Modern Art. Graffiti - Abstract

The public still cannot decide what graffiti is - an art form, a way of self-expression or an act of vandalism. Nevertheless, it still does not lose its popularity, and the facades of houses with fences continue to acquire all kinds of drawings and inscriptions. How it all started, what styles of graffiti exist and how to draw them - read on.

Graffiti: what is it

In a historical context, graffiti refers to drawings and inscriptions in any way applied to various surfaces. But in modern understanding graffiti is considered a type of street art, which consists in applying drawings and inscriptions using paint, often aerosol, on various surfaces, mainly on walls. The people who draw them are called writers.

The attention of the masses was drawn to this direction in 1971, when what graffiti is was first mentioned in a printed publication. It was about a writer named Demetraki, who worked as a courier and left his signature in all corners of New York. This signature was the Taki183 tag, where Taki is part of his name and 183 is the name of the street where he lived.

Later, inscriptions began to appear more within the subway and railway depots. The movement became competitive, with street artists striving to keep as many of their tags as possible.

Types of graffiti

To Writing, in fact, they refer to what we most often understand now as graffiti - drawings on the walls made in various styles; more sophisticated than just tags, they are distinguished by thoughtfulness, three-dimensional image.

bombing they draw on transport and in other extreme places, and artists are called bombers. Such graffiti does not differ in complexity and accuracy of execution, because the main task of the bomber is to make sure that he is not caught when drawing a picture.

This also includes inscriptions in the style scratching- they are scratched out with a grindstone, usually on glasses.

graffiti styles

The simplest style is Throw up. Such graffiti consists of two contrasting colors: the fill of the inscription and its outline, usually black. Has a rounded shape.

Another simple style - Blockbuster- is made of no more than three colors and is distinguished by large angular letters.

Style Bubbles characterized capital letters shaped like bubbles. Refers to the old school, today is not common.

wild style characterized by large-scale, hard-to-read text, with sharp, elongated letters, often with interlacing. Difficult style, therefore performed only by experienced writers.

character style- drawings on the walls in the style of comics. Not everyone is subject to it, because certain drawing skills are required here.

Such a subspecies as 3D graffiti has become popular now - large drawings on the floor that look voluminous from a certain vantage point.

Not every graffiti can be boxed into a particular style; there are many street works that sometimes amaze with their beauty and look like real paintings, with their original semantic content.

How to learn to draw graffiti

If you want to start creating your own graffiti, then you will have to practice a lot. And before you go out with paint in search of a comfortable spotless wall, plain paper will become your canvas, and you will draw with pencils.

Sketches on paper

Every drawing starts with a sketch. First of all, you must decide on the style in which you want to perform your future drawing. Then choose a word. Write it down on a piece of paper, spaced apart.

After that, with strokes, shape the letters in accordance with the chosen style.


Do not forget about light and volume: somewhere the letters will be thinner to create a shadow effect, and somewhere more prominent.


Now you can slowly add the elements you are interested in, give the letters volume and darkening.


When the form is ready, fill it with color. Use several colors, paint with felt-tip pens or paints - such graffiti will look brighter and more expressive.


We invite you to watch the instructional video simple graffiti for beginners:

Remember: the pencil-on-paper sketching process trains your graffiti skills in a particular style and technique, but it doesn't practice street painting skills with spray paint.

After enough practice on paper, it's time to start thinking about painting graffiti on the walls.

If you have not held a spray can in your hands before, then you will need to understand what kind of tool it is, what its principle of operation is. Practice spraying on a specific surface, test the performance of the spray can, the strength and thickness of the spray of paint.

Choose a simpler wall, smooth, primed, and best of all from porous concrete. You need to work on the drawing on a warm, dry day.

In addition to paint cans and your sketch, do not forget that you need the appropriate equipment: tight clothing, a respirator, gloves. You will also need caps - special spray caps that change directly on the can. They come in different types, for drawing thin and thick lines, dots and outlines.

Sketching should be done with the color of your main background so that you can always correct the mistake you made. Only then add a contour and form the volume of the picture.

Beginning writers can use auxiliary stencils with whole inscriptions, letters or individual elements.

Learn to layer: this type of graffiti will retain color vibrancy, but the layers must be thin or they will take a long time to dry. Do not try to fill in the letters in one motion, draw line by line.

