The word "graffiti" derives from the Greek word graphein meaning: to write. This evolved into the Latin word graffito. Graffiti is the plural form of graffito. Simply put, graffiti is a drawing, scribbling or writing on a flat surface. Today, we equate graffiti with the "New York" or "Hip Hop" style, which emerged from New York City in the 1970's.
As Hip Hop music emerged so did a new outlet for artistic visibility. Keith Haring began using posters to place his uniquely drawn figures and characters in public places. Soon he began to draw directly on subway walls and transit posters. The uniqueness of his drawings eventually led to their being shown in galleries and published in books and his art became "legitimate".
At about the same time as Keith Haring, a delivery messenger began writing "Taki 183" whenever he delivered documents. Soon his name was all over the city. Newspapers and magazines wrote articles about him and Keith Haring. Both became celebrities. This claim to fame attracted many young people, especially those involved with rapping. They began to imitate "Taki 183".
New York City was inundated with graffiti during the late seventies and early eighties. But as media coverage faded so do did the graffiti. Then in the mid-eighties a national TV program did a graffiti story and set off a graffiti wildfire which has become world-wide.
Graffiti quickly became a social scene. Friends often form crews of vandals. One early crew wrote TAG as their crew name, an acronym for Tuff Artists Group. Tag has since come to mean both graffiti writing, 'tagging' and graffiti, a 'tag'. Crews often tag together, writing both the crew tag and their own personal tags. Graffiti has its own language with terms such as
BUFF: Removal of writing/art work THE BUFF: The MTA's graffiti removal program BURN: To out do the competition. BURNER: A technically and stylistically well-executed wild style piece. Generally done in bright colors. CAPS: (Fat, skinny, German thin) Interchangeable spray-can nozzles fitted to paint can to vary width of spray. CREW: Organized group of writers CROSSING OUT: To scribble or write on someone else's name. It is considered highly disrespectful. DEF: Excellent (derived from definite and death). DESIGNS: Polka dots, checkers stars swirls are placed over the fill-in to in hence and compliment fill-in . Designs are limited only by an artists imagination and technical ability. D.G.A.: Don't Get Around DOPE: Excellent, of the highest order. FADE: Graduation of colors. FILL-IN: The base colors of a piece, falling within the outline. GOING OVER: Writing over another writers name. It is the ultimate act of disrespect. HAND STYLE: Handwriting or tagging style. |
HEAD BUFF SPOT:The portion of wall panels of the subway car interior above the seats located at passenger's head level. The mild though frequent abrasion from passengers heads eventually buffs (removes) tags on these locations.(It is an undesirable location to tag.) HIT: (n) A tag, throw-up or piece (v) the act of writing. KING: The most accomplished writer in a given category. PIECE: A writer's painting, short for masterpiece. PIECING: The execution of a piece. PRODUCTION: Large scale murals with detailed pieces and illustrations. (Contemporary term used mainly for street murals.) ROLLER LETTERS: Names rendered with bucket paint and rollers STYLE WARS: Competition between artists to determine superior creative ability. TAG: (n) A writer's name and signature. (v) The execution of a signature. TAGGING-UP: The execution of a signature. THROW-UP: A quickly executed piece consisting of an outline with or without thin layer of spray paint for fill-in . TOY: 1. Inexperienced or incompetent writer. WALL PAPER: Repetition of a name written making enough coverage so that a pattern develops, much like wall paper. WAK: Substandard or incorrect. WRITER: Practitioner of the art of writing. |
At first pens and markers were used, but these were limited as to what types of surfaces they worked on so very quickly everyone was using spray paint. Spray paint could mark all types of surfaces and was quick and easy to use. The spray nozzles on the spray cans proved inadequate to create the more colorful pieces. Caps from deodorant, insecticide, WD-40 and other aerosol cans were substituted to allow for a finer or thicker stream of paint. As municipalities began passing graffiti ordinances outlawing graffiti implements, clever ways of disguising paint implements were devised. Shoe polish, deodorant roll-ons and other seemingly innocent containers are emptied and filled with paint. Markers, art pens and grease pens obtained from art supply stores are also used. In fact nearly any object which can leave a mark on most surfaces are used by taggers, though the spray can is the medium of choice for most taggers.
While most taggers are simply interested in seeing their name in as many places as possible and as visibly as possible, some taggers are more contented to find secluded warehouse walls where they can practice their pieces. Some of these taggers are able to sell twelve foot canvases of their work for upwards of 10 to 12 thousand dollars.
Reference: graffitiremovalpdx.org