The names, which were written
on the hardcore places very rapid, become famous and well known. And
the owners of these signatures just day by day become heroes in their
own local society. When the spray paint was invented graffiti had
become more and more popular, besides more visible. After some time
on the walls start to be missing free places and new tag's were invisible
between some many others. It was necessity to begin new style, which
would be more extravagant and of course unusual.
Throughout this time tags have become some kinds forms of artistic
expression, new forms of graphics and logs that were characteristic
for some writers. The letters has become more and more huge, with
added of outline and connected with 'throw out'. That was the born
of new form of graffiti called 'Piece'. It is the short version of
word Masterpiece. In that time the most popular medium for graffiti
was a subway. In 1973 The New York Magazine Newspaper throw open to
competition for the best graffiti in the subway and admitted Tags
award.
Styles were huger and added of third dimension, and 'throw out' in
many new ways. So in the 1976 person called "Caine 1" painted
first Whole Train, furthermore famous group named Fabulous Five painted
the second one. In the same time young people worked very hard to
create their own diverse styles. For the close the composition of
letters added full stops, commas, inconvenient ways of union letters
or deformation's letters. At that time were made o the most gorgeous
and cults elements in graffiti. One of them was arrow, invented by
Phase 2(he was also the inventor the bubble style).
The graphics' compositions that were made with letters weren't intelligible
any longer. So this new technique created an innovative style called
'Wild Style'. Subsequently the background elements of graffiti were
made and the new artists quiet fast adopted to develop them to their
own styles. However almost everybody remembered about people who have
experimented with sprays paints on the subway. This people were created
the real manner of graffiti. For example Hondo created first top to
bottom, Dead Leg-first top with clouds, Phase 2 -arrows, bubble style
etc.
During this whole time the creations of thousands writers cost MTA
hundreds millions of dollars. Generally speaking, between 1970-1980
The MTA had to spend about 100-150 millions of dollars to remove graffiti
or to build securities systems etc. These amounts of money were spent,
most of times, for unsuccessful tests of removing graffiti's. For
example approximately cost of removing one quadrate meter is about
750 dollars, one whole car is about 78 000 dollars.
In the end of 1978 new
system of removing whole cars were finally invented. It was water
with specific chemises under huge pressure (it was called 'buff').
Only Blade lost in those days hundreds of his whole cars. However
for the oldest cars called 'coffins' (that were built in the 50's)
the buffing system didn't work perfectly. The system removed only
parts of graffiti's. It seemed like coffins were dirtier than before.
Painting on the new painted or buffed whole cars were for most of
the writers the new challenge. Beyond this, the system worked more
effective than any times before. By the way, MTA invested huge quantity
of money to built securities systems in whole NY subway, for example
MTA built five-meter high security fence with barbed wire.
The fact is, that security
of NY subway have become more aggressive and violence and few writers
were caught in and thrashing on dead. In case of that in 1978 writer
Lee Quinones well known as Lee started to change their neighborhood.
He changed the grimy place near Brooklyn Bridge into spectacular and
incredible famous gallery of graffiti. He painted almost every night
the walls next to a baseball fields, some people thought that it was
an immense and very essential split in graffiti. The writers started
to paint the walls not a subway.
Fab
5 Freddy was one of the people who were really interested in this
occurrence. He wrote an article to Village Voice newspaper about this
innovative transform in graffiti. In the same time Claudio Bruni,
the owner of Medusa Gallery in Roma, arrived to New York He came on
to find out the people who painted graffiti. Nevertheless Lee and
Fred became first writers who have presented their artworks in Europe.
In 1983 Yaki Kornblit the
tradesman of artwork from Amsterdam, came to New York and looked for
the most talented writers. He wanted to present that kind of arts
on the European market of artworks. He thought that it would like
20 years before when the Pop -Art were successful promoted in Europe.
Yaki created group of experienced writers (who panted whole cars and
take part in extremely important exhibitions in NY for example"
Fashion Moda", The Mudd Club", "
The NY New Wave Show At
P.S.I", " The Fun Gallery" and many others. In this
Group were incredibly famous people such as Dondi, Crash, Ramellzee,
Zephyr, Futura 2000, Quik, Lady Pink, Seen, Blade, and Bil Blast.
The exhibitions of theirs artworks in Museum Boymans van Beuningen
were an unbelievable success. The critics and collectors of art talked
in positively way about their artworks. However it was not the end,
this occurrence had deep meaning for development and promotion graffiti
in Europe.
The
young people from Holland were (and perhaps still are) very insubordinate
and in that time on the street there were first signs of graffiti.
In the similar time there was legendary meeting writers from NY with
talented kids from Amsterdam of course in NY. It was the beginning
of graffiti stage in Holland and also in the other parts of Europe.
In a consequence the writers started to divide for two different groups.
The first one started to develop in a way to real art, to a new motives
and inspirations. Their arts started to be more multiple, subtle and
also well selling. Those writers, most of time, losing a contact with
their previous publicity and the spray paint started to become one
of many their painter's tools. The second groups were the writers
connected with traditional paintings on the walls. This group focused
more and more young people also connected with culture, which joined
writers, breakers, rappers and DJ's. It was the graffiti culture of
street.
On the beginning of 80's
the Hip-Hop Culture had become more popular in USA and started developing
in Europe. The most important thing is, that media promoted this culture.
Thanks to them, and esp. legendaries films, and video clips or books
whose described and promoted Hip-Hop many of young artists from New
York become a stars. Such as Africa Bambata, The Rock Steady Crew,
Phase 2, Futura 2000, Blade, Seen, Skeme, Dondi, or Lee. The style
of Kase 2 (Computer Rock- who take part in film" Style Wars"
or described in book "Subway Art") has become lately a pattern
for young writers from Los Angeles or San Francisco.
In
Spain B-boys are dreamed that they will have become the members of
famous crew Africa Bambata-Zulu Nations in future. In Great Britain
writers were painted the sign of Zulu almost everywhere. In many cities
in Europe and in the USA graffiti become developing after the concert
of Rock Steady Crew, because one of the members DOZE was the famous
writer from NY. But the most significant for development graffiti
art was the "Beat Street" film. Frankly speaking this film
was huge Hollywood production, and has nothing common with real graffiti
culture, moreover the 'throws out 'were painted by Hollywood scenographers
whose have nothing ordinary with real writers. Nevertheless this film
was an inspiration for many young people from whole over the world
to painting, dancing and Dj-ing.