No matter where you live, graffiti has been present; and for some time. Most immediately think to gang relations, but there is a little more to it than that. The first graffiti artists, as we come to know it as artistic writing on the wall, dated back to Ancient Rome, but obviously, it was viewed quite differently back then as it is now.
History of Modern & Contemporary Graffiti Art
The first modern graffiti art came about in New York in the late 1960 and was first seen in the subway trains. A messenger known as Taki 183 lived on 183rd Street in Washington Heights. Being a messenger, he traveled through the whole city. With a marker in hand, he would mark his name everywhere he went. Subway trains, inside and outside of cars where all marked with the mysterious name Taki. Eventually the locals, ever intrigued with the mystery behind the bizarre “tagging”. In 1971, the New York Times was able to investigate and solve the mystery and interviewed Taki. Now that he was getting so much positive attention from his graffiti, kids began to follow suit and emulate their role model. It got so popular, that young adolescents would have competitions for the most name tagged all over the city. As the competition grew, the use of mere markers on the trains would no longer suffice. Spray paint got involved to mark exteriors not suited for paint and that’s when they got more elaborate. First to improve was the artistic flare and style to which they tagged their name. Then they would get more exciting with bright colors and special effects; all in the war to out shine one another. Size became the next battle.
Everybody wanted their 10 minutes of fame for their works of art, and battle to outshine the last became common place. It got so strategic, that they would carry notebooks and meet in a variety of places to work on their ideas and share critique and feedback on one another. They would work in crews so that the artist could tag a wall, and others would be on lookout patrol for law enforcement. Graffiti even revolutionized political and social view points. Where many still tag using their code name of sorts, some have painted so much more, which is found in several museums and art galleries around the world. Now the battle seems to be between two sides. Graffiti is art or the flip side, graffiti is vandalism. Where both sides have valid points, the law is the law. Although states have independent laws prohibiting acts of graffiti, there is a federal law. Depending on the property damage costs and other details, usually the offender gets community service. But juvenile detention, probation and fines could incur. If you didn’t give someone permission to paint on your walls, chances are you don’t want graffiti on your property and will want to remove it ASAP!
Exterior Pressure Cleaning, Power Washing & Graffiti Removal in McDonough, Barnesville, Fayetteville, Covington, Locust Grove & Griffin Georgia!
Big Moose Pressure Cleaning provides exterior power washing that can remove graffiti from your vandalized surfaces. If your property has been tagged and you would like it removed, give us a call for graffiti removal!