HISTORY ........................................................

1page
MODERN GRAFFITI .....................................2.page
GRAFFITI AS HIP-HOP .................................3.page
GRAFFITI CULTURE ....................................4.page
NEW YORK DECLINE ..................................5.page
GRAFFITI CLEAN ERA ................................6.page
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS ........................7.page
THE BEST GRAFFITIS .................................8.page
The term graffiti referred to the inscription, figure drawings, etc., found on the walls of ancient
sepulchers or ruins, as in theCatacomes of Rome or at Pompeii. Usage of the word has evolved to
include any graphics applied to surfaces in a manner that constitutes vandalism.
The earliest forms of graffiti date back to 30,000 BCE in the form of prehistoric cave paintings and
pictographs using tools such as animal bones and pigments. These illustrations were often placed in
ceremonial and sacred locations inside of the caves. The images drawn on the walls showed scenes
of animal wildlife and hunting expeditions in most circumstances. This form of graffiti is subject to
disagreement considering it is likely that members of prehistoric society endorsed the creation of
these illustrations.
The only known source of theSafaitic language, a
form of proto-Arabic, is from graffiti: inscriptions
scratched on to the surface of rocks and boulders
in the predominantly basalt desert of southern
Syria, eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia.
Safaitic dates from the 1st century BCE to the 4th
century CE.

A SOLDIER IN ITALY.
Graffiti is often seen as having become intertwined with hip-hop culture and the
myriad of international styles derived from New York City Subway graffiti (see
below). However, there are many other instances of notable graffiti this century.
Graffiti has long appeared on railroad boxcars and subways. The one with the longest
history, dating back to the 1920s and continuing into the present day, is Texino.
During World War II and for decades after, the phrase "Kilroy was here" with
accompanying illustration was widespread
throughout the world, due to its use by
American troops and its filtering into
American popular culture. Shortly after the
death of Chrlie Parker (nicknamed
"Yardbird" or "Bird"), graffiti began
appearing around New York with the words
"Bird Lives". The student protests and
general strike of May 1988 saw Paris
bedecked in revolutionary, anarchist, and
situationist slogans such as L'ennui est
contre-révolutionnaire ("Boredom is
counterrevolutionary") expressed in painted
graffiti, poster art, and stencil art. In the
U.S. at the time other political phrases
(such as "Free Huey" about Black Panther
Huey Newton) became briefly popular as graffiti in limited areas, only to be
forgotten. A popular graffito of the 1970s was the legend "Dick Nixon Before He
Dicks You," reflecting the hostility of the youth culture to that U.S. president.
In America around the late 1960s, graffiti was used as a form of
expression by political activitis, and also by gangs such as the
Savage Skulls, La Familia, and Savage Nomads to mark territory.
Towards the end of the 1960s, the signatures—tags—of Philadelphia
graffiti writers Cornbread, Cool Earl and Topcat 126 started to
appear. Cornbread is often cited as one of the earliest writer of
modern graffiti. Around 1970-71, the centre of graffiti innovation
moved to New York City where writers following in the wake of TAKI
183 and Tracy 168 would add their street number to their
nickname, "bomb" a train with their work, and let the subway
take it—and their fame, if it was
impressive, or simply pervasive,
enough —"all city". Bubble
lettering held sway initially
among writers from the Bronx,
though the elaborate writing
Tracy 168 dubbed "wildstyle"
would come to define the art.
The early trendsetters were
joined in the 70s by artists like
Dondi, Zephyr and Lady Pink.
In 1979, graffiti artist Lee Quinones and Fab 5 Freddy were given a gallery opening
in Rome by art dealer Claudio Bruni. For many outside of New York, it was their first
encounter with the art form. Fab 5 Freddy's friendship with Debbie Harry influenced
Blondie's single “Rapture2, the video of which featured Jean-Michael Basquiat of the
SAMO graffiti, and offered many their first glimpse of a depiction of elements of
graffiti in hip hop culture. More important here was Charlie Ahearn's independently
released fiction film Wild Style (Wild Style, 1982), and the early PBS documentary
Style Wars (1983). Hit songs such as "The Message" and "Planet Rock" and their
accompanying music videos (both 1982) contributed to a growing interest outside
New York in all aspects of hip hop.

