Graffiti Art Essay

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Graffiti Art
Graffiti is an art form, which has been in existence for decades. According to Gottlieb (15), graffiti can be traced back to the Roman Empire and the ancient, classical Greece. Graffiti is a word that was derived from the Italian word graffito, which means works of art done by scratching a certain design on a surface such as a wall. On the other hand, the word graffito was derived from the word graphein, a Greek word, which means to write (Gottlieb 23). It is made on both private and public surfaces mostly in low income parts of cities and may take the form of words and drawings or art. In the ancient times, graffiti referred to wall carvings, drawings of figures, and inscriptions on old ruins, in Rome. However, in many cities graffiti is said to be an artistic vandalism, which cannot be recognized as form of art. Many people argue that it is a gang activity; thus, making it illegal in public, as well as private property. This paper will analyze the history of graffiti art, the problems of modern graffiti and its vandalism claims, as well as their solutions. Also, it will examine the reasons why graffiti is not recognized as a form of art, and give reasons why it should be recognized.
Several decades ago, the Romans wrote on the walls of buildings in towns that they conquered, and the cave men also painted on walls even before people started using words. In Roman times, this form of writing was regarded as graffiti and has since been known by the same. According to Gottlieb (33), political activists used Graffiti mainly to make statements while the street gangs used it to mark their territory. However, the real form of graffiti, which is regarded as modern graffiti, began in the 1960s in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in the U.S. In order to gain attention from the public and local press, Cornbread and Cool Earl
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