Street art could be considered a reversion to primitive communication. You could take it even further, employing the cliché “made necessary by this woeful, chaotic modern life” argument. Cave paintings are the oldest form of wall-art and possibly the first form of narrative and political commentary—if you want to term them “graffiti,” and consider them a forerunner, go ahead. Or spring forward a few millenniums and consider the early twentieth-century train scribbles used by American hobos. Their self-created inter-group visual dialogue was used both to chart their paths and communicate messages of danger or aid to compatriots. Political graffiti began in ancient Rome, but in a more recent century it made an appearance as early as the May’68 riots in Paris, while across an ocean and a few years later, West Coast punk posters and stencils marked the walls outside of venues. Black Flag and their fans threw up logos even as east coast delivery boys marked territory with spray-paint and etching acid on Upper Manhattan’s 1 Line.

As far I can tell, American graffiti begins in the late 60’s and early 70’s, with Philadelphia taggers Cornflake, Cool Earl and Topcat 126, and New York taggers (from my own ‘hood of Washington Heights) Taki 183 and Tracey 168. Which means that last year or so, the contemporary concept of graffiti celebrated it’s fortieth anniversary, marking the notion of “street art” officially over-the-hill. Which means, of course, it’s ripe for retrospection. But what about European graffiti?

Where the Wild Things Are blog.

http://weloveyouso.com/blog/

Spike Jonze and friends actually post stuff, outrageous.