To understand how to draw Throw-up style graffiti, you can watch the following video:

Remember that we do not have officially approved places for street art, so your creation is likely to be considered an act of vandalism, and you - a violating hooligan.

But if you are already an experienced artist and have prepared a decent sketch, then you can try your luck and get the right to design some residential building, shop, kindergarten. Sometimes art festivals are also held, where experienced writers demonstrate their skills at specially designated facilities.

Change Sheet no. Signed the date

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INTRODUCTION

Graffiti (from Greek - “drawing, scratching on a flat surface”) is an artistic composition, drawing, or simply an inscription applied to the surface of a wall, building or some other object, usually in the public eye. Like many other things, the art of aerosol came to us from America. The development of graffiti began with the simplest inscriptions, "tags", which were made with a marker. At first, taggers were limited to writing their names, then simple drawings appear. During this period, such a direction as bombing also began to take shape - illegal drawing of images on subway cars, vehicles. A vivid example of this is the "wholecar" - the painting of a "poorly standing car".
In the early 1970s, graffiti artists went underground. The New York subway has become a battlefield. These were the "style wars" widely known to the masses.

The next revolution came when Brooklyn craftsman Pistol first painted in 3D. He made his name in red and white with blue trim, which gave it a three-dimensional feel. His feat was not immediately repeated by many raters. Later, finally, the most complex style “wid style” arose, in which the letters were cunningly intertwined, linking into an unreadable web.
Graffiti is one of the most unique urban trends in hip-hop culture. The real explosion of hip-hop in the early 1980s propelled the art of the aerosol, along with such currents as breakdance and rap, into a popular cultural phenomenon. First of all, it is an art with a rich past and, no doubt, a bright future.

But what is the reason for the appearance of these "masterpieces"? Many of the works, perhaps, are a way of self-expression of the authors. Many of the creations carry a subtle philosophical meaning, where sadness or joy, annoyance or relief can be hidden behind a small stroke of a huge “masterpiece”.

A Brief History of Modern Art

Contemporary art in its present form was formed at the turn of the 1960s and 70s. The artistic searches of that time can be characterized as a search for alternatives to modernism (often this resulted in denial through the introduction of principles directly opposite to modernism). This was expressed in the search for new images, new means and materials of expression, up to the dematerialization of the object (performances and happenings). Many artists have followed French philosophers coined the term "postmodernism". We can say that there was a shift from the object to the process.

The most noticeable phenomena of the turn of the 60s and 70s can be called the development of conceptual art and minimalism. In the 70s, the social orientation of the art process noticeably increased both in terms of content (themes raised in the work of artists) and composition: the most noticeable phenomenon in the mid-70s was feminism in art, as well as the increase in the activity of ethnic minorities (1980- e) and social groups.

The late 70s and 80s were characterized by "fatigue" from conceptual art and minimalism and a return of interest in figurativeness, color and figurativeness (the flourishing of movements such as the "New Wilds"). In the mid-80s, there was a time for the rise of movements that actively use images of mass culture - campism, East Village art, neo-pop is gaining strength. The flowering of photography in art dates back to the same time - more and more artists begin to turn to it as a means of artistic expression.

The art process was greatly influenced by the development of technology: in the 60s - video and audio, then - computers, and in the 90s - the Internet.

The beginning of the 2000s was marked by disappointment in the possibilities of technical means for artistic practices. At the same time, constructive philosophical justifications for contemporary art of the 21st century have not yet appeared. Some artists of the 2000s believe that "contemporary art" is becoming a tool of power in a "post-democratic (English)" society. This process causes enthusiasm among representatives of the art system, and pessimism among artists.

A number of artists of the 2000s return to the commodity object by abandoning the process and offering a commercially viable attempt at 21st century modernism.

Actual art

In Russia in the 1990s, the term "contemporary art" was also used, which is in many respects similar, but not identical in meaning, to the term "contemporary art". By contemporary art, participants in the artistic process in Russia meant innovative contemporary art (in terms of ideas and/or technical means). Actual art quickly became outdated, and the question of its entry into history contemporary art 20th or 21st century opened. Participants in the artistic process in Russia endowed the definition of "actual art" with the meaning that was once attributed to avant-garde (innovation, radicalism, the use of new techniques and techniques).

