in the long run.
Many artists involved with Graffiti also are concerned with
a similar activity: Stenciling. Essentially, this entails
stenciling a print of one or more colours using spray-paint.
In the UK, Banksy is the most recognisable icon for this cultural
artistic movement; keeping his identity secret to avoid arrest.
Much of Banksy's artwork can be seen around the streets of
London and surrounding suburbs. A number of exhibitions have
also taken place since 2000.
