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=__**Graffiti**__= =Welcome= Welcome to Mr.Canty Class of Street Art, this class will explain the lifestyle and culture of the many styles of people who use graffiti and also "graffiti slang" used to describe the artwork. This Class will show how graffiti is a valid art and deep down is one of the most experssive forms of art. In modern times, paint, particularly spray paint, and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner's consent is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime. Graffiti may also express underlying social and political messages and a whole genre of artistic expression is based upon spray paint graffiti styles. Within hip hop culture, graffiti has evolved alongside hip hop music, b-boying, and other elements.Unrelated to hip-hop graffiti, gangs use their own form of graffiti to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities.toc
 * Graffiti** (singular: //graffito//; the plural is used as a mass noun) is writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public placeGraffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.



=Style= Some of the most common styles of graffiti have their own names. A "tag" is the most basic writing of an artist's name in either spray paint or marker. A graffiti writer's tag is his or her personalized signature. "Tagging" is often the example given when opponents of graffiti refer to vandalism, as they use it to label all acts of graffiti writing (it is by far the most common form of graffiti). Another form is the "throw-up," also known as a "fill-in," which is normally painted very quickly with two or three colors, sacrificing aesthetics for speed. Throw-ups can also be outlined on a surface with one color. A "piece" is a more elaborate representation of the artist's name, incorporating more stylized "block" or "bubble" letters, using three or more colors. This of course is done at the expense of timeliness and increases the likelihood of the artist getting caught. A "blockbuster" is a large piece done with a roller that consists of two contrasting colors. A more complex style is "wildstyle", a form of graffiti involving interlocking letters, arrows, and connecting points. These pieces are often harder to read by non-graffiti artists as the letters merge into one another in an often undecipherable manner. A "Roller" is a "fill-in" that intentionally takes up an entire wall, sometimes with the whole purpose of blocking other "taggers" from painting on the same wall. Some artists also use stickers as a quick way to "get-up". While its critics consider this as lazy and a form of cheating, others find that 5 to 10 minutes spent on a detailed sticker is in no way lazy, especially when used with other methods. Sticker tags are commonly done on blank postage stickers, or really anything with an adhesive side to it. "Stencils" are made by drawing an image onto a piece of cardboard or tougher versions of paper, then cut with a razor blade. What is left is then just simply sprayed-over, and if done correctly, a perfect image is left. Many graffiti artists believe that doing blockbusters or even complex wildstyles are a waste of time. Doing wildstyle can take (depending on experience) 8 hours to 2 days. Another graffiti artist can go over that time consuming piece in a matter of minutes with a bubble fill-in that would look just as good as a wildstyle piece. This was exemplified in the documentary "style wars" by "CAP", who other writers complain ruins their pieces with his quick throw ups. This became known as "capping". This is most commonly done when there is "beef" or a conflict between writers.

=Uses=

Theories on the use of graffiti by avant-garde artists have a history dating back at least to the Scandinavi Institute of Comparative Vandalism in 1961. Many contemporary analysts and even art critics have begun to see artistic value in some graffiti and to recognize it as a form of public art. According to many art researchers, particularly in the Netherlands and in Los Angeles, that type of public art is, in fact an effective tool of social emancipation or in the achievement of a political goal. The murals of Belfast and of Los Angeles offer another example of official recognition. In times of conflict, such murals have offered a means of communication and self-expression for members of these socially, ethnically and/or racially divided communities, and have proven themselves as effective tools in establishing dialog and thus of addressing cleavages in the long run. The Berlin Wall was also extensively covered by Graffiti reflecting social pressures relating to the oppressive Soviet rule over the GDR. Many artists involved with Graffiti also are concerned with the similar activity of //Stencilling//. Essentially, this entails stenciling a print of one or more colors using spray-paint. Graffiti artist John Fekner, called "caption writer to the urban environment, adman for the opposition" by writer Lucy Lippard, was involved in direct art interventions within New York City's decaying urban environment in the mid-seventies through the eighties. Fekner is known for his word installations targeting social and political issues, stenciled on buildings throughout New York. In the UK, Banksy is the most recognizable icon for this cultural artistic movement and keeps his identity secret to avoid arrest. Much of Banksy's artwork can be seen around the streets of London and surrounding suburbs, though he has painted pictures around the world, including the Middle East, where he has painted on Israel's controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side. One depicted a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side. A number of exhibitions have also taken place since 2000, and recent works of art have fetched vast sums of money.