Contemporary Art Institutions

Contemporary art is exhibited by contemporary art galleries, private collectors, commercial corporations, state art organizations, contemporary art museums, art studios or by the artists themselves in the artist-run space. contemporary artists receive financial support through grants, awards and prizes, as well as receive funds from the sale of their work. Russian practice is somewhat different in this respect from Western practice. Many contemporary art galleries offer artists monthly payments regardless of the work sold [ , to support the artist. As for funds, awards, grants, this form of support for contemporary art is practically absent in Russia. One of the exceptions is the Iris Foundation for the Development and Support of Art, founded by Daria Zhukova. The foundation's first project is the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture.

There is a close relationship between government institutions dealing with contemporary arts and the commercial sector. For example, in the UK, most of the works of key contemporary artists exhibited in public museums are purchased from a few influential art dealers.

Museums, Biennials, festivals and fairs of contemporary art are gradually becoming tools for attracting capital, investment in the tourism business or part of state policy (see, for example, the Perm Museum of Modern Art).

Private collectors have a great influence on the entire system of contemporary art. For example, the UK contemporary art market has been dominated since the 1980s by Charles Saatchi, who is sometimes associated with a decade in British contemporary art.

Attempts to directly integrate into the system of contemporary art are made by commercial corporations: they hold exhibitions of contemporary art on their territory, organize and sponsor awards in the field of contemporary art and acquire works by artists, form large collections.

Contemporary art institutions are often criticized by artists and independent art critics. This type of activity is called institutional criticism. In Russia, this type of practice is absent with rare exceptions (such as, for example, the work of Avdey Ter-Oganyan).

Graffiti. history and modernity

Graffiti (in the context of historical inscriptions, the singular is graffito; from it l. graffiti, pl. graffiti) - images, drawings or inscriptions scratched, written or drawn with paint or ink on walls and other surfaces. Graffiti can be classified as any type of street painting on walls, on which you can find everything from simple written words to exquisite drawings.

Graffiti is believed to be closely related to hip-hop culture and the myriad styles that have evolved from New York subway graffiti. Despite this, there are many other great examples of graffiti. At the beginning of the 20th century, graffiti began to appear in freight cars and underpasses. One of these graffiti - Texino - traces its history from the 1920s to our time. During the Second World War and over the next few decades, the phrase "Killroy was here", complete with an image, became common throughout the world. The phrase was used by American troops and quickly permeated American popular culture. Shortly after the death of Charlie Parker (he had the nickname "Yardbird" or "Bird") graffiti with the words "Bird Lives" began to appear throughout New York. During student protests and a general strike in May 1968 in Paris, the city was flooded with revolutionary, anarchist and situationist slogans such as L'ennui est contre-révolutionnaire ("Boredom is counter-revolutionary"), which were done in the style of graffiti, poster and stencil art . At this time in the USA short period political slogans become popular (such as "Free Huey", dedicated to Huey Newton, the leader of the Black Panther movement). Famous graffiti of the 1970s was the famous "Dick Nixon Before He Dicks You", reflecting the hostility of young people towards the US President.

Rock and roll graffiti forms an important part of graffiti art. The famous graffiti of the 20th century was the inscription in the London Underground, which reads "Clapton is God". This phrase was spray-painted on the wall of Islington Station in the autumn of 1967. This graffiti was captured in a photograph of a dog urinating on a wall. Graffiti art also became associated with the punk rock protest movement of the early 1970s. Groups like Black Flag and Crass (and their followers) stencilled their names everywhere, while many punk nightclubs, venues and venues are famous for their graffiti. In the late 1980s, the image of an upside-down Martini glass - the symbol of the punk band Missing Foundation - became the most ubiquitous graffiti in lower Manhattan, and was reproduced by hardcore punk fans throughout America and West Germany.

Graffiti today is a type of street art, one of the most relevant forms of artistic expression around the world. There are many different styles and types of graffiti. The works created by graffiti artists are an independent genre of contemporary art, an integral part of culture and urban lifestyle. Many countries and cities have their famous writers creating real masterpieces on the streets of the city.

In most parts of the world, graffiti on someone's property without the permission of the owner of that property is considered vandalism and is punishable by law. Sometimes graffiti is used to spread political and social messages. For some people, graffiti is real art, worthy of placement in galleries and exhibitions, for others it is vandalism.

Since graffiti has become an integral part of pop culture, it has become associated with hip-hop, hardcore, beatdown and breakdance music. For many, it is a way of life hidden from the public and incomprehensible to the general public.

