Alix Wood - Graffiti

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wood, Alix.

Graffiti / Alix Wood.

pages cm. (But is it art?)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4824-2283-2 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-1-4824-2284-9 (6 pack)

ISBN 978-1-4824-2281-8 (library binding)

1. GraffitiJuvenile literature. 2. Street artJuvenile literature. I. Title.

ND2590.W66 2015

751.73dc23

2014033327

First Edition

Published in 2015 by

Gareth Stevens Publishing

111 East 14th Street, Suite 349

New York, NY 10003

Alix Wood Books

Produced for Gareth Stevens by Alix Wood Books

Designed by Alix Wood

Editor: Eloise Macgregor

Photo credits:

Cover, 13, 28 Neale Cousland/Shutterstock; 1 Pavel L Photo and Video/Shutterstock; 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 16, 17, 18 top, 20, 21, 26, 27 Shutterstock; 7 Awesome Clean Graffiti Hd Wallpapers; 9 Mihai Maxim/Shutterstock; 10 Alix Wood; 12 Dfrg.msc; 14 Alfonso dAgostino/ Shutterstock; 15 Radoslaw Lecyk/Shutterstock; 18 bottom David Shankbone; 19 Steve Mann/Shutterstock; 22 inset public domain; 22 main catwalker/Shutterstock; 23 left Oleg Golovnev/Shutterstock; 23 right lev radin/Shutterstock; 24 Andreas Thum, 25 Cutiekatie; 29 Sandy Maya Matzen/Shutterstock

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except by reviewer.

Printed in the United States of America

CPSIA compliance information: Batch # CW15GS: For further information contact Gareth Stevens, New York, New York at 1-800-542-2595.

Contents

What Is Graffiti?

Graffiti is writing or drawing on walls in public spaces. The style usually involves large lettering, often done using really bold and colorful shapes. It is against the law to paint on walls in most public spaces. Some walls in cities are allocated especially for graffiti artists to do their art on, though. The style of graffiti art is used in many other ways too, not just on walls. Fashion, CD covers, and logos for example often use a graffiti style.

Many people think that graffiti is not real art. They think it makes a place look messy and uncared for. People associate graffiti with crime. If graffiti is painted without permission then it is a crime. Most people would be very angry if someone spray-painted the side of their home! Do you think graffiti lettering, or writing as it is usually called, can be called art?

Arty Fact

Graffiti has been around for several thousand years. There are examples on monuments in ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and ancient Rome!

Many graffiti artists design their own tag. A tag is usually based on a persons name. Often the letters are so stylized you cant read them!

Graffiti: From the Italian, plural of graffito [scribbling; graffito, a scratch]: usually unauthorized writing or drawing on a public surface.

There are many different definitions of what people think art is. Which of these do you agree with?

Art is:

anything that an artist calls art

something that is created with imagination and skill. It must be either beautiful, or express important ideas or feelings

a mixture of form (the way something is created) and content (the what that has been created)

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

A skillful painting of a flower can be called art. It doesnt express important ideas or feelings, though. A political slogan drawn on a wall isnt particularly beautiful, but it may make you think. Which is art? Or are they both art?

Do you think this graffiti makes the area look better or worse?

What Is Vandalism?

Vandalism is when someone deliberately damages public or private property. Graffiti is an act of vandalism, if it is done without the permission of the owner of the wall. Making an attractive area look ugly surely cant be art?

If we believe that art should be something that is created with imagination and skill, and is either beautiful or expresses important ideas or feelings, then the graffiti in this photo on the left is not art. Most graffiti is considered ugly and lacks both imagination and skill.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Would it be better to think of graffiti as having two types; legal graffiti and illegal graffiti? Perhaps then we could say that the legal type is art and any illegal graffiti is vandalism?

The word vandal comes from the ancient Germanic people called the Vandals who destroyed the beautiful city of Rome when they attacked there in 455.

Clean graffiti, or reverse graffiti, is almost the opposite of vandalism! Artists remove dirt from surfaces to form a picture or words. Using a finger to write clean me on a dirty truck is a kind of reverse graffiti. Graffiti artists use a cloth or a high power washer for large works. The act of cleaning something isnt illegal, but if it results in creating an image on someone elses property it may be seen as trespassing. Someone would have to clean the rest of the wall to get rid of it.

Clean graffiti on a wall in San Franciscos Broadway tunnel by graffiti artist Moose. His art turned the unwelcoming tunnel into a forest. Perhaps this was how the area looked before the tunnel was built?

Arty Fact

Even some companies have started using reverse graffiti to create free advertising. Companies like the ecofriendly nature of just using a stencil and a power washer. They also dont have to pay for the space!

Does it Matter What?

Does what a graffiti artist paints make a difference to whether graffiti is art or not? Does an image have to be beautiful to be called art? And who decides if it is beautiful? Different people have very different ideas about what are nice colors, or attractive images.

Graffiti artists have painted on trains in the image above and in the photograph on page 9. On the train above the artist has sprayed a signature tag. On the train on page 9 the artist is creating an image of a steam engine on the side of the train. Which one is more creative? Are they both art?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Around the world, city transport organizations have to spend a lot of money cleaning graffiti from trains. Most people dont think it looks good and dont want to see it. If the art was nicer to look at, would it be OK to leave it?

This graffiti artist is taking part in a festival in Bucharest, Romania.