=Radical & Political=

Graffiti often has a reputation as part of a subculture that rebels against authority, although the considerations of the practitioners often diverge and can relate to a wide range of attitudes. It can express a political practice and can form just one tool in an array of resistance techniques. One early example includes the anarcho-punk band Crass, who conducted a campaign of stenciling anti-war, anarchist, feminist and anti-consumerist messages around the London Underground system during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The developments of graffiti art which took place in art galleries and colleges as well as "on the street" or "underground", contributed to the resurfacing in the 1990s of a far more overtly politicized art form in the subvertising, culture jamming or tactical media movements. These movements or styles tend to classify the artists by their relationship to their social and economic contexts, since, in most countries, graffiti art remains illegal in many forms except when using non-permanent paint. Since the 1990's a growing number of artists are switching to non-permanent paints for a variety of reasons -- but primarily because is it difficult for the police to apprehend and for the courts to sentence or even convict a person for a protest that is as fleeting and less intrusive than marching in the streets. In some communities, such impermanent works survive longer than works created with permanent paints because the community views the work in the same vein as that of the civil protestor who marches in the street -- such protest are impermanent but effective nevertheless. In some areas where a number of artist share the impermance ideal, there grows an informal competition. That is, the length of time that a work escapes destruction is related to the amount of respect the work garners in the community. A crude work that deserves little respect would invariably be removed immediately). The most talented artist might have works last for days. Artists whose primary object is to assert contol over property -- and not primarily to create of an expressive work of art, political or otherwise -- resist switching to impermanent paints. Contemporary practitioners, accordingly, have varied and often conflicting practices. Some individuals, such as Alexander Brener, have used the medium to politicize other art forms, and have used the prison sentences forced onto them as a means of further protest. The practices of anonymous groups and individuals also vary widely, and practitioners by no means always agree with each others' practices. Anti-capitalist art group the Space Hijackers, for example, did a piece in 2004 about the contradiction between the capitalistic elements of Banksy and his use of political imagery. On top of the political aspect of graffiti as a movement, political groups and individuals may also use graffiti as a tool to spread their point of view. This practice, due to its illegality, has generally become favoured by groups excluded from the political mainstream (e.g. far-left or far-right groups) who justify their activity by pointing out that they do not have the money â€“ or sometimes the desire â€“ to buy advertising to get their message across, and that a "ruling class" or "establishment" control the mainstream press, systematically excluding the radical/alternative point of view. This type of graffiti can seem crude; for example fascist supporters often scrawl swastikas and other Nazi images. Both sides of the conflict in Northern Ireland produce political graffiti. As well as slogans, Northern Irish political graffiti include large wall paintings, referred to as //murals//. Along with the flying of flags and the painting of kerb stones, the murals serve a territorial purpose. Artists paint them mostly on house gables or on the //Peace Lines//, high walls that separate different communities. The murals often develop over an extended period and tend to stylisation, with a strong symbolic or iconographic content. Loyalist murals often refer to historical events dating from the war between James II and William III in the late 17th century, whereas Republican murals usually refer to the more recent troubles.

= Decorative and high art = Graffiti art is now on exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum as a "contemporary art" form that began in New York's outer boroughs and reached great heights in the early '80s with the work of Crash, Lee, Daze, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It displays 22 works by New York graffiti artists, including Crash, Daze and Lady Pink. In an article in Time Out Magazine, Curator Charlotta Kotik says that she hopes that the current exhibition will cause viewers to rethink their assumptions about graffiti. Terrance Lindall, noted surrealist artist whose works for Heavy Metal Magazine and Creepy and Eerie have inspired many of these artists, goes further: In Australia, art historians have judged some local graffiti of sufficient creative merit to rank them firmly within visual art. Oxford University Press's art history text //Australian Painting 1788-2000// concludes with a long discussion of graffiti's key place within contemporary visual culture, including the work of several Australian practitioners = = = Gang relations with graffiti = Groups that live in industrial or poor areas may use graffiti for various purposes, especially if many groups populate one specific area or city. The main use is to mark either territory or "turf" by tagging a space such as a wall on building near or on the boundaries of a gang's turf to inform other gangs of their presence. Usually, this type of tag will have the name of the gang. They are also used to communicate with other gangs, usually to warn them of a coming assassination of a certain member, by either writing the member's street name and crossing it out, or by finding tags by the member and crossing them out. If a gang overwrites another gang's tag, it is also the symbol of a takeover of a gang's turf or a sign of aggression toward the gang. While most cities now take measures to prevent this, such as washing or erasing tags, it was much more common in the mid 1980s when crime waves ran high. Currently, a graffiti group The Public Animals (TPA) has assumed the role of a federation of sorts. Founded in late 1976 to early 1977, TPA is at the forefront of unifying former rivals between crews, cliques or gangs. Under the TPA umbrella, many graffiti artists from all over the world and from different associations have found the ability to peacefully unite and perform their art form without the obligatory allegiance to a particular group of individuals whose philosophies may be limited by territories, nationalities, or personal viewpoints. The leader of The Public Animals, JOEY TPA, maintains a simple yet effective philosophy in that the global aspect of art is evolving and that as artists, there is more to be had in unifying rather than dividing.
 * < “ || Graffiti is revolutionary like the surrealist art I represented in my show Brave Destiny," he says, "and any revolution might be considered a crime. People who are oppressed or suppressed need an outlet, so they write on wallsâ€”itâ€™s free... However, people also have a right to protect their property. It is a human dilemma. ||> ” ||