Graffiti is also used as a gang signal to mark territory or serve as a designation or "tag" for the gang's activities. The controversy that surrounds this type of art continues to fuel the divisions between law enforcement officers and graffiti artists who seek to put their work on public display. It is a rapidly growing art form whose value is vehemently defended by its adherents in verbal skirmishes with government officials, although the same legislation often protects graffiti.

The birth of modern graffiti

The emergence of modern graffiti can be attributed to the early 1920s, when drawings and inscriptions marked boxcars plying the United States. However, the origin of the graffiti movement in its modern sense is associated with the activities of political activists who used graffiti to spread their ideas. Also, graffiti was applied by street gangs, such as the Savage Skulls (“Wild Skulls”), La Familia, the Savage Nomads (“Wild Nomads”), in order to mark “their” territory. By the end of the 1960s, signatures began to appear everywhere, the so-called tags, performed by writers from Philadelphia, whose names were Cornbread, Cool Earl, Topcat 126. Cornbread writer is often called one of the founders of modern graffiti.

The period from 1969 to 1974 can be called revolutionary for graffiti. During this time, its popularity has grown markedly, many new styles have appeared, and the center of the graffiti movement has moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to New York. The writers tried to leave their tags wherever possible, with the maximum number of times. Soon after New York became the new center for graffiti, the media took notice of this new cultural phenomenon. The first writer to whom a newspaper article was devoted was TAKI 183. He was a teenager from the Washington Heights area of ​​Manhattan. His TAKI 183 tag consisted of his name Demetrius (or Demetraki, Taki) and the number of the street where he lived - 183. Taki worked as a courier, so he often had to travel by subway. Wherever he went, he left his tags everywhere. In 1971, the New York Times published an article dedicated to him entitled "Taki sparked a wave of followers." Julio 204 is also considered one of the early writers, but at that time he went unnoticed by the media. Other notable graffiti artists were Stay High 149, PHASE 2, Stitch 1, Joe 182 and Cay 161. Barbara 62 and Eva 62 were the first women to become famous for their graffiti.

At the same time, graffiti began to appear more often in the subway than on city streets. Writers began to compete with each other, and the point of their competition was to write their name as many times as possible in all possible places. The attention of graffiti artists gradually shifted to railroad depots, where they were able to complete large, complex jobs with less risk. It was then that the key principles were formed modern concept"bombing".

By 1971, the way the tags were played was changing, becoming more sophisticated and complex. This is due to the huge number of graffiti artists, each of whom tried to draw attention to themselves. The rivalry of the writers stimulated the emergence of new styles in graffiti. The artists complicated the drawing itself, trying to make it original, but in addition they began to noticeably increase the size of the letters, the thickness of the lines and use the outline for the letters. This led to the creation in 1972 of large drawings, the so-called "masterpieces" or "pieces". It is believed that the Super Kool 223 writer was the first to perform such "pieces".

A variety of graffiti decoration options came into vogue: polka dots, checkered patterns, hatching, etc. The use of spray paint increased greatly, because the writers increased the size of their works. At that time, “pieces” began to appear that occupied the height of the entire car, they were called “top-to-bottoms”, that is, “from top to bottom”. The development of graffiti as a new artistic phenomenon, its ubiquitous distribution and the growing level of skill of writers could not be ignored. In 1972, Hugo Martinez founded the United Graffiti Artists organization, which included many of the best graffiti artists of the day. The organization sought to present graffiti works to the general public as part of an art gallery. By 1974, writers began to include images of characters and scenes from cartoons in their work. The TF5 team ("The Fabulous Five", "The Incredible Five") became famous for skillfully painting entire cars.

