Through the history of time, art styles come from unlikely places. The art of graffiti is no different. It is from these unlikely places that the art that we come to know and love receives its character and appeal. The backdrop of the Italian renaissance increases the romanticism of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, and the harsh concrete jungles where we find graffiti and the artist’s themselves add a layer to the gritty realism that is palpable in their work. Graffiti is still in the middle of its climb and may one day be equal among classic styles like pop art surrealism and impressionism.
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| the famous Taki 183 at work on a tag |
Graffiti has what could be the humblest of beginnings. Following the Civil War, countless of newly freed slaves and defeated confederates found themselves riding the rails as hobos up and down America. As these men traveled they would leave signatures or messages known as monikers. These monikers would be simple symbols or drawings next to a nickname (Gastman 34). As the nation grew this form of tagging was inevitably adopted in large urban areas. In New York in the late 1960’s young taggers like Taki 183 began writing their monikers all around the city in spray paint. Local transit buses and subway cars became moving canvases as taggers grew to new media.
In the large cities where graffiti flourished, ethnic and territorial gangs had large followings and a strong foothold on their turf. These gangs adopted monikers and signs of their own as a sign of marking territory. Each of these gangs painted in a style synonymous with their ethnic background. Hispanic gangs in Los Angeles sported bright colors and large loud letters in their tags, while Chicago gangs used old English and gothic letters to mark their turf. The individual gang tags were immediately distinguishable and constantly crossed out or covered by rival gangs in order to take turf or simply show bravado. Intergang violence ran rampant throughout the late 60s 70s and 80s as cities became crowded with kids armed with spray paint cans and a whole lot of pride.
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| NWA was a source of rebellion and inspiration for taggers in the early 90s |
In the 80s and 90s Hip Hop grew wildly in popularity. The strong anti authority sensibilities and the ease of self expression went hand in hand with young graffiti taggers. The message of graffiti and hip hop was the same, you can’t control me and this is mine. Popular rappers like Dr. Dre and Easy E rapped violent anti authority and police lyrics. The kids in poverty stricken areas like the Bronx clung to this sentiment as the effects of police brutality were relevant in their everyday lives. Rap music, like graffiti provided a way of self expression and an outlet for anger. Graffiti and rap established a sense of belonging and pride as like minded taggers laid claim to territory all around the city. The relationship between hip hop and graffiti only fed the general publics concept of taggers as lawless punks. Graffiti at its core is an illegal act, but in some ways that’s part of the appeal. Taggers feel a sense of power taking something back from a cold life in the city. As cops and the government seem to have no interest in the young and poor, the only way to be seen is to make yourself seen (Bowman).
Graffiti has had an interesting climb to where it is now. Not many art forms have origins in hobo signs. The great heritage that comes with graffiti is part of what makes it so appealing. The change from self serving tagging to art is slow coming, but one day the majority of great graffiti artists will be recognized for their legitimate work and not just their tags. Part of this shift came with the rise of street art, look for the story of street art in part 2 of the Grizzly Ingrams Graffiti series.
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