=Modern Graffiti= Graffiti is often seen as having become intertwined with hip hop culture and the myriad international styles derived from New York City Subway graffiti. However, there are many other instances of notable graffiti this century. Graffiti has long appeared on railroad boxcars and subways. The one with the longest history, dating back to the 1920s and continuing into the present day, is Texino.[ During World War II and for decades after, the phrase "Kilroy was here" with accompanying illustration was widespread throughout the world, due to its use by American troops and its filtering into American popular culture. Shortly after the death of Charlie Parker (nicknamed "Yardbird" or "Bird"), graffiti began appearing around New York with the words "Bird Lives". The student protests and general strike of May 1968 saw Paris bedecked in revolutionary, anarchist, and situationist slogans such as //L'ennui est contre-révolutionnaire// ("Boredom is counterrevolutionary") expressed in painted graffiti, poster art, and stencil art. In the U.S. at the time other political phrases (such as "Free Huey" about Black Panther Huey Newton) became briefly popular as graffiti in limited areas, only to be forgotten. A popular graffito of the 1970s was the legend "Dick Nixon Before He Dicks You", reflecting the hostility of the youth culture to that U.S. president. [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Kilroy_Was_Here_-_Washington_DC_WWII_Memorial_-_Jason_Coyne.jpg/220px-Kilroy_Was_Here_-_Washington_DC_WWII_Memorial_-_Jason_Coyne.jpg width="220" height="147" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kilroy_Was_Here_-_Washington_DC_WWII_Memorial_-_Jason_Coyne.jpg"]][[image:http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.18/common/images/magnify-clip.png width="15" height="11" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kilroy_Was_Here_-_Washington_DC_WWII_Memorial_-_Jason_Coyne.jpg"]] Engraving of Kilroy on the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.. Rock and roll graffiti is a significant sub genre. A famous graffito of the 20th century was the inscription in the London subway reading "Clapton is God". The phrase was spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in an Islington Underground station in the autumn of 1967. The graffiti was captured in a photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall. Graffiti also became associated with the anti-establishment punk rock movement beginning in the 1970s. Bands such as Black Flag and Crass (and their followers) widely stenciled their names and logos, while many punk night clubs, squats and hangouts are famous for their graffiti. In the late 1980s the upside down Martini glass that was the tag for punk band Missing Foundation was the most ubiquitous graffito in lower Manhattan, and copied by hard core punk fans throughout the U.S. and West Germany. Along similar lines was the legend "Frodo Lives", referring to the protagonist of //The Lord of the Rings//. = Spread of graffiti culture = = = [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-309-0816-20A%2C_Italien%2C_Soldat_zeichnend.jpg/220px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-309-0816-20A%2C_Italien%2C_Soldat_zeichnend.jpg width="220" height="147" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-309-0816-20A,_Italien,_Soldat_zeichnend.jpg"]][[image:http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.18/common/images/magnify-clip.png width="15" height="11" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-309-0816-20A,_Italien,_Soldat_zeichnend.jpg"]] A soldier in Italy (1943–1944) In 1979, graffiti artist Lee Quinones and Fab 5 Freddy were given a gallery opening in Rome by art dealer Claudio Bruni. For many outside of New York, it was their first encounter with the art form. Fab 5 Freddy's friendship with Debbie Harry influenced Blondie's single "Rapture" (Chrysalis, 1981), the video of which featured Jean-Michel Basquiat of the SAMO© Graffiti, and offered many their first glimpse of a depiction of elements of graffiti in hip hop culture. JaJaJa toured Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and Holland with her a large graffiti canvas as a backdrop.Charlie Ahearn's independently released fiction film //Wild Style// (Wild Style, 1983), the early PBS documentary //Style Wars// (1983), hit songs such as "The Message" and "Planet Rock" and their accompanying music videos (both 1982) contributed to a growing interest outside New York in all aspects of hip hop. Style Wars depicted not only famous graffiti artists such as Skeme, Dondi, MinOne and Zephyr, but also reinforced graffiti's role within New York's emerging hip hop culture by incorporating famous early break dancing groups such as Rock Steady Crew into the film and featuring rap in the soundtrack. Style Wars is still recognized as the most prolific film representation of what was going on within the young hip hop culture of the early 1980s.Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 took hip hop graffiti to Paris and London as part of the New York City Rap Tour in 1983.Hollywood also paid attention, consulting writers like PHASE 2 as it depicted the culture and gave it international exposure in movies like //Beat Street// (Orion, 1984). This period also saw the emergence of the new stencil graffiti genre. Some of the first examples were created ca 1981 by graffiti artist Blek le Rat in Paris; by 1985 stencils had appeared in other cities including New York City, Sydney and Melbourne, where they were documented by American photographer Charles Gatewood and Australian photographer Rennie Ellis . = Commercialization and entrance into mainstream pop culture = = = With the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001, computer giant IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks a peace symbol, a heart, and a penguin (Linux mascot), to represent "Peace, Love, and Linux." However due to illegalities some of the "street artists" were arrested and charged with vandalism, and IBM was fined more than US$120,000 for punitive and clean-up costs In 2005, a similar ad campaign was launched by Sony and executed by TATS CRU in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Miami to market its handheld PSP gaming system. In this campaign, taking notice of the legal problems of the IBM campaign, Sony paid building owners for the rights to paint on their buildings "a collection of dizzy-eyed urban kids playing with the PSP as if it were a skateboard, a paddle or a rocking horse." Along with the commercial growth has come the rise of video games also depicting graffiti, usually in a positive aspect – for example, the //Jet Set Radio// series (2000–2003) tells the story of a group of teens fighting the oppression of a totalitarian police force that attempts to limit the graffiti artists' freedom of speech. In plotlines mirroring the negative reaction of non-commercial artists to the commercialization of the art form by companies like IBM (and, later, Sony itself) the //Rakugaki Ōkoku// series (2003–2005) for Sony's PlayStation 2 revolves around an anonymous hero and his magically imbued-with-life graffiti creations as they struggle against an evil king who only allows art to be produced which can benefit him. Following the original roots of modern graffiti as a political force came another game title, //Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure// (2006), featuring a story line involving fighting against a corrupt city and its oppression of free speech, as in the //Jet Set Radio// series. Other games which feature graffiti include //Bomb the World// (2004), an online graffiti simulation created by graffiti artist Klark Kent where users can virtually paint trains at 20 locations worldwide, and //Super Mario Sunshine// (2002), in which the hero, Mario must clean the city of graffiti left by the villain, Bowser Jr. in a plotline which evokes the successes of the Anti-Graffiti Task Force of New York's Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (a manifestation of "broken window theory") or those of the "Graffiti Blasters" of Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley. [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Fekspace.jpg/220px-Fekspace.jpg width="220" height="219" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fekspace.jpg"]][[image:http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.18/common/images/magnify-clip.png width="15" height="11" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fekspace.jpg"]] A graffiti depiction of the 1978 game //Space Invaders// Numerous other non-graffiti-centric video games allow the player to produce graffiti (such as the //Half-Life// series, the //Tony Hawk's// series, //The Urbz: Sims in the City//, //Rolling// and //Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas//). //Counter-Strike// which is a //Half-Life// mod allows user to create their own and tag in game. Many other titles contain in-game depictions of graffiti (such as //The Darkness//, //Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone//, //NetHack//, //Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked//, //The World Ends with You//, //The Warriors//, //Just Cause// //Portal//, various examples of Virtual Graffiti, etc.). There also exist a host of games where the term "graffiti" is used as a synonym for "drawing" (such as //Yahoo! Graffiti//, //Graffiti//, etc.). Marc Ecko, an urban clothing designer, has been an advocate of graffiti as an art form during this period, stating that "Graffiti is without question the most powerful art movement in recent history and has been a driving inspiration throughout my career." [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Faile_Michael_Jackson_stencil.jpg/220px-Faile_Michael_Jackson_stencil.jpg width="220" height="293" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Faile_Michael_Jackson_stencil.jpg"]] [[image:http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.18/common/images/magnify-clip.png width="15" height="11" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Faile_Michael_Jackson_stencil.jpg"]] A graffiti depiction of pop star Michael Jackson Keith Haring was another well-known graffiti artist who brought Pop Art and graffiti to the commercial mainstream. In the 1980s, Haring opened his first Pop Shop: a store that offered everyone access to his works—which until then could only be found spray-painted on city walls. Pop Shop offered commodities like bags and t-shirts. Haring explained that "The Pop Shop makes my work accessible. It's about participation on a big level, the point was that we didn't want to produce things that would cheapen the art. In other words, this was still art as statement". Graffiti has become a common stepping stone for many members of both the art and design community in North America and abroad. Within the United States Graffiti Artists such as Mike Giant, Pursue, Rime, Noah and countless others have made careers in skateboard, apparel and shoe design for companies such as DC Shoes, Adidas, Rebel8 Osiris or Circa[ Meanwhile there are many others such as DZINE, Daze, Blade, The Mac that have made the switch to gallery artists often times not even using their initial medium, spray paint. But perhaps the greatest example of graffiti artists infiltrating mainstream pop culture is by the French crew, 123Klan. 123Klan founded as a graffiti crew in 1989 by Scien and Klor, have gradually turned their hands to illustration and design while still maintaining their graffiti practice and style. In doing so they have designed and produced, logos and illustrations, shoes, and fashion for the likes of Nike, Adidas, Lamborghini, Coca Cola, Stussy, Sony, Nasdaq and more = = = Graffiti as a memorial =