The spread of graffiti culture

In 1979, art dealer Claudio Bruni provided graffiti artists Lee Quiñones and Fab 5 Freddy with a gallery in Rome. For many writers working outside of New York, this was their first exposure to traditional art forms. The friendship between Fab 5 Freddy and Blondie vocalist Debbie Harry led to a single called "Rapture" by Blondie in 1981. The video for this song, which also features Jean-Michel Basquiat, known for his SAMO graffiti, shows the audience elements of graffiti and hip-hop culture for the first time. Although more significant in this sense was the release in 1982 of the feature film "Wild Style" by independent director Charlie Ahearn, as well as the documentary "Style Wars" ("Style Wars"), produced by the Public Broadcasting Service. (US National Broadcasting) in 1983. Music Hits"The Message" and "Planet Rock" helped increase interest in hip-hop outside of New York. Not only did Style Wars showcase famous writers like Skeme, Dondi, MinOne, and Zephyr, but it also reinforced the role of graffiti in New York City's emerging hip-hop culture: in addition to writers, famous breakdance bands, such as Rock Steady Crew, and the soundtrack is exclusively rap. To this day, Style Wars is considered to be the most accurate depiction of what was happening in hip-hop culture in the early 1980s. As part of their 1983 New York City Rap Tour Fab, 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 showed hip-hop graffiti to European audiences in Paris and London. Hollywood also turned its attention to hip hop when the 1984 film Beat Street was released around the world, again featuring hip hop culture. During the making of this film, the director consulted with the PHASE 2 writer.

The appearance of stencil graffiti also belongs to this period. The first examples of stencil art were created around 1981 by graffiti artist Blek le Rat in Paris, and by 1985 they were popular in many other cities including New York, Sydney and Melbourne. American photographer Charles Gatewood and Australian photographer Rennie Ellis captured many of the stencil graffiti of those years in their photographs.

INTRODUCTION 3

A Brief History of Contemporary Art 4

Actual art 5

Contemporary Art Institutions 5

Graffiti. history and modernity 6

The birth of modern graffiti 8

The spread of graffiti culture 9

And the history of graffiti began with the messages that the representatives of the New York gangs left on the streets of the city in the 1920s and 1930s. Over time, such inscriptions began to appear on all kinds of immovable and movable objects, and the number of artists and styles grew in geometric progression until the end of the last century, the police and city authorities in different countries began to fight with adherents of street art. As a result, the underground movement split into several directions, and some artists preferred the streets to commerce and went to galleries, giving way to the most daring veterans of the genre. One way or another, graffiti as a phenomenon is firmly entrenched in street culture, and it is difficult to imagine modern cities without them.

DTF Magazine in collaboration with an American brand Pabst Blue Ribbon, which recently entered the Ukrainian market, sorted out in stages the history of graffiti and how this urban subculture became so popular

1920s-1950s: first drawings on the streets

The first manifestations of graffiti are considered to be drawings and inscriptions that were left on the walls of buildings and freight cars of trains by members of New York street gangs in the 1920s-1930s. So the members of the groups "marked the territory" and communicated with each other.

Then the young people adopted this practice, however, they did not immediately use the drawings on the walls for self-expression. The inscriptions appeared as a reaction to socio-political problems, and defiant slogans and slogans became characteristic of that period.

Only by the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, street artists joined the new movement, leaving short marks on the streets with their pseudonyms.

1960s-1970s: development of a culture of drawings on houses and trains

The development of street art culture began on the East Coast of the United States in the 1960s. It was then that the first enthusiasts began to leave inscriptions with names in random places around the city. Artists Cool Earl and Topcat126 were among the first writers, while Philadelphia street performer Cornbread is considered the unofficial founder of a movement in culture - he was one of the first to leave notes signed with his name without political overtones.

At first, people did not attach much importance to these inscriptions, and the marks themselves were unremarkable - there was no question of a variety of styles at that time, since the young movement of the streets was just beginning to acquire a cultural motif.

The first mention of graffiti

The starting point in the history of graffiti is the publication in The New York Times, published in the early seventies. The article was about a young street artist from New York under the pseudonym Taki183. He worked as a courier, so he spent a lot of time on the subway. There, at every station he visited, he left a mark with his name. Over time, there were so many of them that not only passers-by, but also local journalists paid attention to them. The artist became the first replacement in the history of graffiti and is considered one of its founders. While Taki183 wasn't the first artist to mark the streets, his ubiquity has brought a previously obscure drawing culture to the attention of the city's residents and the press. Other iconic artists of the period include Stay High 149, PHASE2, Stitch1 and Joe136.

The practice of Taki183 and other pioneers of graffiti has become tags - inscriptions with pseudonyms left on walls, fences, wagons and other prominent places. Artists earned additional respect for tags in hard-to-reach locations, such as at high altitudes or in protected areas. Then the priority was not given to the visual side, but popularity was measured in the number of marks throughout the city. Other notable street and subway tagging artists include Hondo 1, Japan 1, Moses 147, Snake 131, Lee 163d, Star 3, Pro-Soul, Tracy 168, Lil Hawk, Barbara 62, Eva 62, Cay 161 and Junior 161 .

