The History of Graffiti Art: Origins, Pioneers, and Evolution of Techniques, Content, and Styles

Graffiti art has evolved into a globally recognized art form. Originally a form of street art, graffiti art began in the 1970s in major American cities like New York City and Philadelphia. Its origins are often attributed to African and Latino immigrants who expressed their culture through graffiti art. Since then, graffiti art has developed in many different directions and has been continually redefined by influential figures in the street art scene.

Today, graffiti is considered a vibrant art form that creates unique artistic expressions. Graffiti art has evolved into a global movement, connecting people from all over the world and having a significant impact on popular culture and the art world in general.

Street art is considered one of the most significant art movements, having achieved enormous popularity and continuing to grow rapidly as an art form. Street artworks appear primarily in urban areas and public spaces such as building exteriors, highway overpasses, and bridges, and remarkably shape the appearance of many neighborhoods and cities worldwide.

Creative individuals of all stripes experiment with colors and various graffiti styles to create their unique art. Graffiti art is also present in the media and is often used as a means of conveying political messages. The spray can has become a symbol of freedom and creativity , and a way to tap into people's artistic potential.

Reflections on political and social issues are often central to street art. This ranges from sprayed tags, stencils, stickers, and knitted fibers wrapping telephone poles to monumental painted murals covering entire buildings. Street art is, to a certain extent, closely related to and encompasses graffiti art.

A few key facts at a glance:

• Period: approx. 1960s – present
• Key regions: Originating in the metropolitan areas of the United States, especially New York City and Philadelphia, now widespread worldwide.
• Keywords : Graffiti, Subway Art, Guerrilla Art, Urban Art, Street Art, Public Art, large-scale murals, Mural Art, Wall Art, Spray Art, Tape Art
• Key artists: Keith Haring, Jean Michel Basquiat, Cornbread, Banksy , Shepard Fairey, Lady Pink, Blu, TAKI 183, Tracy 168, Dondi White, Phase 2, Futura 2000, Lee Quinones, Zephyr
• Key features : created in public spaces, with a strong political or social message

The origins of graffiti art

Beginnings and early history

Since prehistoric times , when handprints and paintings depicting hunting scenes were placed on cave walls to highlight the prosperity and unity of small human communities, humans have used natural surfaces to draw and paint on.

The roots of graffiti reach back to antiquity, with examples in ancient Egypt, Greece, and the well-preserved political and personal messages found in Pompeii. These early markings served as a means of communication and expression.

One of the oldest known graffiti dates back to around 500 BC and was found on the Greek island of Astypalaia . Public markings of this period often included personal messages, political statements, and commentary on social life; they were a legitimate form of communication and not to be considered vandalism. Pompeii , buried under volcanic dust, preserved thousands of graffiti inscriptions that offer insights into the daily lives of the Romans, whether through political slogans or personal declarations of love.

The cultural origins of graffiti are inextricably linked to larger social movements that demanded resistance and human expression. Egyptian laborers left their mark on the pyramid construction sites, Roman soldiers carved their names into the walls of fortresses, and medieval pilgrims scratched prayers into church walls.

Graffiti pioneers established it as a universal human behavior that exists across cultural and temporal boundaries. However, the modern art form of graffiti began to develop in the late 1960s and early 1970s, primarily in Philadelphia and New York City, due to the availability of aerosol spray paint.

1920s and 1930s

What we call street art today is inherently different from the aforementioned wall writing and dates back to modern times. Its roots go back to the wars of the notorious gangs in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s . At that time, name-based tags and primitive graffiti began to appear on street walls to mark gang-controlled territories.

A similar urban climate contributed to the emergence of art murals Philadelphia and especially New York City , facilitated by the increasing availability of aerosol spray paint.

The sixties

In the 1960s, New York City went through a difficult period and was on the verge of bankruptcy. The vast expanses of boarded-up buildings, vacant lots, abandoned factories, and construction sites became a canvas for a group of creative children, initially active in Spanish Harlem , who led to the development of an entire art form. Starting with simple signatures, street art evolved into complex murals that covered entire subway cars.

In the poorer neighborhoods of New York City in the late 1960s and early 1970s, artists like TAKI 183 and Tracy 168 spray paint to leave their names in public spaces. Most of them were young people who wanted to mark their presence in society in this way.

From this point on, we can speak of a modern movement "tagging ." It involved simply stylized signatures, with artists known as "writers," such as TAKI 183 in New York and Cornbread (Darryl McCray)  in Philadelphia, competing "up" (most visible) on city walls and, crucially, on subway trains. These mobile canvases allowed tags to be seen throughout the city, amplifying the artists' presence.

The New York subway system became a moving gallery, providing a platform for tagging artists like Phase 2 and Futura 2000 , who pushed creative boundaries in the process. These pioneers developed colorful, complex artworks that transformed subway cars into rolling canvases.

