History Of Graffiti

Graffiti has been around for millions of years. Romans wrote on the walls of buildings they conquered and cave men drew illustrations on cave walls, although graffiti has not been in the United States quite that long. Graffiti first became big in New York and spread through other states. It started as tagging or writing your name on a street sign. Then gangs used graffiti as a way to mark territory. Not long after, graffiti became a form of art. It inspired young artists to come out and use this new art as a form of self expression. Whatever mood they were feeling they were able to make somthing beautiful. Lee Quinones, one of many graffiti artists, changed the grimy place near Brooklyn bridge into an incredible gallery of art.

Graffiti started moving from streets to subways and quickly became competitive. Graffiti artists had to compete for space and it inevitably offended property owners. This, and the misunderstanding that all graffiti represented gang activity, led to community pressure on polititions. But still graffiti artists strive to improve their art which is constantly changing.