These manifestations of individualism challenged the growing omnipresence of branding and public infrastructure, so graffiti that appeared illegally on top of shop windows, ads or advertising posters was considered a purely negative phenomenon for city officials, and some citizens even considered the graffiti to be echoes of the antics of street gangs.

Metro as a way of communication

The subway has become a means of communication for street performers. Thanks to the drawings left on the walls of the subway cars, artists from different regions learned about the existence of each other, so over time, the inscriptions almost completely covered both the outer and inner parts of the trains. So the New York subway became a kind of communication tool for underground artists.

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In those days, the subway was not sufficiently guarded, and the cars were rarely cleaned, so the painted trains ran around the city for months, and the artists covered the cars in order to present their work to as many people as possible - this phenomenon was called “bombing”. In order to apply tags and drawings to the cars as quickly as possible, the artists specifically chose short aliases - Tee, Iz, Pi, In, Le, To, Oi, so drawing tags took much less time. However, there were also so-called stylewriters, for whom style came to the fore. These two types of artists tacitly competed with each other, painting in the depot and on the subway cars.

Technique Development

Futura 2000 became one of the first artists to actively practice the style in the subway. From the very first works, he saw the potential in drawing on subway cars - it was there that passers-by saw his first tags and drawings.

And while new culture attracted more and more participants, recognizable faces had to think about how to stand out among the increasing number of tags. The most inventive artists began to incorporate graphic details into signatures in the form of strokes, circles, stars and other such elements, try artistic styles or play with the thickness, style and color of the inscriptions. New practices were quickly picked up by beginners - this is how the evolution of styles began.

Competition spurred artists to inventiveness, and following this, street performers began to gradually move away from tags with inscriptions and equip drawings with more graphic elements. Philadelphia-based artist Topcat126 came up with the Broadway style, which was soon replaced by the Block Busters style, feature which became inscriptions using huge inclined letters. And another enthusiast under the pseudonym PHASE2 began to use three-dimensional fonts in the form of bubbles called Bubble Letters.

These styles became the main ones from which other practices of street artists developed. Block Busters and Bubble Letters pushed the artists to get creative, and the variety of techniques resulted in one mixed style called Wild Style. The period from 1975 to 1980 is considered one of the most favorable for the development of graffiti: with the heyday of the confrontation between the styles of artists, each tried to become more noticeable than the others. Notable artists this period - Case 2, Seen, Mare, Comet, Repel, Cos 207, Duro, Kade 198, Fed 2, Revolt, Rasta, Zephyr, Lee, Dondi, Blade, Crash and Daze.

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1980s-1990s: fight against graffiti and come to Europe

Fight against vandalism

It wasn't until the early 1980s that street artists encountered their first real problems. When the city authorities began a mass struggle with drawings, many works began to be mercilessly destroyed - the life of fresh works was noticeably reduced, and the number of security guards in the subway and police officers on the streets increased markedly. To combat writers, city officials even introduced a series of laws prohibiting the sale of paint to minors, and paint cans, like weapons, were stored in safes or secure lockers.

Due to the difficulties that arose, the community of artists also thinned out: many did not like the threat of criminal liability, so some of the artists stopped painting on the streets and in the subway, and some took up legal work, working in studios.

For the remaining artists, the rules of the game have become noticeably tougher. When the circle of locations available for drawing decreased, their confrontation in places began to resemble the enmity of street gangs. Single artists did not dare to make creative forays without weapons, because otherwise they could be beaten, and close-knit teams even went to paint in groups for security purposes. Among the old-timers who took part in the confrontation, Skeme, Dez, Trap, Delta, Sharp, Seen, Shy 147, Boe, West, Kaze, Spade 127, Sak, Vulcan, Shame, Bio, Min, Duro, Kel, T Kid continued to work , Mack, Nicer, Brim, Bg 183, Kenn, Cem, Flight, Airborn, Rize, Jon 156, Kyle 156 and X Men.

The rest of the scene sparkled with new colors: when the number of street performers decreased, graffiti veterans gave free rein, and already existing styles acquired even more vivid forms and recognizable features.

