What Is Graffiti?

What is Graffiti?

Graffiti, thought by many, is an eyesore, a sign of urban decay, vandalism, illegal, not art, a crime. When graffiti is seen on buildings, signs, or mailboxes within an area of town, the result is a heightened fear of crime in that community. Graffiti is created by troublemakers, rebels, or thugs out to destroy and vandalize public property. These people couldn’t care less about what they’re doing or drawing, they just love breaking the rules. When caught in the act of creating graffiti, hundreds of hours of community service, thousands of dollars in fines and even jail time are potential results. There is no purpose to the graffiti. Though probably millions of people agree with everything written above, I strongly oppose. Graffiti is beautiful, meaningful, historical, art, a culture, and an important social message.

Graffiti has been in existence since ancient times. Examples of graffiti can be traced back to Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and Ancient China. The Greek infinitive graphein means “to write” and the Italian word graffiato means “scratched”. The Catacombs of Rome, Pompeii, churches and even the Great Wall of China has been found with graffiti scratched onto its surfaces. Graffiti has been found on some of history’s most important objects and buildings: caricatures of politicians, tragic love poems written by heart-broken young men, political slogans, and literary quotes. All of these acts of graffiti provide amazing insight into ancient life. No historian today would ever destroy or paint over the markings because they are direct path to our past. If graffiti had such significant meaning back then, why shouldn’t it now? The human generation has and always will have a problem with preserving for the future. We live in the “now”. In a hundred years or so, graffiti that has survived today’s mostly anti-graffiti society will be looked at as beautiful, historic art and clues to understanding the past. Graffiti holds and has the ability to hold the most important type of history: the thoughts of those living at that time. Two graffiti researchers and sociologists named Abel and Buckley word it perfectly:

“If the art and literature of a particular culture are often examined for insights into the preoccupations of the best minds of that society, should not graffiti be given the same consideration?” (Abel & Buckley 1977)

Besides graffiti being a direct image from the past, it is itself a culture. Graffiti’s culture is associated with many other specific cultures: hip-hop, gang and skateboard culture. I understand that many people don’t recognize these as cultures. Most older, mature people see these groups as young delinquents who have no self-regard and a lack of respect for public property, but you have to see past that. Cultures develop and change the same way that time, music, fads and history does. Graffiti is not only a culture, but it is a representation of different voices. Also, graffiti is a reflection of the relationship between art and society. Graffiti may not be the idea of the purest art form to some people, but who can decide what art even is? Art does not have one defining characteristic. Only society has the ability to change the boundaries which define what art is. Graffiti is a culture because it is created by those who paint on walls