People often leave their traces in wet cement or concrete. This type of graffiti often commemorates the mutual commitment of a couple, or simply records a person's presence at a particular moment. Often this type of graffiti is dated and is left untouched for decades, offering a look into local historical minutiae.

= Modern-style graffiti = The first known example of "modern style" graffiti survives in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey). Local guides say it is an advertisement for prostitution. Located near a mosaic and stone walkway, the graffiti shows a handprint that vaguely resembles a heart, along with a footprint and a number. This is believed to indicate that a brothel was nearby, with the handprint symbolizing payment. Ancient Pompeii graffito caricature of a politician. The ancient Romans carved graffiti on walls and monuments, examples of which also survive in Egypt. Graffiti in the classical world had different connotations than it carries in today's society concerning content. Ancient graffiti displayed phrases of love declarations, political rhetoric, and simple words of thought compared to today's popular messages of social and political ideals The eruption of Vesuvius preserved graffiti in Pompeii, including Latin curses, magic spells, declarations of love, alphabets, political slogans and famous literary quotes, providing insight into ancient Roman street life. One inscription gives the address of a woman named Novellia Primigenia of Nuceria, a prostitute, apparently of great beauty, whose services were much in demand. Another shows a phallus accompanied by the text, '**mansueta tene'**: //"Handle with care"//. Disappointed love also found its way onto walls in antiquity: //Quisquis amat. veniat. Veneri volo frangere costas////fustibus et lumbos debilitare deae.////Si potest illa mihi tenerum pertundere pectus////quit ego non possim caput illae frangere fuste?////Whoever loves, go to hell. I want to break Venus's ribs////with a club and deform her hips.////If she can break my tender heart////why can't I hit her over the head?//-//CIL// IV, 1284. The satirical Alexamenos graffito is believed to be the earliest known representation of Jesus. Historic forms of graffiti have helped gain understanding into the lifestyles and languages of past cultures. Errors in spelling and grammar in this graffiti offer insight into the degree of literacy in Roman times and provide clues on the pronunciation of spoken Latin. Examples are //CIL// IV, 7838: //Vettium Firmum / aed//[ilem] //quactiliar//[ii] [sic] //rog//[ant]. Here, "qu" is pronounced "co." The 83 pieces of graffiti found at //CIL// IV, 4706-85 are evidence of the ability to read and write at levels of society where literacy might not be expected. The graffiti appear on a peristyle which was being remodeled at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius by the architect Crescens. The graffiti was left by both the foreman and his workers. The brothel at //CIL// VII, 12, 18–20 contains over 120 pieces of graffiti, some of which were the work of the prostitutes and their clients. The gladiatorial academy at //CIL// IV, 4397 was scrawled with graffiti left by the gladiator Celadus Crescens (//Suspirium puellarum Celadus thraex//: "Celadus the Thracian makes the girls sigh.") Another piece from Pompeii, written on a tavern wall about the owner of the establishment and his questionable wine: //Landlord, may your lies malign////Bring destruction on your head!////You yourself drink unmixed wine,////Water sell your guests instead.// It was not only the Greeks and Romans that produced graffiti: the Mayan site of Tikal in Guatemala also contains ancient examples. Viking graffiti survive in Rome and at Newgrange Mound in Ireland, and a Varangian scratched his name (Halvdan) in runes on a banister in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople. These early forms of graffiti have contributed to the understanding of lifestyles and languages of past cultures. Graffiti, known as Tacherons, were frequently scratched on Romanesque Scandinavian church walls. When Renaissance artists such as Pinturicchio, Raphael, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio or Filippino Lippi descended into the ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea, they carved or painted their names and returned with the //grottesche// style of decoration. There are also examples of graffiti occurring in American history, such as Signature Rock, a national landmark along the Oregon Trail. Later, French soldiers carved their names on monuments during the Napoleonic campaign of Egypt in the 1790s.Lord Byron's survives on one of the columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in Attica, Greece. = Methods and production = The first graffiti shop in Russia was opened in 1992 in Tver City. The modern day graffiti artist can be found with an arsenal of various materials that allow for a successful production of a piece. This includes such techniques as [|scribing]. However, spray painin aerosol cans is the number one necessity for graffiti. From this commodity come different styles, technique, and abilities to form master works of visual graffiti. Spray paint can be found at hardware and art stores and come in virtually every color. Stencil graffiti, originating in the early 1980s, is created by cutting out shapes and designs in a stiff material (such as cardboard or subject folders) to form an overall design or image.The stencil is then placed on the canvas gently and with quick, easy strokes of the aerosol can, the image begins to appear on the intended surface. This method of graffiti is popular amongst artists because of its swift technique that requires very little time. Time is always a factor with graffiti due to the constant threat of getting caught by law enforcement. = Modern experimentation = Modern graffiti art often incorporates additional arts and technologies. For example, Graffiti Research Lab has encouraged the use of projected images and magnetic light-emitting diodes as new media for graffiti writers. The Italian artist Kaso is pursuing //regenerative graffiti// through experimentation with abstract shapes and deliberate modification of previous graffiti artworks. Yarnbombing is another recent form of graffiti. Yarnbombers occasionally target previous graffiti for modification.

