GRAFFITI
A different way of expressing yourself
By
Eva Fellner
Representing Hungary
About myself
At the beginning I would like to thank the host, the host city and the organizer for the invitation to this International Art Festival. I am glad to take part.
My name is Eva Fellner native of Hungary and resident in Vienna. I have been working in different fields of art with present focus on painting. Therefor I would like to cover our seminar topic by a special theme: Graffiti.
Introduction
Graffiti is, though many people and habitants don’t think so, a very important tool for young as well as very creative humans, to express themselves
Graffiti firstly appeared in the USA, after the Second World War, but it wasn’t recognized as art, more or less it had nuisance value.
However due to a Bronx inspired explosion in the 70’s graffiti became “art”.
A community of graffiti artists started painting on out of service subway cars. They draw obscenities and other stuff on them.
But in fact they weren’t using any kind of tool; they usually used Krylon, Rustoleum, Red Devil Spray print, Flowmaster Ink and a relatively new bit of technology. In fact these were tools art students, art teachers and other artists needed to create their paintings. This community didn’t want to defile but create guerilla art.
Since this activity was as illegal as it was fun, the spraying teenagers gave themselves names, called “tags", these gave them a secure feeling as well as a mysterious touch. The current year is often put up next to tags as well as the street number where the artists lived.
Tags are usually between 3 to 5 letters long to make the process of writing them illegally faster, but can be any length at all.
Mostly graffiti artists were Puerto Ricans and whites.
Unfortunately people still think that there is a link between danger and drug abuse and graffiti art.
Etymology
The term graffiti as we know it today is the plural form of the word “graffito”. The term is applied in art history to art works made by scratching a design into a surface.
Ancient Times
Historically, “graffiti”; inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., was found on ancient walls or ruins, as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii, made by the authors of a monument. However today graffiti is regarded more or less as vandalism and is still illegal without permission of the owner, or the city.
The first known example of today’s graffiti appeared in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus and was used to advertise prostitution.
It was not only the Greeks and Romans that produced graffiti:
Also the Mayan, Vikings, and famous Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael.
Modern graffiti
Usually modern graffiti is often regarded as a part of hip hop culture.
Graffiti is known as the visual expression of the rap music of the decade.
Initial groundwork for graffiti began around the late 1960s.
Around this decade, it was a visualisation of political statements made by political activists. It was a cheap and easy way expressing their point of view.
Later graffiti was used by gang members to mark territory.
Around 1970-71, the centre of graffiti innovation moved from Philadelphia to New York City. Once the initial foundation was laid (occurred around 1966 - 1971), graffiti "pioneers" began inventing newer and more creative ways of “decorating” public space.
Pioneering era
The time between 1971-1974 is referred to as the "pioneering era", where graffiti underwent a surge in styles and popularity.
The first graffiti artist who received media attention was “Taki 183”, Taki was his nickname and the number stood for his street number.
Barbara 61 and Eva61 were also important due to the fact that they were the first popular female graffiti writers.
Because of the fact that graffiti became popular, more people started doing it, and a huge variety of styles appeared on nearly every wall or subway.
The paintings became more complex and larger.
The overall creativity and artistic maturation of this time period did not go unnoticed by the mainstream – Hugo Martine founded the United Graffiti Artists (UGA) in 1972.
UGA consisted of many top graffiti artists of the time, and aimed to present graffiti in an art gallery setting.
Styles
Examples of graffiti styles – See attached photos.
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.
Decorative and high art
Graffiti art is on exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum as a "contemporary art" form that began in New York's outer boroughs and reached great heights in the early '80s with the work of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
“Graffiti is revolutionary like the surrealist art I represented in my show Brave Destiny," he says, "and any revolution might be considered a crime. People who are oppressed or suppressed need an outlet, so they write on walls—it’s free... However, people also have a right to protect their property. It is a human dilemma.”