Graffiti New York

Art is a limitless and much-needed subject. Without art, many would feel a lack of life, expression and color in certain aspects. An artless world would make it difficult to evolve to where we have reached today. Architecture, body art, photography, sculptures, textiles, metalwork, ceramics, engravings, even down to jewelry, furniture and gardening, all fit into different forms of art. One category of art that truly sets itself apart like a needle in a haystack would be the controversial art of Graffiti.

Graffiti originated from the word graphein, meaning, "to write." Other words that relate to the word graffiti would be graffito, graffiato or graffiare, meaning "to scribble or scratch." This word came about after inscriptions were found in ruins of Pompeii in 1851. Though this event was not the first form of graffiti. The earliest forms of graffiti took place in prehistoric times, possibly back in 30,000 BCE when cavemen would mark the walls of their cave with paintings and pictographs using animal bones and pigments as their art material. Cavemen would inscribe or draw images that depicted animal wildlife and hunting journeys.

Graffiti is nothing like that today. In modern day, graffiti is such a well-received and well-known part of youth culture, and is a way for many to make new friends or new enemies by way of graffiti crews. Many frown upon graffiti for the influence it has on the youth. To be a graffiti writer, one must fully understand being a rebel, going against the law, breaking all sorts of rules. The even greater issue was, that the youth would at times bring this behavior home with them, and even at times deface the walls in their own home as practice for the streets. Many graffiti artist have different motives for involving themselves in this frowned upon art. Although some of the vandalism is an offense to private property, at other times it can be a compliment to a neighborhood, adding a much-needed touch.

As time has elapsed, graffiti writers have put down the animal bones and pigments, replacing them with new materials such as spray paint cans, markers, stickers, stencils, etc. The average graffiti writer carries a "Black-Book", which is a sketchbook in its simplest sense, that many graffiti writers shared with their crews in order to show off a new style or perhaps even get a signature from another writer. This was only the beginning of a new form of graffiti.

Modern graffiti actually began in Philadelphia by the well-known taggers "Bobby Beck", "Cool Earl" and "Cornbread" in the 1960s. Bobby Beck mainly appeared on Philadelphia highways, while Cornbread focused on tagging up an entire bus route in order to capture the attention of a special female (No Rooftop). This was graffiti in its mildest form, prior to finding its way to New York. Although when the youth in New York welcomed it with open arms, the embrace was magical. Graffiti