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South America
There is a significant graffiti tradition in South America, especially in Brazil. Within Brazil, São Paulo is generally considered to be the current centre of inspiration for many graffiti artists worldwide. Artful graffiti in Olinda, Brazil Open Museum of Urban Art of Sao Paulo, Brazil Brazil "boasts a unique and particularly rich graffiti scene ... [earning] it an international reputation as the place to go for artistic inspiration."Graffiti "flourishes in every conceivable space in Brazil's cities."Artistic parallels" are often drawn between the energy of São Paulo today and 1970s New York."The "sprawling metropolis,"of São Paulo has "become the new shrine to graffiti. Manco alludes to "poverty and unemployment ... [and] the epic struggles and conditions of the country's marginalised peoples,"and to "Brazil's chronic poverty," as the main engines that "have fuelled a vibrant graffiti culture.In world terms, Brazil has "one of the most uneven distributions of income. Laws and taxes change frequently Such factors, Manco argues, contribute to a very fluid society, riven with those economic divisions and social tensions that underpin and feed the "folkloric vandalism and an urban sport for the disenfranchised,"that is South American graffiti art. Prominent Brazilian graffiti artists include Os Gêmeos, Boleta, Nunca, Nina, Speto, Tikka and T.Freak.Their artistic success and involvement in commercial design ventures has highlighted divisions within the Brazilian graffiti community between adherents of the cruder transgressive form of //pichação// and the more conventionally artistic values of the practitioners of //grafite//. Middle East

Graffiti in Tehran, Iran Graffiti in the Middle East is slowly emerging, with pockets of taggers operating in the various 'Emirates' of the United Arab Emirates, in Israel, and in Iran. The major Iranian newspaper //Hamshahri// has published two articles on illegal writers in the city with photo coverage of Iranian artist A1ones works on Tehran walls. Tokyo-based design magazine //PingMag// has interviewed A1one and featured photos of his work.The Israeli West Bank barrier has become a site for graffiti, reminiscent in this sense of the Berlin Wall. Many graffiti artists in Israel come from other places around the globe, such as JUIF, from Los Angeles, and DEVIONE from London. The religious reference "נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן" ("Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman") is commonly seen graffitied around Israel.

=Graffiti Terms= A number of words and phrases have come to describe different styles and aspects of **graffiti**. Like other jargon and colloquialisms, some phrases vary in different cities and countries. The following terminology comes primarily from the United States.

