graffiti now and then

Graffiti has been around for a long time as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii. Usage of the word has evolved to include any graphics applied to surfaces in a manner that constitutes vandalism. It has been found in Egypt, Rome, and Asia all over the world. The graffiti in the ancient times represented street life, it also showed errors in spelling and grammar in this graffiti offer insight into the degree of literacy. The ancient Romans carved graffiti on walls and monuments, examples of which also survive in Egypt. Many of the first graffiti installations were advertisements for prostitution. Recently there has been a revolution of graffiti. In the 1920’s graffiti changed into a modern idea. It was done on box cars and buildings. France in the 1960’s was a large surge of graffiti because of the wars and strikes. They were described as revolutionary, anarchist. They were mostly anti war phrases and anarchist views. In the 1960’s in America graffiti was used mostly by political activists also. The graffiti was at the same time done by gangs such as the Savage Skulls, La Familia, and Savage Nomads to mark their territory. Next graffiti migrated to New York and blew up with tags and bombs. Basically there mark saying I was here. Then in the 1970’s spray paint began to dominate graffiti. This new rise in popularity started the state to intervene and create task forces to combat this new art. In the late seventies and early eighties graffiti began to inter twine with hip hop and rap. In the mid-eighties it became dangerous to do graffiti because of turf wars and the large anti graffiti task forces. There has been a recent change in the graffiti image. Now there are public funded graffiti walls and graffiti in art galleries. Graffiti has come a long way but is still thriving with the youth of America. There are still the gangs and taggers and turf tags but graffiti has become more accepted.