Is Graffiti Art or Vandalism ?

Are you one of those who have an unconditional fondness for graffiti art? Do you find it unique and distinct? Or, are you one of those confused about the essence of this kind of art? If yes, you probably have packed yourselves with queries that aim to accelerate your understanding of graffiti art. 

Have you ever wondered if they were the result of people's creative minds or simply the result of offensive acts? Today graffiti is halfway between art and vandalism depending on how the graffiti was done.

This article will broaden your knowledge through the following covered topics:

• The start of Graffiti Art
• How society view and perceive Graffiti
• Graffiti as an Art and Expression
• Importance of Graffiti in today’s world

After completely reading this post, you can now decide whether graffiti is indeed art or just a mere vandal by a person. So, let’s stop beating around the bushes and get started.

I) The Emergence of Graffiti Art

Does the thought of how graffiti art originated ever cross your mind? How do these sketches find their way in this modern world? Graffiti didn’t merge out of anywhere and actually had a long history. Various markings have been found on different historical sites, such as in the ancient Roman ruins and the remains of the Mayan civilization.

However, it was in the mid-1960 that graffiti started to pop up. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first writers emerged, COOL EARL and CORNBREAD, who has gained the attention of the crowd through writing their names in every corner of the city. Later on, they became popular for their artistic escapades with graffiti. On the other hand, a kid with the pseudonym of TAKI 183 from Manhattan became popular in 1971, not long after CORNBREAD began the movement. Other significant graffiti writers like FRANK 207 and JULIO 204 sparked curiosity and caught the people’s attention within their communities.

Also, in the year 1971 in Brooklyn, the rise of an increasing number of writers has been observed. This occurrence is significant to the rise of the artists and the graffiti itself. The movements became unified with the subway system that paved the way for the writers to establish communication among them. There were five boroughs involved in the movement, and with their efforts exerted, an inter-borough competition was started. Like a wildfire, the writing was competitive and instantly spread on subways and in different streets. Then they discovered that writing is more convenient in train yards than on subway cars though they have taken advantage of most of them. It is unlikely for them to get caught easily in train yards and can save most of their time.

People involved in this movement wrote whatever they wanted up to the year 1974. Most of them wrote what pleased them not until they had come up with new ways to be acknowledged. One of them is making their tags unique and distinct, which birthed various writing styles. The tags were written with scripts and calligraphies, with patterns and catchy symbols. The writings were flourished with innovative styles and designs, which instantly gained recognition. Not all designs are intended to enhance the visual property of their writings, but some of them are intended to deliver messages and convey meanings. This start helped in the improvement of graffiti art, but it all doesn’t end from here.

Graffiti entered another stage of change when the tags were rendered to a larger scope. The use of spray paint cans started and helped in creating wider streams and writings. They began using thick letters to enhance the writings and decorating the insides of the letter with unique designs like checkerboards and other patterns. The larger magnum opuses are called “top-to-bottoms” with enhanced details and are wide enough to reach even the entire subway car’s height. Most of these top-to-bottoms pieces are credited to a graffiti writer from the Bronx named SUPER KOOL 223. Meanwhile, other popular writers were Japan 1, Tracy 168, Lil Hawk, Stay High 149, and many more.

Another peak of improvement was marked in the year 1975 up to 1977 when large tags became more popular. An innovative style called “throw up” was commonly used to finish large masterpieces conveniently. The bigger it gets, the more designs, techniques, and styles emerge. From 1970 to 1980, graffiti found new homes other than streets when brought to the galleries. Some of them opened their works through art galleries like Fab 5 Freddie and Lee Quinones to Italy and Rome. In the middle of the 1980s, various events for graffiti were held. There were even films and documentaries created for graffiti which helped in increasing its popularity. Some of these are Beat Street and Wild Style. When taken to other counties, graffiti became more known, and more masterpieces were created across the globe. However, it wasn’t all up for graffiti. In the 1900s and onwards, it no longer possessed the strength it had before despite being widely known. Graffiti has been diversified with the emergence of different types. Troubles are associated with it, yet you can’t stop its continuance. Some authorities intend to get rid of such masterpieces, but it holds power that not enough authority can eliminate.

In today’s world, graffiti art is still on the stair of popularity. You can walk on streets that showcase different masterpieces and be in awe of their uniqueness. Though some people are against it, they can’t stop this art form from being removed. In fact, it is sometimes a reflection of culture and expression of artists’ creativity.

II) Breaking Stereotypes: Society and its Perspective in Graffiti

Not all people view graffiti as an art bust instead of as offensive writings. Some think that most graffiti arts are gang-related but actually not. This art form is often associated with societal decay- having people and communities out of control- and mostly unlawful. Worst, the act of creating graffiti is considered a crime or deviance to some other counties. While not all graffiti artists aim to create pieces for the criminal element, there are tons of graffiti artworks that are meaningful and appealing. Most artworks made the viewers or passers-by delighted with their appearances.

Misconceptions about graffiti are present even today. Instead of being an act of expression, they think it is done by delinquents and social activists who do nothing but only to demand. Contrary to what others think, these sketches are not completely linked to character deformity. Though used as an act of expression, it doesn’t fully reflect the character of the artist but their views in society.

To fully guide you in understanding what graffiti art is, we are going de debunk some myths and misconceptions about it.

1) Graffiti art is gang-related

As mentioned earlier, this is just a hasty generalization about graffiti art and a judgmental view of its artists. One of the possible reasons is how some TV shows back then created an image about graffiti art and its artists- mostly showing gang signs. It must be noted, however, that NOT ALL graffiti art is gang-related, and if you have seen several of them, you’ll know why.

2) Graffiti art is to destroy places and someone else

Being a form of expression, graffiti sometimes becomes an avenue to call out disparities and injustices within society. Unlike what some other people think, graffiti doesn’t destroy places like train yards and empty walls but instead brightens it up by putting texts and colors which can also convey relevant messages.

3) Graffiti is messy

Some people just don’t like the combination of writings and drawings that graffiti offer. Undeniably, some masterpieces, especially the ones on a larger scale, have this messy look- vivid colors, big texts, symbols, and appealing patterns. Having its distinct style, graffiti is not messy but actually offers diversity. In an artwork, you can view different elements that add to the overall look of the graffiti. 

4) It is egotistical

Not all graffiti artists or writers are into fame and notoriety – mostly, they are concerned about their passion. Egotistical as it may appear, graffiti enables individuals to participate in a collective movement of amplifying the voices about relevant issues. It is an art continuously crafted by innovators.

5) Graffiti is only about scrawling on things.

Some people are pondering that graffiti is made by kids and irresponsible adults who want only but to mess up with things. There may be thousands of graffiti writers who write on empty cracks and crevices to make the most of its spaces. But graffiti isn’t all about that. It is even brought in different mediums such as canvases, art galleries, shirts, and more.

6) There are rules governing graffiti.

One of the misconceptions about graffiti is that there are rules associated with creating it. Some groups, such as purists, nonconformists, and aerosol artists, have different points of view on the rules of graffiti. To some individuals, it only becomes graffiti when it is illegally performed. But graffiti is an artwork that is about flashing its bold letters and color on public spaces and delivering messages that are coincidentally created more often. There are no rules for graffiti but only guidelines for doing so.

Those mentioned are only some of the many conceptions about graffiti, and you probably heard some of them. It didn’t have a totally good start when looking back at its history. Some occurrences influenced how other people and societies view graffiti art. Since they have limited knowledge about this art form, they consider graffiti vandalism- a misconception we’ll clarify.