Graffiti The Original Street Art

Back to the Seventies and the Rise of Graffiti

Contemporary (or “hip-hop”) graffiti dates to the late 1960s, generally said to have arisen from the Black and Latino neighborhoods of New York City alongside hip-hop music and street subcultures, and catalyzed by the invention of the aerosol spray can. Early graffiti artists were commonly called “writers” or “taggers.”

Detailed history of street art… where it began, the war on graffiti. Graffiti’s transition to an art form. Various forms of urban art that have evolved from graffiti and an introduction to notable artists.

Graffiti artists today draw inspiration from Art History at times, but it cannot be said that graffiti grew directly out of any such canon or typology. Modern graffiti did not begin as an art form at all, but rather, as a form of text-based urban communication that developed its own networks.

Source: Street and Graffiti Art – Concepts & Styles

New York City? It’s the birthplace of street art. It came out of the 1970s, when the city was bankrupt and crime was rampant.

Growing up in that environment, kids from the Bronx and Brooklyn tagged subway cars and buildings even though it was illegal and dangerous. Eventually, their new art form spread around the world and found its way into NYC galleries and museums in NYC.

The top twelve cities for street art in the US.

Emerging on the streets in the 1970s, graffiti started off as a way for disassociated youths to express themselves, but it was seen by many as an act of vandalism. Over the years, graffiti became seen as an art form, with street art now revalent wherever you go, with many cities offering tours.

Street art hotspots, according to social media. 1. New York City, New York – 307,000 engagements Unsurprisingly, the street art hotspot capital of the U.S. is New York, which has loads of hidden gems to discover. However, if you’re short on time and want to visit a couple of highlights, head over to the Upper West Side where you can see Banksy’s ‘Hammer Boy’ (preserved behind plexiglass); or head north of Manhattan to the Bronx, where you can visit the Wall of Fame, featuring the designs of hundreds of artists over the years.

Boston, Massachusetts – 13,600 engagements If you’re searching for street art in Boston, make a beeline to Roxbury, which was the site of the original graffiti movement in the 1970s. The ‘Faces of Dudley’ mural depicts people who come from the area, including Malcolm X, whereas ‘The Lab’ murals by the O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science depicts a large white tiger, with black stripes that feature several graffiti writers’ names.

Source: New York City revealed as the street art capital of the USA

International Contemporary Street Art