The New York Golden Age

Her graffiti art inspired other artists who, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, began spraying their names and drawings on buildings in the Bronx. These artists formed the first urban art style known as graffiti art.

In the mid-1970s, several distinctive styles emerged as many pioneering street artists of the time wrote their nicknames and pseudonyms in unique ways with original designs, vying to stand out. Few artists have captured the creative process and early dynamics of the street artist communities, with photographer Martha Cooper being one of the most respected names in this field.

She began documenting the New York City street art scene 1970s Subway Art , published in the early 1980s. Cooper's slim paperback edition quickly became a style guide for train writers and graffiti artists, not only in the United States but also in Europe.

Growing institutional resistance

This decade saw the emergence of Wildstyle lettering – consisting of complex, interwoven letters with detailed graphic elements that required great skill to create and decipher. With the increasing sophistication of their techniques, artists such as Dondi , Lee Quinones , and Zephyr the potential of graffiti as a serious art medium.

 

The 1980s saw the peak of subway graffiti culture, while at the same time institutional resistance against it began.

Authorities in the USA responded with the Clean Car Program and other anti-graffiti initiatives that systematically removed artworks and made painting in subway tunnels increasingly difficult and risky.

The transition from the street to gallery spaces

This strict prohibition drove many artists to find new places and approaches. This led to the emergence of legally commissioned murals and gallery-based street art, and enabled artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat to transition from subway tunnels to respected art spaces.

By lending credibility to the transformation movement, these graffiti pioneers brought their work from the street to the stage of the fine arts. In this way, street and graffiti art found their way into art galleries and museums .

Basquiat's works are among the most sought-after art objects of the 20th century. How did they come about, and how did graffiti become such a hotly traded art style in the 1980s? A portrait of the young artist in a short but intense life:

Since then, the art form has secured its position in the art world and confirmed itself as a cultural phenomenon, although such practices are considered illegal in many cities around the world.

The documentation of graffiti through photography and film also emerged in this era; it preserved works that were often destroyed just a few days after their creation.

Today

Today, graffiti art is a well-known phenomenon worldwide and is practiced by many artists around the globe. Numerous techniques and styles are used to create graffiti art, and a wide variety of themes and motifs are incorporated into the artworks. Graffiti art is a rapidly evolving and constantly changing art form.

TRACY 168 – A pioneer accompanies the development of graffiti art

Different forms of graffiti art: techniques and styles

Cities are home to numerous graffiti artworks. For example, graffiti has a long tradition in Berlin and is an important part of the city. Every city has its own culture, which is reflected in the style of graffiti art. From small tags on buildings to impressive murals in the streets, featuring both complex and simple designs, there are many different types of graffiti art.

One of the oldest forms of graffiti art is tagging . Tags are short, simple graffiti images that usually include a name or logo. Tags are typically found on walls, trains, or other public places. Tags are one of the most common forms of graffiti art found in cities.

Technology	execution	Key elements/characteristics
Tagging	The artist's signature, usually done quickly with a marker or spray can. The foundation of the graffiti.	Handstyle (stylized fonts)
Throw-Up	A quickly executed, simple piece, usually using speech bubble letters or block letters, filled with one color and a contrasting outline.	High output, low level of detail
Masterpiece	An elaborate, complex work that typically includes multiple colors, artistic lettering, and three-dimensional effects.	Wildstyle (highly extravagant, interwoven and abstract lettering), Blockbuster (large, thick block letters), Bubble Style (round, inflated letters),
Outlining and fill-ins	Use different spray can caps to control the line width. Bold caps for thick outlines/fills, thin caps for details.	Depth (creating a 3D effect), drop shadows , highlights (light reflections, specular highlights) and fill-ins (the main color within the outline).
Stenciling	Cut a design into material (such as cardboard or acetate) and use it as a stencil to quickly apply paint.	Used by artists such as Banksy and Blek le Rat to create detailed and repeatable images. Wheatpasting (sticking paper posters to walls).

Street art mosaics are beautiful combinations of small fragments that come together to create a unique work of art. These graffiti artworks are usually found on sidewalks or other public spaces and can be a significant addition to any urban landscape.

Spray painting is one of the most common and quickest ways to make a work public, while markers and innovations like filling fire extinguishers with paint are also widespread. However, street art isn't limited to paint and markers, as artists use virtually any available material and media, such as stencils, stickers, posters, textiles, LED lights, mosaics, or video projections.

Yarnbombing , the act of throwing colorful knitted or crocheted yarns or fibers onto the street, is one of the new phenomena in the world of street art.

There are many different types of graffiti art to be found in cities. From simple tags to complex murals and street art mosaics, this art form gives cities a distinctive look and reflects their culture and charm.

Important street art and graffiti pioneers

Finally, let's take a look at some of the most famous street artists of the past and the most influential of the present.

