Origin
Early modernist graffiti can be dated back to box cars in the early 1920s political activists and gang members of the 1960s
The “pioneering era” of graffiti took place during the years 1969 through 1974.
popularity and style New York City (formally Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
TAKI 183 was a youth from Washington Heights, Manhattan who worked as a foot messenger
"'Taki 183' Spawns Pen Pals"
Julio 204
Stay High 149, PHASE 2, Stitch 1, Joe 182, Junior 161 and Cay 161. Barbara 62 and Eva 62 were also important early graffiti artists in New York, and are the first women to become known for writing graffiti.
the movement from outside on the city streets to the subways "getting up": having as many tags and bombs in as many places as possible. Artists began to break into subway yards This is when the act of bombing was said to be officially established
Example of a graffiti "tag"
1971
signature calligraphic appearance a way to distinguish themselves
tags also began to grow in size and scale – for example, many artists had begun to increase letter size and line thickness, as well as outlining their tags. 'masterpiece' or 'piece' in 1972. Super Kool 223 is credited as being the first to do these pieces
polka dots crosshatches and checkers Spray paint use increased dramatically around this time as artists began to expand their work. "Top-to-bottoms", works which span the entire height of a subway car, made their first appearance around this time as well
Hugo Martinez founded the United Graffiti Artists (UGA) in 1972.
UGA consisted of many top graffiti artists of the time, and aimed to present graffiti in an art gallery setting. By 1974, graffiti artists had begun to incorporate the use of scenery and cartoon characters into their work. TF5 (The Fabulous Five), was a crew which was known for their elaborately designed whole cars.
By the mid 1970s time
• most standards had been set in graffiti writing and culture • The heaviest "bombing" in U.S. history took place in this period
• which limited its ability to combat this art form with graffiti removal programs or transit maintenance • "top-to-bottoms" evolved to take up entire subway cars.
• "throw-up"
Modern graffiti on train
The late 1970s and early 1980s brought a new wave of creativity to the scene Fab 5 Freddy (Fred Brathwaite) is another popular graffiti figure of this time, who started in a Brooklyn "wall-writing group.” Fab 5 Freddy is often credited with helping to spread the influence of graffiti and rap music beyond its early foundations in the Bronx, and making links the the mostly white downtown art and music scenes
The MTA (Metro Transit Authority) began to repair yard fences, and remove graffiti consistently, battling the surge of graffiti artists. With the MTA combating the artists by removing their work it often led many artists to quit in frustration, as their work was constantly being removed.