Art for Arts’ Sake

BY ABBEY MENZA

Most people see graffiti as an act of vandalism or a disruption of someone’s property because of the preconceptions of graffiti artists and the laws that are put in place to prevent the practice. Graffiti is an intricate and underrepresented art form with a rich history. A lot of artists use graffiti as a way to express themselves in a nontraditional art form. Graffiti is not just letters that someone puts on a wall but rather a whole culture. Graffiti has been around for thousands of years and has been an important piece of ancient history. Much of the ancient graffiti found in Pompeii exposes the lifestyles and drama many of the citizens shared. On one of the walls in this Roman city in southern Italy, there is a piece of graffiti that roughly translates into “You love Iris, but she does not love you.” This piece offers a rich insight into the love triangles of the residents of Pompeii. Ancient graffiti provides an intimate connection to the citizens of that time period and exposes some important parts of history. Throughout time, graffiti artwork has changed from figure drawings in ancient caves to the more modern version, which requires a lot of technical skill. Modern graffiti emerged around the late 1960s and early 1970s. This new form of art began to take “You love Iris, but she does not love you.”

off and was very popular throughout major cities, specifically in New York City. People began to write their names or “tags” on buildings throughout the city. Early on, “taggers” were people who associated themselves with street gangs and used graffiti as a way to mark their territory. Throughout the 1970s, people had a lot more freedom with graffiti. In the 1980s, stricter laws were put in place to criminalize acts of graffiti. Some people may look at these laws as beneficial to the cities, but others look at these laws as an infringement on artistic freedoms. Some of the most influential artists started their careers in the streets. Keith Haring’s artistic career began in the streets of New York City where he used distinctive drawings as his own “tag” and marked many subways. Between 1980 and 1985, Haring produced hundreds of his recognizable artwork throughout the city. Haring’s graffiti became so popular and influential that he made his work into a successful career and was able to market his art and sell his work as T-shirts, toys, buttons, and posters. Although his work received criticism from others in the art world, he received strong support from his friends, fans, and his mentor, Andy Warhol. This allowed Haring to become one of the most influential artists of his time. Banksy is another influential artist that gained

popularity from street art. The pseudonymous street artist started his career in the streets of London and Bristol, England, in the early 1990s. Banksy’s pieces are politically charged and have a significant underlying message behind them. Oftentimes his artwork is freehand, but he utilizes stencils as well. His edgy themes spark controversy as they include images like rats, apes, policemen, children, members of the royal family, and more. to create satirical pieces that criticize controversial political topics. Around 2013, Banksy took to the streets of New York and began selling some of his pieces as well. Banksy is known worldwide for his work and even though his remains unnamed, his work is truly unforgettable. While many male graffiti artists have received a lot of recognition and fame, many female graffiti artists go unnoticed as graffiti is still a relatively male-dominated art form. In recent years, female graffiti artists have been embracing their femininity through graffiti artwork and have been getting positive attention from it. One reason for underrepresented female graffiti artists is that there tend to be fewer women in the field of graffiti artwork. Many female graffiti artists also tend to be overlooked. A female graffiti artist known as Maya Hayuk has a lot of her artwork on walls throughout Brooklyn, New York. Hayuk is best known for creating colorful and abstract murals with a sort of psychedelic visual experience. Her creative pieces are not only displayed on walls but are also available to purchase in print forms. Even though there have been some success stories within the graffiti artworld, the practice is

still widely viewed as a criminalized art form. While graffiti is illegal in most cities, there are some areas or walls where graffiti artwork is legal and encouraged. There are about 1,977 legal graffiti walls in cities around the world including Queens, New York; London; and more locally, Athens, Ohio. Athens has a wall dedicated to graffiti artwork that encourages students and members of the Athens community to creatively express themselves. Built in 1926, students first began painting the wall in 1967. In 2001, the original wall was torn down to provide space for Bentley Annex, and pieces of the original art wall were sold to raise money for the new university center. Now rebuilt, the wall is constantly changing and oftentimes has artwork related to current political or social events. Athens’ graffiti wall is an incredible creative outlet that

back of the closet adds some more color and artwork to the city of Athens.

There are a lot of negative connotations associated with graffiti art, but in reality, graffiti brings color and life to a city and allows artists to convey socially important messages or just creative expressions of their own. Graffiti carries emotions and feelings that are not just found in art galleries. Art has so many meanings and is expressed in many different forms, but graffiti is such an important aspect of art because it goes against tradition. While not everyone’s cup of tea, graffiti is a culturally rich and significant form of influential artwork that allows for a beautiful expression of emotions, feelings, and socially significant commentary.