 

Artists	Contribution / Influence	Era / Period	Signature element / Style
TAKI 183	A pioneer of tagging and the "get up" mentality in the NYC subways, which sparked the competitive movement. Provided the blueprint for modern, fame-driven tagging.	1970s	Simple, ubiquitous, fast execution.
Cornbread	Recognized as one of the very first modern graffiti artists.	late 1960s to 1970s	Simple, persistent tagging for fame.
Phase 2	A key innovator in typefaces.	1970s to 1980s	He created complex letterforms and is considered a pioneer of Wildstyle .
Dondi White	Raised the technical standard for subway art.	1970s to 1980s	Elegant, clean, colorful, complete pieces .
Jean-Michel Basquiat	It began with cryptic graffiti slogans, then moved into galleries, combining the roughness of street art with neo-expressionism and social commentary.	late 1970s	The use of bright colors, bold lines and thick textures enabled him to convey the energy and emotion of his subjects in a powerful way.
Lady Pink	One of the few prominent writers in the male-dominated early scene.	late 1970s to the present day	Large, vibrant murals and entire subway cars; often focusing on female empowerment.
Keith Haring	A combination of pop art, activism, and graffiti.	1980s	The artworks are characterized by bold lines, cartoonish styles, and highly kinetic figures such as Radiant Baby and a barking dog.
Banksy	World-renowned for his stencil graffiti, which combines black humor, political satire and provocative social criticism, often using public space for maximum impact.	1990s to the present	Highly detailed, politically charged stencils .

Banksy

Despite his international fame, the identity of stencil artist Banksy remains shrouded in mystery. Banksy, himself an enigma , rose to prominence in the 1990s by spray-painting trains and walls in his hometown of Bristol.

Since then, the artist has become a global phenomenon, bringing subversive and controversial messages to the streets worldwide. He also pulled off one of the most original auction stunts in art history when his 2006 painting "Girl with Balloon" selling for more than a million dollars at a Sotheby's

Keith Haring

Keith Haring played a significant role in the rise of the New York street art scene in the 1980s. He created graffiti-inspired paintings and drawings that broke down the barriers between street culture and high art.

Haring found a unique way to participate in the city's creative boom by using his own visual language and symbols to comment on themes such as drug addiction, sexuality, war, and power. He first gained recognition in the early 1980s with his cartoonish subway drawings, temporary works he created with a piece of chalk, using blank advertising posters at subway stations as his canvas.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

The son of a Puerto Rican mother and a Haitian immigrant father, Jean-Michel Basquiat, like many of his contemporaries, began his work on the streets of New York City. At the age of 20, alongside his studies in art history, he began working on paper and canvas in what is known as the consolidated style.

He befriended his idol Andy Warhol , who not only did much for his rise to fame and recognition but also collaborated with Basquiat. Basquiat struggled for years with the sudden fame and pressure, culminating in a heroin overdose at the age of 27.

After his early death, his fame skyrocketed, and today Jean-Michel Basquiat is considered one of the first and greatest representatives of visual art in the history of African American art through his paintings and graffiti.

Cornbread

CornBread, also known as Darryl McCray, is widely regarded as the world's first graffiti writer and artist. He lives and works in Philadelphia and began creating graffiti in the 1960s, helping to place graffiti art in a contemporary context. He is a graffiti icon who is active as both a public speaker and a representative of a younger generation.

Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey is a contemporary American street artist who founded the well-known brand OBEY , which emerged from the skateboarding scene.

In addition to stencil work, Fairey creates murals as well as graphic illustrations and designs. He is the creator of the successful campaign logo and the "Hope" poster of former US President Barack Obama from 2008.

Lady Pink

The Ecuadorian-American painter, muralist and graffiti artist Lady Pink became a cult figure in the hip-hop and graffiti scene of the 1980s and first gained recognition in the late 1970s for her subway paintings.

Throughout her career, she used graffiti as an act of empowerment for women and continued to mature as an artist, creating monumental works throughout New York and holding wall art workshops for local communities.

Blue

Blu, from Bologna, Italy, represents a younger generation of street artists. He is known for his ambitious projects and politically charged murals on an epic scale. His most famous project is MUTO , a blend of street art and stop-motion animation.

In 2016, he systematically erased and destroyed murals he had created over 20 years on the streets of Bologna as a form of protest against the suppression of youth culture in the city.

The significance of graffiti art in society

Graffiti art is an art form that is widespread in many parts of the world. It can be used as a means to convey a message or make a statement. Graffiti art plays a very significant role in society.

It's a way to give voice to an issue that affects many people. Graffiti art can be used as a medium to convey political messages, to denounce social injustices, or to create a sense of community. But it can also be used to express creativity and uniqueness and to make a statement.

It's a way to express oneself without saying a word. Many graffiti artists use their art to express their opinions and feelings.

Graffiti art can also be used as a form of protest . It can be a way to draw attention to injustices present in society and is used to express rebellion against authority.

In many cases, graffiti art can also be used as a visual element to preserve the culture of a particular community. It can be a way to maintain the traditions and values ​​of a specific group.