In addition, with the beginning of the "war" for the cleanliness of the subway, the artists turned their attention to other mobile objects - cars. Basically, the writers preferred to draw on vans or small trucks of the city's delivery service - these cars cruised around the city every day, and the writers had another opportunity to advertise themselves and their work. Therefore, after the conditions for drawing in the metro became more complicated, the practice of drawing on public transport began to gain popularity.

Bias towards art: icons of the eighties

One of the most prominent personalities in the culture of street art was Keith Haring, known not only for exhibitions in galleries, but also for illustrations in the subway. His style was based on mixing the flow of pop art with street drawings, so Haring cannot be called a writer in the usual sense of the word. The features of his drawings were considered bold lines, bright colors and images of little men, constantly appearing in different corners cities. Haring combined creativity with activism: the artist is known for the fight against AIDS, and this message has become an integral part of his drawings.

Another icon of graffiti culture is Jean-Michel Basquiat. He began to paint in the early seventies, and ten years later he became friends with Andy Warhol, an iconic figure among artists during the heyday of pop art. Basquiat and his friend, the artist El Diaz, founded the SAMO (Same Old Shit) movement, whose signature signatures and drawings covered the streets of the city. AT contemporary culture Basquiat has become one of the brightest personalities, and his work is exhibited in museums around the world.

Graffiti in Europe

However, the role of retired American colleagues should not be underestimated. When some artists moved to galleries, and the works of such writers as Dondi, Lee, Zephyr, Daze and Futura 2000 appeared in the art spaces of Europe, the culture of graffiti came to Europe as well. After the first exhibitions, European youth became obsessed with New York culture, and hip-hop became an additional factor. Drawings in the galleries served as a visual guide for enthusiasts, and soon inscriptions began to appear in European cities.

One of the pioneers of the movement in France was the artist under the pseudonym Blek le Rat. To create drawings, he used special stencils, which allowed him to quickly draw graffiti and avoid arrests. With his work, the artist intended to show that art can be accessible to everyone and is not limited to the walls of galleries.

In the UK, street art is associated primarily with the name of Banksy - he began to paint in the nineties and is still considered the most visible and most secretive figure in street culture. While the artist's true identity is kept under wraps, his work has been exhibited in galleries around the world, with drawings popping up unexpectedly in cities all over the world. In addition, Banksy is actively political activity, which is clearly reflected in his provocative work on police brutality, racial and gender discrimination, military conflicts and many other contemporary issues.

Graffiti in the 21st century: from the streets to museums and galleries

Nowadays, street culture is still a controversial phenomenon: some of the graffiti drawings have earned the acceptance of the townspeople, however, given the constant cases of vandalism, not everyone has a positive attitude towards the work of writers. A lot of newcomers have appeared on the street art scene, and although the icons that have taken place have become familiar participants in exhibitions and art projects, they still continue to paint on the city streets.

Graffiti still remains an integral part of the protest against consumer culture. An example of this is the work of the street artist Kidult, who paints the windows of the boutiques of Chanel, Céline, Maison Margiela, Supreme and other famous world brands.

Commerce has become a characteristic feature of modern graffiti culture. When large companies realized the popularity of street artists' drawings, artists began to be increasingly involved in advertising campaigns, and manifestations of graffiti in popular culture can be found everywhere - from advertising and films to video games.

With the development of social networks, artists no longer use the subway as a connecting element for underground culture, and increased security of objects has become another reason for the decline in the popularity of painting on carriages. Instead, writers in New York and other cities leave drawings on vans or trucks, and among the fans of mobile art objects was even Banksy, who painted one of the delivery vans one night. After the work of street artists appeared in galleries, car owners voluntarily invite writers to paint vehicles to give it an original look.

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"Street art won't end world poverty, but it can make you think and smile."

Street drawings have long crossed the line when they were considered only vandalism and did not carry anything reasonable, kind, eternal. No, of course, there are senseless and most often mediocre "tags" and will not go anywhere. But modern street art is already much deeper and wider than just tags, an expression of protest or one's position. It has grown and assumed, among other things, a social function.

website prepared a list of artists whose work makes cities more beautiful, and people a little better and happier.

His project "Living Walls" is known far beyond the borders of the country; his works are regularly included in the world's best street art collections. Good-eyed creatures of Nikita, organically inscribed in space, playing with the shape of the walls, already exist in many cities of Russia: in his native Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Perm, Kazan and so on.

Alexey Menshikov

An artist from Penza, Alexei Menshikov, decorates the streets of his city with funny drawings, successfully fitting them into surrounding landscape. His positive characters will not leave anyone indifferent and charge with positive for the whole day.

