GRAFFITI - (7)

The word for a single scribble is graffito. Graffiti means more than one scribble.
Although, graffiti is either desecrating or beautifying the surfaces of our city, people still sit on the fence as to what to call it or how to rule on it. It is technically unauthorized writing or drawing on a surface in a public place. Some people call it graffiti, others call it vandalism but I call it urban art. Good graffiti is the work of artists and social commentators, who stick to certain artistic guidelines and morals in the creation of their art.

Graffiti dates back a long way. It could be argued that the first signs of graffiti were on the great pyramid at Giza in Egypt, or on an Egyptian sphinx and the first signs of graffiti in Australia were by the Aboriginals.

Another view of thought is that graffiti could be classified as advertising or propaganda paintings. Graffiti often borrows from the aesthetics of signage and the jargon of advertising campaigns. If it is advertising, no one gives them a permit. We all have views that we may wish to express in public but does that give artists the right to deface public property. Probably not, according to the law, but some graffiti is exceptionally thought out and planned artwork. It is the taggers that make a mess by vanadalising another graffiti artists work.

A famous graffiti artist is Deuce 7 or referred to as (27). His work is being hailed as a new style of graffiti and has received large amounts for his graffiti paintings. Rather then "vandalizing" the public arena, he paints in buildings destined for demolition or just simply screws his paintings into street sign posts.

BEFORE=>AFTER=>GRAFFITI REMOVED

After all, most graffiti is garbage and looks like 5-year-olds have done it. But some of it is very colorful and might look artistic if it hadn't destroyed someone's property. A few property owners now even pay to have colorful murals and other large-scale paintings on their walls and fences.