Graffiti can be disrespectful, vandalistic, and obscene. Or it can be rebellious, artistic, or with political and social meaning, or it can be both. In archaeology, ‘graffito’ means a deliberate mark that prehistoric people left on stone surfaces to depict figures. But nowadays, graffiti is usually looked down upon.
Contemporary graffiti is an artistic expression through which street artists share their artistic skills with the belief. The art usually reflects their social, political & sometimes provocative beliefs. In some places, graffiti is legal, but in most places, it’s not. Some city councils understand the possible artistic value of graffiti and thus provide wall space.
Graffiti art and Efforts to Promote it
Instead of unilaterally demonizing the art form, they are finding ways to promote this creativity while upgrading the urban landscape. The Urban Act in Rome( Italy) is a project that gives the graffiti makers or normal people space, time, & exposure to express themselves in the city. Furthermore, there is another initiative by the government, where there is a website of the government.
This website allows anyone to find any of the 1764 (and counting) legal graffiti walls around the world. Moreover, there are also graffiti festivals all around the world, like Upfest in Bristol, UK. Also, Europe held the largest free festival in 2017, which witnessed 350 international artists and 50,000 visitors. In 2018, they celebrated their 10th anniversary & registered the footfall of 1000 artists. If you are looking for a perfect place where you can get a collection of amazing graffiti artists at a single place then you can discover graffiti artists to hire at Book an Artist which is a collective place dedicated to hiring artists.
In any art form, a combination of creativity, technical skills, significance, or message marks its excellence. This is of course risky too, in this case. The best street artists work with spray paints to varnish subtle messages, colorful explosions, or massive artwork to combine these elements.
What is Graffiti actually?
It is a form of visual communication by using the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. This is generally illegal, though the common image of graffiti is stylish. This is generally a symbol or phrase spray-painted on a wall by a member of a street gang. But, some graffiti is not related to gangs.
Graffiti is seen as an antisocial behavior done to gain attention or to seek a thrill. But it is also considered an expressive form of art. It is derived from the Italian word graffito (“scratch”), graffiti (“incised inscriptions,” plural but often used as singular).
History of Graffiti Art
It goes a long way in history, from markings found in ancient Roman ruins to the remains of the Mayan city. Also, it was found on rocks in Spain dating to the 16th century and in medieval English churches. During the 20th century, graffiti was closely associated with gangs in the United States and Europe.
For various purposes, it was like identifying or claiming territory or memorializing dead gang members. Also, they used it to boast about their crimes or to challenge the rival gangs as a prelude to violent confrontations. Graffiti was particularly prominent in major urban centers throughout the world, especially in the United States and Europe.
The main places were the subways, billboards, and walls. In the 1990s, a new form of graffiti emerged, named “tagging,” which means to repeatedly use the same symbol. Also, they used a series of symbols to mark territory. To attract the most number of people’s attention, they drew this type of graffiti in strategically or centrally located neighborhoods.
Qualities of a Good Graffiti Artist
A good graffiti artist these days must have the following qualities.
Knows the basics of the art
An ideal graffiti artist must see the city as a canvas wherever they look. Graffiti can be a drawing, painting, or other markings on surfaces in public places. Though graffiti rose to fame after the 1980s, it’s coming from the caveman era. Their storytelling through engagements was a kind of graffiti, which is different from today’s date.
Some kinds of graffiti art are illegal; there is a difference between illegal graffiti and graffiti art. This difference is permission. Graffiti artists need permission for the beautiful art they do on the side of buildings.
Learnt essential skills
You should look for graffiti artists with formal education. Though with other types of artistic professions, you may or may not do higher education. But to be a graffiti artist – you must do a higher education for many important reasons.
Their postsecondary education helps them build their skills and develop a personal brand. Moreover, further education makes them comfortable with the use of spray paint and similar tools, which is the main weapon of graffiti.
Has a brand
Advertising agencies also employ graffiti artists to create engaging campaigns for them. These arts and campaigns must strike a chord with the younger audiences, e.g., ad agencies of companies like Coca-Cola and MTV. The Internet and various new-age graphic software and technologies allow the artists to have multiple tools at their fingertips. This helps them in the creation and dissemination of their works.
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