Graffiti As An Art Form

Several months ago I blogged about Banksy, one of the most famous graffiti artists in the world, because a picture on the side of a building in Oceanside was thought to be his work. I was fascinated by what he has done.

A few weeks ago Linda and Rod were here, and as I spent one morning with Linda she told me how Rod liked to see the trains and the graffiti art that covers so many of them...They live in an area where hundreds of train cars go through regularly, so it's easy to see. I did a little research about graffiti, and how it has evolved.

Graffiti has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Greece and The Roman Empire. In modern times, paint, particularly spray paint has become the most common medium for graffiti artists. Most countries have laws against defacing buildings and property without permission, but that doesn't seem to stop the graffiti artists. Many countries now have specific areas where graffiti is allowed. Still, the illegal defacement of property is rampant worldwide.

Graffiti is often seen as having become intertwined with hip hop culture and the New York City Subway graffiti. Graffiti became a way of gangs marking territory, too. Actually, graffiti on railroad boxcars has been around for many years. Graffiti often makes a political statement, as in the work of Banksy and others. One thing is for sure, it is bold, colorful, and can't be missed.

Many graffiti artists are anonymous, for obvious reasons. They are breaking the law. But their styles are unique, and anyone that follows this genre of art is able to identify the individual artists

. Except for the Barrio Logan area of San Diego, which is heavily decorated with colorful graffiti everywhere, we don't see much graffiti art here. We see some gangs marking territory, but most of this is quickly removed, as it should be. The debate about graffiti art and the legalities rages on. For now, most work is done late at night or early morning, when no one is around to see. Much of it beautiful to look at. It's too bad these talented artists can't find another way to display their work....