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When we talk about the artistic expression of graffiti, we imagine it to be a very recent movement, but there are reports of public interventions as far back as the Roman Empire. Furthermore, for many years, graffiti art was seen as a violation of the law. Currently, it is present in the visual arts, especially in urban art, as an artistic intervention on city walls.
What is Urban Art?

The concept of urban art is directly linked to violation of the law. It is a type of artistic expression that proposes to occupy urban space and bring art into the daily life of the city. This concept breaks down barriers regarding the place where art can be found and affirms that art is not restricted to cinema, theater, libraries, or museums.

Graffiti is not the only urban art. Some examples of urban art include street theater, mural painting, stenciling, urban interventions, and much more.
Graffiti Urban Art

Contemporary graffiti emerged in the mid-1970s in New York, United States – more precisely in the Bronx. Graffiti itself is an urban intervention that offers social commentary.

Graffiti is related to the Hip-Hop movement, which also began in the 1970s, and involves three artistic movements: music, represented by Rap; dance, represented by Breakdance; and last but not least, painting, represented by Graffiti.

Thus, graffiti is a movement that emerged from the visual arts. It is a direct intervention in the city, taking advantage of public spaces.

The word "graffiti" originally comes from the Italian graffito – plural: graffiti, translated as writing in charcoal!
Characteristics of Graffiti

Graffiti is characterized by being a graphic expression created in urban areas. It is very common to see graffiti on buildings and overpasses, and it is generally located in areas of the city with high traffic and cultural diversity.

The most common material for creating graffiti is spray paint, but it is possible to create graffiti with a wide variety of materials, including latex, for example.
Graffiti can be divided into two main groups:

spray art – free-form spray painting;
stencil art – created by filling a card with cut-out shapes and using spray paint to bring the drawing to life.

Difference Between Graffiti and Tag

There are two ways to answer this question. On the one hand, there is a difference between graffiti and tagging, but on the other, there isn't.

When we consider the more technical aspects of graffiti and tagging, we see a difference. Graffiti expresses itself through drawings, shapes, people, and characters. Tagging, on the other hand, isn't done with drawings, but with text. It's usually done with its own typography and striking messages.

It's often said that tagging is vandalism and graffiti is art. However, there's no such distinction. Both graffiti and tagging are artistic expressions with a strong political undertone. Both are often done without authorization and as a form of protest.

Because of its more easily understood appearance, graffiti art has emerged from the margins and become more widely accepted. Meanwhile, the perception of graffiti remains riddled with prejudice.
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• #Graffiti art
• #urban art
• #artistic
• #museum. Contemporary graffiti
• #visual arts