angelsFamous or respected graffiti artists who have died. People tag their names with halos above them or make tribute pieces with their faces or tag with the dates of their run or birth to death.[//citation needed//]all cityThe state of being known for one's graffiti throughout a city. Originally, this term meant to be known throughout the five boroughs of New York City through the medium of subway cars.back to backGraffiti that covers a wall from end to end, as seen on some parts of the West-Berlin side of the Berlin Wall. Similarly, trains sometimes receive **end to end** painting when a carriage has been painted along its entire length. This is often abbreviated as //e2e//. End to ends used to be called **window-downs** but this is an older expression that is falling from popularity.backjumpA quickly executed throw up or panel piece. Backjumps are usually painted on a temporarily parked train or a running bus.black bookA graffiti artist's sketchbook. Often used to sketch out and plan potential graffiti, and to collect tags from other **writers**. It is a writer's most valuable property, containing all or a majority of the person's sketches and **pieces**. A writer’s sketchbook is carefully guarded from the police and other authorities, as it can be used as material evidence in a graffiti vandalism case and link a writer to previous illicit worksbiteTo steal another artist's ideas or lettering schemes. Seasoned artists will often complain about **toys** that bite their wor//bomb// or //hit// is to paint many surfaces in an area. Bombers often choose **throw-ups** or **tags** over complex **pieces**, as they can be executed more quicklyremove painted graffiti with chemicals and other instruments, or to paint over it with a flat color.[|[][|2]burnTo beat a competitor with a style.burner1. A large, more elaborate type of **piece**. The piece could be said to be "burning" out of the wall or train-side. Because they take so much time and effort, burners in downtown areas are more likely to be legal pieces, painted with the consent of the property owner. The early writers of New York also did burners illegally on trains, and adventurous modern writers sometimes still do large scale illegal pieces in heavily-trafficked areas. More recently, any quick chrome **bombing** or **throwup**.[//citation needed//]burningAny work having not been removed. "That piece is still burning on main street."cannon(s)A slang term for spray paint cans. This term is thought to originate in Brooklyn, New York.cap (I)the nozzle for the aerosol paint can, different kinds are used for styles.cap (II)To cross out or in any other way ruin a piece made by others. Derives from a writer named "Cap" who was infamous for making throw-ups over others' pieces.crewA //crew//, //krew//, or //cru// is a group of associated **writers** or graffiti artists that often work together. Some crews are members of gangs or are associated with gangs (sometimes for procurement of art materials or for protection while painting), but most crews are unaffiliated with gangs. Any group of friends can quickly and informally form a crew if they are interested in graffiti and want to start collaborating. There is a smaller risk of being held responsible for crew works if a single member gets arrested. From a legal point of view, the name could have been painted by anyone in the group[|]]dropsya bribe.dress-upTo completely write all over a specific area like a door-way, wall or window that is untouched.dubsLondon/UK style of graffiti executed in silver or chrome paint. Usually on railway walls or street locations, it is done quickly by a crew or group of writers. E-K end-to-end (...)The opposite of //top-to-bottom// - meaning a train-car covered with paint from one side of it to the other. Used as an adjective and non-commonly as a noun. //Etching-Tags// in Chicago =New Methods= The use of acid solutions intended for creating frosted glass, such as Etch Bath, to write on windows. In Norway some trains have even been taken temporarily out of service because of the //acid tagging//, which is potentially dangerous for other people's healthfat capA nozzle used for wide coverage, used for the fill of pieces.fillsAlso referred to as "bombs" "throw ups" or "throwies". Fills describe a piece of graffiti that is either filled in a rush or a solid fill. A fill is also the interior base color of the piece of graffiti.galleryLocations such as overpasses and walls facing train tracks that are secluded from the general public but are popular with writers. Since anything that is written is likely to stay for a while, an accumulation of styles and skills can be viewed.going overTo "go over" a piece of graffiti simply means to paint on top of While most writers respect one another's artwork, to intentionally and disrespectfully paint on top of another's work is akin to a graffiti declaration of war. However (due partially to the limited amount of desirable wall-space) most graffiti writers maintain a hierarchy of sorts; a tag can legitimately be covered by a throw-up, and a throw-up by a piece, and this is commonly done without incident. If a piece has previously been slashed (or "dissed"), it is also acceptable for another writer to go over it. To violate these guidelines, or to simply paint lower-quality graffiti on top of a higher-quality artist's work will quickly characterize a writer as an annoyance, or "toy." This is thought to be dangerous as a few remarkable crews are rumored to be physically violent to people not respecting their self-claimed rank in the hierarchy. //also: hot 110//German MontanaSpecialty paint brand company designed for graffiti. Due to a dispute in name branding, it is unrelated to Spanish Montana, a company selling the same products which capitalized on the idea first.getting upto work your reputation or "rep" through graffiti. (see King) =H-J= "Heavens" or "giraffiti" heaven spots (or shorter as //heavens//)Pieces that are painted in hard-to-reach places such as rooftops and freeway signs, thus making them hard to remove. Such pieces, by the nature of the spot, often pose dangerous challenges to execute, but may increase an artist's notoriety. This term also encompasses a double-meaning as the locations are often very dangerous to paint there and it may lead to death, thus, going to [|heaven] (also known as "hitting up the heavens").hat (honor-among-thieves)A person who is described as wearing a "hat" is an artist who is considered trustworthy in the graffiti community. A person who knows a lot of information about other artists but does not spread such knowledge to the authorities. "Don't worry about him, he wears a dope hat"headsimilar to a king or queen, a "head" is a writer who has much skill and a high reputation among other writers in his area.hollowsalso referred to as "outlines" and "shells". A hollow is a piece of graffiti that contains no **fill**.insidesGraffiti done inside trains, trams, or buses. In 1970s New York, there was as much graffiti inside the subway trains as outside, and the same is true of some cities today (like Rome, Italy and Melbourne, Australia). While still very common, //insides// are often perceived as being less artistic.kingThe opposite of **toys**, kings or **queens** (feminine) are writers especially respected among other writers. This is sometimes separated into "inside" and "outside" kings. To be a king of the inside means you have most tags inside trains (to "own the inside"), and to "own the outside" means having most pieces on the train surface. One should note that there are kings of //style// among a variety of other categories and the term is regionally subjective. Self-declared kings will often incorporate crowns into their pieces; a commonly used element of style. However the people must be very self-confident when doing it, since other great writers tend to slash out self-proclaimed kings who have not gained that rank yet in their eyes. Typically a writer can only become a king if another king with that status already has expressed so. knightA respected graffiti writer whose skills are still progressing. They are not as good as a king, but are much better than a toy.KrylonA paint brand that was one of the most popular with writers, it is thought of virtually synonymous with graffiti, due to general quality and availability. Heavily used during the hey-day of the New York City Subway graffiti era during the early 1970s to late 1980s, it has a nostalgic status. Starting in mid 2008, the brand introduced a generation of paint can design with an irremovable cap system that sprays a rectangular coverage instead of the circular coverage preferred by writers. The paint quality is runnier and translucent in comparison to graffiti specialty brands. Sherwin Williams, Krylon's parent company, has dominated a significant portion of the paint market and many retail outlets stock only Krylon paints. For this reason, Krylon is categorized into three groups. It is considered to be an indication of being a toy if one chooses 360 Krylon = L-P = landmarkWhen an individual "tags" on a certain location that becomes very difficult for removal. Can also be a location that will not get noticed too much, therefore it stays on longer.legalA graffiti piece or production that is made with permission.married coupleTwo simultaneous //whole cars// painted next to each other. Some artists make fun of the term by connecting the two paintings across the car-gap often in a humoristic or obvious way to signal the //marriage//. (Subway cars permanently coupled and sharing a single air-compressor and electrical generator between them are technically //married pairs.//)massacreWhen municipal authorities take down or cover up an accumulation of tags and pieces, leaving a blank space.mopA type of homemade graffiti marker used for larger tags that often has a round nib and leaves a fat, drippy line. Mops may be filled with various inks or paints.muralsee "piece"one-linerA tag written with a marker or mop in one constant motion. The tip of the writing implement does not lift from the canvas until the tag is complete.paint-eateran unprimed surface such as raw wood or concrete that eats up standard spray paint. If a location has been given the reputation of being a "paint eater" than in such cases a thicker paint should be obtained and executed.painters touchA brand by [|Rust-Oleum] that is favored for quality and general availability.pasteupA drawing, stencil etc. on paper fixed to a wall or other surface using wheatpaste or wallpaper pastepatchA tag that has been rubbed out by being painted over usually by gray paint or "patched" over.pawnAnother name used to describe **toys**. This name pawn is used in conjunction with the "King/Queen" and "Knight" terminology which is a reference to Chess.pichaçãoBrazilian name for the unique form of tagging found in that country.