This talented street artist from Russia is an adherent of a surrealist style that permeates all his work with a thin thread. The subjects of the works are very diverse - from drawing representatives of the heroes of subcultures and various phenomena to surrealistic and fairy tale motifs.

Slava PTRK, an artist from Yekaterinburg, is a real experimenter who often chooses strange and unusual objects for his works. All his drawings and installations are an encrypted message, a call to turn on the imagination and think about the problems of our time.

Another artist from Yekaterinburg, famous for his unusual and topical works, often associated with political events.

Moscow street artist Zhenya 0331C (Ozzik) is used to comparing what is drawn in his hometown and on the streets of the world. This helps him realize why he creates his work. For Ozzik, street art is a complete art, an opportunity to convey feelings or emotions through what you can do.

A young, productive and damn talented graffiti artist from St. Petersburg. He works in the technique of photorealism and creates bright, unforgettable characters.

Andrey Adno was born in 1986 and now lives in Kaliningrad. The artist claims that graffiti has never been his main source of inspiration. He likes the old school graphic design, Soviet poster and everything that balances on the verge of graffiti and conventional art.

The term "graffiti" is used to classify a type of art that is generally prohibited by law. Today, graffiti is primarily associated with an alternative form of urban culture. Graffiti can be classified as any type of street painting on walls, on which you can find everything from simple written words to exquisite drawings. Currently, spray art, that is, drawing graffiti using spray paint, has become widespread. spray-artaerosol

First Graffiti The first "graffiti" - inscriptions and drawings, in the original sense of a satirical and caricature character, were found on ancient monuments and ancient vessels. The ancient Romans applied graffiti to walls and statues, examples of which also survive in Egypt. Graffiti in the classical world had a completely different meaning and content than in modern society. Ancient graffiti were love confessions, political rhetoric, and just thoughts that could be compared with today's popular messages about social and political ideals. As a manifestation of "grassroots" creativity, "graffiti" interested many artists who sought to free themselves from conventions and stereotypes. The works of Joan Miro and Paul Klee are similar in style to the "pictures" of street art. Graffiti was appreciated by Picasso and Hugo. Something similar to graffiti is also found in the caves of ancient people, as well as in ancient Egypt and Greece.

Purpose Graffiti Graffiti can be simple drawings or inscriptions, but usually it is quite complex monochrome or multicolor compositions. The authors of graffiti are called writers - "writers". There is a version that the development of street images was supported by enterprising drug dealers, who, using drawings and encrypted inscriptions that did not tell either the police or passers-by, told teenagers the place where drugs were sold, prices, and so on. Over time, from a secret form of communication, "graffiti" has become a common means of communication for teenagers. Usually it is voluminous, mostly red-black-blue "juicy" graphics.

Graffiti tools The ideal tool for self-expression is an ordinary spray can of paint, acting like a deodorant. It is transportable, fully meets the needs for speed and ease of drawing, visual efficiency, the paint from it fits perfectly on most of the existing surfaces. Different sizes of nozzles and spray nozzles contribute to the achievement of all kinds of special effects, creating powerful graphic elements and the illusion of image movement. Combining the technique of cubism and abstract graphic art, often difficult to read, graffiti style gives the compositions some mystery.

Style Wars A style revolution came when Pistol 1 - the Brooklyn master - first painted in 3D. The work consisted of the actual name itself in red and white with a blue border, giving it a three-dimensional feel. Writers from all over New York flocked to appreciate his work. After a while, everyone was doing 3D with their own touches. The style wars have begun. As soon as culture asserted itself in full voice, was filmed documentary"Style Wars" (1984), books written.

Problems with the authorities Another sore point is the relationship with the city authorities. As long as there is graffiti, so much it is persecuted. Those who stand guard over law and order insist that the painting of municipal property poses a serious threat to society. Many American riders paid for their work with impressive fines, some went to jail. In many metropolitan areas, graffiti artists were once assigned so-called legal walls and yards. But there are not enough officially permitted areas for everyone.

Style and technique of graffiti special kind urban "underground" art is constantly evolving and improving. Each country brought something new and fresh to this art. Graffiti cannot be controlled or eradicated by banning it. Therefore, as a form of art and a means of expressing views, it is flexible, inclusive and free from censorship.