Graffiti is a drawing or inscription that is made in a public place or a facade.
The first step we are going to take to know the meaning of the term graffiti is to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we have to explain that it is a word that derives from the Latin verb "grabare", which in turn derives from the Greek verb "grapho", which can be translated as "record" or "write."
Graffiti or graffiti is an inscription or drawing that is made in a public place, usually without authorization. Graffiti usually develops on walls, sculptures, statues, etc. It is worth mentioning that it is common to continue using its original form (that is, with two Fs).
Origin of graffiti
The origins of graffiti date back to Ancient Rome . In ruins that remain from that time, inscriptions have been detected that would have been created spontaneously, with critical or satirical intent.
Graffiti can be artistic manifestations , political expressions , declarations of love or content of any other type. Currently, they are usually created with spray paint , although other materials can be used according to the chosen technique .
Depending on the case, graffiti can be considered street art or vandalism.
Different views
There are different ways to understand the phenomenon of graffiti. The usual thing is to consider that it is an act of vandalism , since they are reflected in public spaces or even on the private property of others. Graffiti may appear on the door of a church, on the bust of a hero, on a train car or on the wall of a house, to name a few possibilities. In these cases, graffiti causes damage.
In any case, there are people who give walls to artists so that they can create graffiti on them. There are also governments that allocate certain places to the development of graffiti as a way to beautify public space through urban art .
It is important to keep in mind that graffiti can be very varied: from an insult or a hateful message to an artistic drawing or a poem. That is why the consideration of graffiti usually depends on its characteristics.
Graffiti references
In addition to all the above, we cannot ignore that there are a series of people who have become important graffiti artists who are recognized throughout the world. Among those are some figures such as these:
– Banksy , who creates graffiti that is very famous because it stands out for being very critical of the prevailing society and even of political leaders. It has the peculiarity that no one knows its true identity.
– Blu , who is an Italian artist who has achieved worldwide fame and who stands out because he makes graffiti against capitalism and globalization.
A George Lucas film
In the same way, it is worth highlighting the existence of a well-known film that has the word that concerns us now in its title. We are referring to "American Graffiti" , which premiered in 1973 under the direction of George Lucas and the production of Francis Ford Coppola.
Richard Dreyfuss, Bob Hopkins, Ron Howard and Paul Le Mat are some of the actors who led the cast of this film that tells the story of a group of boys who live in California and who are living the last summer of their youth back in the year 1962.