writing
People have written or scratched into walls for ages, dating back to cave drawings and ancient hieroglyphics, the earliest means of written communication. However, around 1970 in New York City a new culture was born out of a need by disadvantaged youth to express themselves. "Writers" left signatures around the city and quickly developed unique styles to express their names. As writing became more prolific, writers developed their styles with size, color, and complexity. Soon the spraycan became the natural writer's tool and the New York subway system served as a network of travelling canvases. By the early 1970s, colorful whole-car masterpieces rolled through the city.
Aerosol art is now over thirty years old and has developed significantly since its beginnings in Washington Heights and the Bronx. Many now refer to aerosol art as "graffiti"--a term originally used by the media to criticize illegal art and demonize writers.
Just to Get a Rep looks at how writing originated and developed into a unique artform that is practiced by millions in a worldwide community. It is the most comprehensive documentary on graffiti, tracing the history of modern graffiti from the late 1960s to the present.
Buy the Special Edition DVD now
Featured Artists
- Blade - King of Graffiti (painting since 1972)
- Zephyr - NYC graff artist (since early 80s)
- MODE2 - Eurpean artist famous for his unique characters
- Man One - L.A. graff artist
- Kelzo - Urban Damage - Manchester based artist
- Vyal - L.A. artist
- Sherm - WGS Crew, Los Angeles
- Kosmic Four - L.A. underground hip-hop and graff crew
- Flycat - Milano MC and graffiti artist with a Cholo influence
- TATS CRU - old school Bronx style, including BG183, BIO, NICER, and more
- Futura - original NYC legend
- EZO - another New York classic artist
- SHARP - old school new york, still schooling
- STAY HIGH 149 - the undisputable king of the marker!
- JAY ONE - from the Bad Boys Crew - Paris
Other Artists
- Canesio - prolific and colorful aerosol art from Italy
- Lunar - stylish Croatian artist
- Idiot the Wise
- Flint... - old school writer turned fine art photographer
- Duro - from the legendary CIA crew
Graffiti websites
We also recommend the following sites related to aerosol art/writing/graffiti:
- @149st - excellent site dedicated to early NYC writing (includes history)
- Art Crimes - the definitive aerosol art/graffiti website
- Style Wars - 1984 graffiti documentary (now with a fresh website)
- Wild Style - 1984 hip-hop/graffiti film
- Pictures on Walls - Street art for your living room
- 50mm Los Angeles - first L.A. graff site
- Montana Spray Paint - the original Montana paint from Spain
- Graphotism - UK graff magazine
- Crewest - L.A. gallery and shop
- Guerilla One
- bombing.org - graffiti database
- Bies Crew - Italian graffiti crew
- Burning Steel - slick site with a huge archive of painted steel
- Graffiti.nl
- Graffiti Web-log - Dutch
- UK Graffiti
- N-Igma - UK graff site
- Robots Will Kill - online graffiti gallery
- Alife - shop in the Lower East Side
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