Style Wars depicted not only famous

graffiti artists such as Skeme, Dondi,
MinOne and Zephyr, but also
reinforced graffiti's role within New
York's emerging hip hop culture by
incorporating famous early break
dancing groups such as Rock Steady
Crew into the film which also
features a solely rap soundtrack.
Just as the culture was
spreading outside New York
and overseas, the cultural
aspect of graffiti in New York
was said to be deteriorating
almost to the point of
extinction. The rapid decline
in writing was due to several
factors. The streets became
more dangerous due to the
burgeoning crack epidemy
legislation was underway to
make penalties for graffiti
artists more severe, and
restrictions on paint sale and
display made racking
(stealing) materials difficult.
Above all, the MTA greatly
increased their anti-graffiti
budget. Many favoured
painting sites became heavily
guarded, yards were
patrolled, newer and better
fences were erected, and
buffing of pieces was strong,
heavy, and consistent. As a
result of subways being
harder to paint, more writers
went into the streets, which is
now, along with commuter
trains and box cars, the most
prevalent form of writing.
Many graffiti artists,
however, chose to see the new
problems as a challenge
rather than a reason to quit. A
downside to these challenges
was that the artists became
very territorial of goodJust as,
writing spots, and strength
and unity in numbers became
increasingly important. Some
of the mentionable graffiti
artists from this era were
Blade, Dondi, Min 1, Quik,
Seen and Skeme. This was
stated to be the end for the
casual NYC subway graffiti
artists, and the years to follow
would be populated by only
what some consider the most
"die hard" artists. People
often found that making
graffiti around their local
areas was an easy way to get
caught so they traveled to
different areas.
The current era in graffiti is characterized
by a majority of graffiti artists moving
from subway or train cars to "street
galleries." The Clean Train Movement
started in May, 1989, when New York
attempted to remove all of the subway
cars found with graffiti on them out of the
transit system. Because of this, many
graffiti artists had to resort to new ways to
express themselves. Much controversy
arose among the streets debating whether
graffiti should be considered an actual
form of art.
Prior to the Clean Train Movement, the
streets were largely left untouched not
only in New York, but in other major
American cities as well. After the transit
company began diligently cleaning their trains, graffiti burst onto the streets of America to an un-
expecting un-appreciative public.
City officials elsewhere in the country smugly assumed that gang graffiti were a blight
limited largely to the Big Apple No more. The stylised smears born in the South Bronx
have spread across the country, covering buildings, bridges and highways in every urban
center. From Philadelphia to Santa Barbara, Calif., the annual costs of cleaning up after
the underground artists are soaring into the billions.
 South America
Artful graffiti in Olinda, Brazil
There is a significant graffiti
tradition in South America most
especially in Brazil. Within
Brazil, Sao Paulo is generally
considered to be the current
centre of inspiration for many
graffiti artists worldwide.Brazil
"boasts a unique and particularly
rich graffiti scene... [earning] it an
international reputation as the place to go for artistic inspiration." Graffiti "flourishes in every
conceivable space in Brazil's cities." Artistic parallels "are often drawn between the energy of São
Paulo today and 1970s New York." The "sprawling metropolis," of São Paulo has "become the new
shrine to graffiti;" Manco alludes to "poverty and unemployment. the epic struggles and conditions
of the country's marginalised peoples, and to "Brazil's chronic poverty," as the main engines that
"have fuelled a vibrant graffiti culture. In world terms, Brazil has "one of the most uneven
distributions of income. Laws and taxes change frequently. Such factors, Manco argues, contribute
to a very fluid society, riven with those economic divisions and social tensions that underpin and
feed the "folkloric vandalism and an urban sport for the disenfranchised, that is South American
graffiti art.

Middle East

Graffiti in Tehran, Iran.

Graffiti in the Middle East is slowly
emerging, with pockets of taggers
operating in the various 'Emirates' of the
United Arab Emirates, in Israel, and in
Iran. The major Iranian newspaper
Hamshahri has published two articles on
illegal writers in the city with photo
coverage of Iranian artist A1one's works
on Tehran walls. Tokyo-based design
magazine PingMag has interviewed A1one
and featured photos of his work. The
Israeli West Bank Barrrier has become a
site for graffiti, reminiscent in this sense of
the Berlin wall. Many graffiti artists in Israel come from other places around the globe, such as
JUIF, from Los Angeles, and DEVIONE from London. The religious reference is commonly seen
graffitied around Israel.
MOAI

KERO

COPE

COPE2

SECK
SEEN

OBEY