//masterpiece//)A large and labor-intensive graffiti painting. //Pieces// often incorporate 3-D effects, arrows, and many colors and color-transitions, as well as various other effects. Originally shorthand for masterpiece, considered the full and most beautiful work of graffiti). A piece requires more time to paint than a throw-up. If placed in a difficult location and well executed it will earn the writer more respect. Piece can also be used as a verb that means: "to writeTPainters Touch brand by Rust-Oleum Graffiti shop is equipped with anti-theft system. Tver City, rackingShoplifting or robbing, not limited to but including paint, markers, inks, caps, and clothes. Although disputed whether racking is an essential part of graffiti, there are writers who do not consider using legitimately acquired paint or pens as proper R-W rollerAn enormous piece done with a paint roller instead of aerosol.rooktrusted member of a crew.runThe length of time graffiti remains up before being covered or removed. If a piece has been up for a year, it is said to have "run for a year".rustoRust-Oleum brand spray paint.scribeAlso called "scratchitti," //scribing// creates hard-to-remove graffiti by scratching or incising a tag into an object, generally using a key, knife, stone, ceramic drill bit, or diamond tipped Dremel bit. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness determines which stones or other objects will scratch what surfaces. Often accompanied by etch, which is a faster method only applicable on glass surfacesslamTo paint an extremely conspicuous or dangerous location.slashTo put a line through, or tag over, another's graffiti. This is considered a deep insult. It is also known as "marking", "dissing" and "capping" (because of an infamous writer called CAP going over almost every piece on every car of the New York transit system in the early 70s and has become sort of a criticized legend because of that). Also referred to as "crossing out", "dissing" or "going over".soak upTo consider other pieces for inspiration.Spanish MontanaSpecialty paint brand company designed for graffiti. Due to a dispute in name branding, it is unrelated to German Montana, a company selling the same products capitalizing on the idea after Spanish Montana.stainerA marker used to tag with, generally with a 12mm or 20mm tip. In some countries such as Australia possession of these without a reason can result in an on the spot finestickerAlso referred to as "labels" or "slaps". A sticker (often obtained from shipping companies and name greeting labels) with the writer's tag on it. A sticker can be deployed more quickly than other forms of graffiti, making it a favorite in any public place such as newspaper dispensers, stop signs, phone booths etc. A popular sticker that was used originally was the "Hello my name is" red stickers in which a writer would write his or her graffiti name in the blank space.straight letterAlso referred to as "straights" and sometimes "simples" are a direct blocky, more readable and simpler style of graffiti. Straight letters can be read by anyone and usually contain only 2 colors. A graffiti tag. tag (scribble)A stylized signature, normally done in one color. The simplest and most prevalent type of graffiti, a tag is often done in a color that contrasts sharply with its background. //Tag// can also be used as a verb meaning "to sign". Writers often tag on or beside their pieces, following the practice of traditional artists who sign their artwork. A less common type of tag is a "dust tag", done in dust by writers to practice. The verb tagging has even become a popular verb today in other types of occasions that are non-graffiti-related. Tagging first appeared in Philadelphia, with spraypainted messages of "Bobby Beck In '59" on freeways surrounding the city. The first "king" was also crowned in Philly: Cornbread (graffiti), a student who began marking his nickname around the city to attract the attentions of a girl. In New York City, TAKI 183 inspired a newspaper article about his exploits, leading to an explosion of tagging in the early seventies.throw-upA throw-up or //"throwie"// sits between a //tag// and a //piece// in terms of complexity and time investment. It generally consists of a one-color outline and one layer of fill-color. Easy-to-paint bubble shapes often form the letters. A throw-up is designed for quick execution, to avoid attracting attention to the writer. Throw-ups are often utilized by writers who wish to achieve a large number of tags while competing with rival artists. Most artists have both a tag and a throw-up that are essentially fixed compared to pieces. It is mostly so because they need to have a recognizable logo for others to identify them and their own individual styles.top-to-bottomPieces on trains that cover the whole height of the car. A top-to-bottom, //end-to-end// combined production is called a //whole-car//. A production with several writers might cover a //whole-train//, which means the entire side of the train has been covered. In the U.S. this term can also be used as a single noun instead of only an adjective.toy1. Used as an adjective to describe poor work, or as a noun meaning an inexperienced or unskilled writerGraffiti writers usually use this as a derogatory term for new writers in the scene or writers that are old to the scene that still do not have any skill or reputation. The act of "toying" someone else's graffiti is to disrespect it by means of going over it (see "slash"/"going over").2. "toys" often added above or directly on a "toy" work. An acronym meaning Tag Over Your Shit.undersidesTags or signatures painted on the under carriage of passenger trains. Undersides are normally marked in the yard after painting the train panel, most undersides will last somewhat longer than the original piece, as the railway workers primarily focus on the most visible things and sometimes do not have resources to clean everything.upWriters become //up// when their work becomes widespread and well-known. Although a writer can "get up" in a city by painting only tags (or throw-ups), a writer may earn more respect from skillfully executed pieces or a well-rounded repertoire of styles than from sheer number of tags. Usually the more spots a writer can hit, the more respect he or she gains. A writers ups is determined by how much prolific graffiti he/she has accomplished and that is actively running.whole carA single or collaborative piece that covers the entire visible surface of a train car, usually excluding the front and rear of the train. A whole car is usually worked upon by either a single artist or several artists from the same crew and is completed in one sitting.whole trainAll train cars (usually between four and eight or more, regardless of the train length) completely covered with paint reaching the far end of the train on one or both sides. Such demanding actions are often done by multiple artists or crews and with a limited variation of colors - commonly in black and silver - because of the stressing time limitation they are facing when painting in the train yards (very often less than 30 minutes). However the more artists who participate, the better works can come out of it and the cars are done quicker too. This type of graffiti, if finished successful, is one of the most respected forms amongst other writers, but is also rarer due to the higher risk of getting caught.wildstyleGraffiti with text so stylized as to be difficult to read, often with interlocking, three-dimensional type. Wildstyle on a truck in Paris Example of woodblock window-down (...)Used mostly as a prefix for a //whole car// (other variations are possible too) where the content has been painted below the window borders, almost always covering the whole surface in its length (see //end to end//). Can be used as a more precise alternative to the mentioned term within the brackets, but though not in addition to //top-to-bottom// as that will exceed the definition of the termwoodblock graffitiArtwork painted on a small portion of plywood or similar inexpensive material and attached to street sign posts with bolts. Often the bolts are bent at the back to prevent removal.writerA practitioner of writing, a graffiti artist. = = = = = Aggregation of Damage – Police and Prosecution use of Graffiti Tracker Databases = = = Graffiti databases have increased in the past decade because they allow vandalism incidents to be fully documented against an offender and help the police and prosecution charge and prosecute offenders for multiple counts of vandalism. They also provide law enforcement the ability to rapidly search for an offender’s moniker or tag in a simple, effective and comprehensive way. These systems can also help track costs of damage to city to help allocate an anti graffiti budget. The theory is that when an offender is caught putting up graffiti, they are not just charged with one count of vandalism; they can be held accountable for all of the other damage for which they are responsible. This has two main benefits for law enforcement. One, it sends a signal to the offenders that their vandalism is being tracked. Two, a city can seek restitution from offenders for all of the damage that they have committed, not merely a single incident. These systems give law enforcement personnel real-time, street-level intelligence that allows them to not only focuses on the worst graffiti offenders and their damage, but also to monitor potential gang violence that is associated with the graffiti.
 * 360 krylon - from the "Ez touch 360 dial control" label
 * triple krylon - from the "No Runs, No Drips, No Errors" label
 * original krylon - The first line of cans, sought after as a collectors item

