Kristalyn Hatch

Art Movement

What is art? When many of us think of art we think of paintings by Picasso or art
galleries. Although that is considering art we may not realise the beautiful art work that is
around us every day. Graffiti is art; many of us think that cant be possible it is just vandalism
by children or adults. I personally dont agree with everyone else. I think that graffiti is a
great art movement that today we still havent recognized. Graffiti is a type of art just like
any other pieces it expresses feelings. Graffiti artwork reflects concerns of frustration and
expression.
Graffiti all started in the early 1966 to 1971. At this time graffiti was used to make
statements and gangs began to mark their territory. Graffiti began in Philadelphia and
Pennsylvania during the '60s. The People that started this territorial graffiti went by the
names CORNBREAD and COOL EARL. They wrote their names all over the city. By doing
so they gained attention from everyone including the local press. After the movement in
Philadelphia and Pennsylvania the rebirth of the same thing happened in Washington Heights
section of Manhattan. Motion tags on the subway began to take place. The term bombing
came into action. They would try and tag as many subway train cabs as possible. It began a
competition on who could do the most tags. Therefore this became known as bombing.
After awhile just writing letters or numbers people had to find a new way of fame
because all of it was the same. One of the ways to become famous again was to make your
tag unique and different. Many different styles of letters and numbers were invented. At this
time bombers didnt just have the everyday letters and numbers but began adding designs to
their word art to make it more appealing to the people. Some designs that came out during
this time were just for looks while others became more sentimental. Crowns were used to let
people know that the person who tagged there considered themselves kings. One movement
in graffiti was STAY HIGH 149. This artist used a smoking joint for the line in the middle of
the H. Also began using stick figures from the television series The Saint.
When everyones tags became unique the size began to matter. Many people began to
increase the thinkess of the outlines and letters also made their colors more vibrant and alive.
No one knows who first started doing the bigger letters and vibrant colors. One group that is
credited for doing this movement are known as the SUPER KOOL 223. With thicker letters
provided the opportunity to enhance the name or symbol. By using the technique of size,
shape and color people began to recognise this art work a lot more. It began to stand out
many people would look on it while the subway passed by because it was easier to see. By
the end of this movement many tags would cover a whole subway car.
By the early 80s only the best of the best artists survived. At this time many things in
our society were going on causing the governments and cities to be stricter on the laws. Many
of the areas that taggers would use began to be guarded. Favored painting areas were
inaccessible. At this time many of the pieces that the artists would do would only last weeks
or days because places began to quickly repair the things that were damaged. This point
physical strengthened and unified street gangs.
Bansky is an artist that is still unknown today. He was an artist that lived in England
around the 70s. His fame rouse from the stencil pieces he did in the late 90s. Bansky didnt
always use the technique of the stencil. When he first began to create his art he would free
hand the entire art piece. He used striking images and combined them with slogans. His work
targeted political themes, satirically critiquing war, capitalism, hypocrisy and greed. One of
his most celebrated art pieces is a live elephant painted with a Victorian wallpaper pattern,
sparked controversy among animal cruelty rights activists. Bansky was a major part of the
Graffiti area and many began to create similar art works in the United States and all over the
world.
This art movement of graffiti means a lot to me. Although in some peoples eyes it is
considered vandalism these are artist. Artist that used their art to express themselves. Graffiti
has influenced me in a way of hope. Hope that the future generations to know that you dont
have to be a famous painter or sketcher to become someone. Many of the targeted people of
this movement were not rich and still became someone. As this type of art grows today in
places such as convenient stores, restraints and houses many artist of this movement have
become famous. Artist in this movement have used simple techniques such as size, shape and
color to make their art work stand out.
Today in our society these artist are not given many opportunities to express their art.
I wish that these types of artist were given a place where they are able to express themselves
without degrading peoples personal property. One of my experiences with this graffiti art is
the sidewalk chalk that they do on Main Street every year. I think that this is a great way that
people that do graffiti would be able to express themselves without vandalizing peoples
personal property. In class I see many people that are good at this type of art from their little
sketches but are not able to express themselves in a more public form. I hope in the future all
artists will be able to express themselves everywhere. In the end every movement has a story.
Not all the stories are the same but they are all important. Just like graffiti it may not have the
greatest background but it is important just like Picasso and his paintings.

Works Cited
Bansky. (n.d.). Retrieved May 17, 2014, from Bio: http://www.biography.com/people/banksy-
20883111#identity&awesm=~oEUmUjmo2rdLkl
Isaac, M.-L. G. (2014, April 16). New Banksy street art appears, disappears. Retrieved May 17, 2014,
from CNN World: http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/16/world/europe/uk-art-banksy-removed/
Melker, S. D. (2011 , March 31). The History of American Graffiti. Retrieved May 17, 2014, from PBS:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/the-history-of-american-graffiti-from-subway-car-to-gallery/
TFP, b. E. (1998). History of Graf. Retrieved May 18, 2014, from
http://www.daveyd.com/historyofgraf.html
Verel, P. (1997). NEW YORK CITY GRAFFITI MURALS:. Retrieved May 15, 2014, from Art Crimes The
Writing on the Wall:
http://www.graffiti.org/faq/new_york_city_graffiti_murals_signs_of_hope_marks_of_distinction.pd
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