Police Response – Gang Injunctions
Many restrictions of civil gang injunctions are designed to help address and protect the physical environment and limit graffiti. Provisions of gang injunctions include things such as restricting the possession of marker pens, spray paint cans, or other sharp objects capable of defacing private or public property; spray painting, or marking with marker pens, scratching, applying stickers or otherwise applying graffiti on any public or private property, including but not limited to the street, alley, residences, block walls and fences, vehicles and/or any other real or personal property. Some injunctions contain wording that restricts damaging or vandalizing the property of another, both public and private property, including but limited to any vehicle, light fixture, door, fence, wall, gate, window, building, street sign, utility box, telephone box, trees, or power pole

Graffiti Hotlines and Reward Programs
To help address many of these issues, many local jurisdictions have set up graffiti abatement hotlines, where citizens can call in and report vandalism and have it removed. San Diego’s hotline receives over 5000 calls per year, in addition to reporting the graffiti, callers can learn more about prevention. One of the complaints about these hotlines is the response time, there is often a lag time between a property owner calling about the graffiti and the actual removal of it. The length of delay should be a consideration for any jurisdiction planning on operating a hotline. Local jurisdictions must convince the callers that their complaint of vandalism will be a priority and cleaned off right away. If the jurisdiction does not have the resources to respond to complaints in a timely manner, the value of the hotline diminishes. Crews must be able to respond to individual service calls made to the graffiti hotline as well as focus on cleanup near schools, parks and major intersections and transit routes to have the biggest impact. Some cities offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of suspects for tagging or graffiti related vandalism. The amount of the reward is based on the information provided and the action taken.

Police Response – Graffiti Search Warrants
When the police use search warrants in connection with a vandalism investigation they are often seeking judicial approval to look for items such as cans of spray paint and nozzles from other kinds of aerosol sprays, etching tools or other sharp or pointed objects used to etch or scratch glass and other hard surfaces, and permanent marking pens, such as markers or paint sticks; evidence of membership or affiliation with any gang or tagging crew, paraphernalia to include any reference to “(tagger’s name),” and any drawings, writings, objects or graffiti depicting taggers’ names, initials, logos, monikers, slogans, or mention of tagging crew membership; any newspaper clippings relating details of or referring to any graffiti crime.

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